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

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

With the First Sunday in Advent, we begin 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 … Continue

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

Commentary on Daniel 7:15-27

Our last reading from the book of Daniel is an interpretation of the vision that we read yesterday. Daniel says that he is deeply troubled and alarmed by the visions he has had of the four beasts and the “human being” (also translated as ’s … Continue