1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT

ILIZWI REFLECTIONS
Sunday, 3 December 2023***
1ST SUNDAY OF ADVENT
“Prophecy candle – Hope”
Isaiah 63:16-17; 64:2-7
Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Mark 13:33-37

BE VIGILENT, “Watch!”
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping” (Mk 13:37)

Dear friends, today we begin a new liturgical year, Year B – focus on the Gospel of Mark. The Church’s New Year not only begins earlier than that of the world but is also ushered in differently.

The world’s New Year is inaugurated with New Year’s Eve parties, much drinking, eating, and self-indulgence. The Church begins its new year with the warning: “Keep awake” (v.37)

First reading. In Israel’s moment of great distress after the destruction of Jerusalem, the people recognised their sinfulness “We have sinned and acted wickedly … there is none who calls upon your name” (Is 64:4.6).

To express their deep feeling at this moment of crisis, they call God “our Father” (Is 64:7). This is very rare in the Old Testament. It expresses a renewed and intimate family bond with God.

This is the disposition with which we begin Advent, a feeling of unworthiness, sinfulness, of having let down God and ourselves in the past year. A great yearning for renewal, for a restart, for an intimate bond with God.

More than recalling their sins, what helped the Israelites at this moment was recalling the time when God was near them, and this was on Mount Sinai, just after the escape from Egypt, “…oh that you would tear the heavens and come down” (Is 64:2) – see Ex 19-24.

ADVENT is an opportune time, a graced time given to us by Mother Church to recognize and acknowledge our sinfulness and need for God, as our Father and restore relationships. It is also time to recall the past when we felt God’s presence in our life, vocation, family, and marriage.

It is a time to prepare for the great event in which God tore the heavens and came down Christmas. We prepare and wait for this time in the coming 4 weeks.

The waiting in Advent is not like the waiting for a village bus which sometimes never turns up.
Our waiting is like that of a farmer, of a pregnant woman. We wait with sure expectation that the child who is God will be born among us.

The short parable in the Gospel, emphasizes that the servants are left in charge, “each doing his work”. As we await, each of us has been left with our unique and special task, this task is to make ourselves better persons. As the 1st reading concludes, we are the clay and God is the potter, we are the work of His hands.

We pray that in this Advent God may remould me into that person he created me to be.

We pray, with today’s Psalm, “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved” and with Isaiah, “Would that you might meet us doing right.” (Is 64:4).

Happy waiting!
Ilizwi Biblical Centre
Divine Word Missionaries
Zimbabwe 🇿🇼