Today’s Readings – Sunday of week 1 of Advent (B)

Commentary on Isaiah 63:16-17;64:1.3-8; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:33-37

WE BEGIN TODAY a new Church year. So we can wish each other: Happy New Year! As usual, we begin the year with the four Sundays of Advent leading up to Christmas.

’Advent’ is a word we use in ordinary English and it comes from a Latin word which simply means ’coming’. So we speak of the ’advent of winter’ or the ’advent of the holiday season’.

In our case, what coming are we talking about? Obviously, it is the coming of Jesus at Christmas. And that is true but it is a little more than that. The readings of today’s Mass actually speak of three comings of Jesus. All three are inseparably connected with each other.

First coming
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Yesterday’s Readings – Saturday of week 34 of Ordinary Time - First Reading

Commentary on Rev 22:1-7
In a passage immediately preceding today’s and not included in our liturgical readings, the followers of the Beast, an agent of Satan, were said to be branded on the right hand or the forehead with his name and number, just as slaves were br … Continue