This week another liturgical year begins as we open our hearts and minds to A New Time, A New Season and A New Hope, the hope the comes from a reminder from the Gospel of Luke. We begin our Advent with the Apocalyptic reminder that we are an Advent people, as Luke unveils for us the truth of a promise that the Lord will return. So we enter this New Year of Luke with renewed hope and can embrace this New Season with hope. Christ “ stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” This truth that is again unveiled to us ought to be cause for hope and joy as we actively anticipate the Lord’s return.
Luke’s Gospel is the Gospel of Justice, where all are invited and included in sharing the Love of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Apocolyptic message of todays Gospel is a reminder to be a people oh hope. Hope that only comes through God’s fulfillment of God’s promise.
On this first Sunday of Advent, the Gospel reading reminds us to be “vigilant at all times.” He says that we should not let the anxieties of life cause us to become weary as we wait for the Lord’s return. Let this season of Advent be a time of change and new beginnings. A New Time, A New Season for a New Hope. Let it be a time of joy for each of us. Only God can take the broken pieces of our lives and put them back together again. Through this Advent, we must listen to the angels who sing- Glory, Glory, and Glory to the newborn King! Come, Lord Jesus.
