Things to talk about:

• Jesus wants us to be prepared for the day he comes back to earth. What are some things we can do to be prepared and ready for Jesus?
• What are some ways you can make Advent more meaningful this year?

Things to do:

• Advent wreath – have an advent wreath in a visible place in your home. Click HERE for Advent prayers or use the weekly prayers in the Advent booklet mailed to you, also available HERE. Use the devotions and prayers in the Blue Book distributed at Church. Pray!
• Make a Jesse Tree -A Jesse Tree is a collection of 24 ornaments that tell key parts of the story of salvation from creation to Jesus’s birth. There is an ornament for each day, and a passage or story from the Bible that corresponds with it. There are many online resources, click here or click here for samples.
• Click HERE (English), Aquí (Spanish) for an online Advent Calendar from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (USCCB)
• Learn more about Novenas. Consider the St Andrew Novena or Advent Novena. Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 3-11, 7:00 p.m., Chapel.

Closing Prayer

Taizé Reflection—Taizé prayer is a meditative prayer that originated in Taizé, France. It involves sung and chanted prayer and a period of silence.

Listen to the song,  Jesus, Remember Me. Take a few minutes of silence to listen to what God is saying to you, and then listen again. Share what you experienced.

Name those who need our prayers. Close with the Sign of the Cross.

Catholic Insight

Today’s Scripture from Matthew is rather straightforward. No one knows the time of the coming of the Lord, so watchful waiting and vigilance are required. The passage speaks to the uselessness of looking for signs; there will be none.

How do we prepare for this? The Gospel speaks more about the manner of waiting, rather than the details of the preparation. As Christians, we know that our Lord is coming even if we cannot know the precise timing. Jesus calls us to be watchful, vigilant and Awake!

We also need to stay AWAKE to God’s presence in and around us all the time. Being AWAKE, we find that we can walk in the light of God’s love in our world today.

Did you know… this Sunday begins the new Liturgical Year? The readings are organized in a 3 year cycle. This is Year A and most of the Gospel readings will be from the Gospel of St. Matthew. (Year B we hear Mark’s account of Jesus’ life and Luke in Year C. Readings from John are found in all three years.)

Additional key concepts for this week:

Second Coming – Eschatology (study of the end times) – The Catholic Church dogmatically teaches the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the Final Judgment, and the resurrection of the dead (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC] 668–682; see 1020-1065). As the Nicene Creed proclaims, consistent with Sacred Scripture, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end” Read more….

Who is a Sacristan? The sacristan(s) prepare the vessels and the bread and wine to be used in the liturgy. Sometimes, the sacristan assists during Mass as well. Look for the sacristans at Mass today. If you’d like to be involved in the liturgy, speak with this person about various opportunities: cross bearer, bringing up the offertory gifts, welcoming and distributing worship programs, collecting programs at the end of Mass, distributing bulletins….

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Resources adapted from 52Sundays.com, Celebrating the Lectionary, At Home with the Word, Celebrating Families, Sunday Connection