WAITING IN HOPE
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: We live in an “instant” era. Almost everything is available at the press of a button. In this instant culture, we find waiting difficult, tedious, and unprofitable.
Today’s liturgy, which begins the Liturgical Year and the Season of Advent, invites us to wait… to wait and prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord. It might help to realize that God has been waiting for us longer that we have been waiting for him!
Let us pray that we may wait patiently and in hope for the coming of God in our lives.
Penitential Rite
L: Let us prepare for his coming in our midst now and at the end of time in glory by asking him to pardon us for not waiting in hope!
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you will come as a Light to shine in our darkness: Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Christ Jesus, you will come as a Shepherd to console and comfort: Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you will come as a Redeemer to heal us: Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Opening Prayer
L: Rend the heavens and come down,
O God of all the ages!
Rouse us from sleep,
deliver us from our heedless ways,
and form us into a watchful people,
that, at the advent of your Son,
he may find us doing what is right,
mindful of all you command.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Isaiah 63:16-17, 19
Psalm Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
Response Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
Show us Lord, your love;
and grant us your salvation.
Gospel Mark 13:33-37
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine being among the disciples when Jesus says: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.” What thoughts and feelings do his words evoke?
Sunday Snippets
Waiting is a part of life. Outside schools, parents wait to pick up their children; at bus stops, railway stations, and airports, people wait for their loved ones; in hospitals, patients wait for their families. We are waiting for violence and wars to end. All they/we can do is wait… in hope!
Waiting is a part of life. All of us waited to be born, waited to be nourished, waited to be loved. We learned, soon enough, that not everything is available “instant”. We have to wait.
Advent is a time of a more profound waiting… for God to reveal himself and to come to us.
The first reading graphically portrays a people waiting for God. The newly-returned exiles hope that God will again adopt them as his children. But Jerusalem is a heap of ruins; there is no sign to confirm their hope. The people remember what God did for them in the past. This memory gives the people hope as they wait.
The gospel and the second reading give us attitudes for this waiting period: be responsible and dutiful servants; stay awake to the signs of the kingdom around us and to the opportunities to serve others; stay firm to the end though God’s grace and gifts.
Like the newly-returned exiles, we are waiting for the Lord to come. We sometimes feel anguish when God seems absent from our lives. Like the exiles, we would do well to remember the mighty deeds God has done for us. This memory will give us hope as we wait.
What attitude characterizes my waiting: optimism or desolation; joy or anguish; hope-filled service or despairing passivity?
What gifts God has given me? How can I use them as a responsible servant for the task he has given me?
On a South Pole expedition, Sir Ernest Shackleton left a few men on Elephant Island and promised to return. Whenever he tried to return, icebergs blocked his way. Finally, he got through. His men, ready and waiting, scrambled aboard. As soon as the ship cleared the island, the ice crashed behind them. Shackleton said: “It was fortunate you were packed and ready to go!” They replied: “We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice, we rolled up our sleeping bags and said, ‘He may come today.’”
Like Shackleton’s men, may we be ready for the coming of the Lord. May we be alert to the signs of his presence everywhere.
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: “Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways!” Is there a veil that keeps me from seeing God’s presence at work in my life? How can I use Advent to lift that veil, to get more in touch with God in and around me?
Reading 2: “God is faithful…” In what ways have I experienced God’s faithfulness?
Gospel: What work has Jesus given Christians to do? What task(s) has he given me to do?
“He leaves home and places his servants in charge.” Am I the ‘servant’ in charge of the preservation of the earth? What can I do about the climate crisis (with a group and as an individual)?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: Let us pray that we may be alert to the Lord’s presence and that his salvation may come to all of our world: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may be awake to life each day, and freed from avoidance of issues, we pray…
R: For leaders of governments: that they may protect and promote life and peace for all people, we pray…
R: For all who must wait: that God may strengthen and comfort all who are waiting with the sick, those awaiting a diagnosis, those separated from loved ones, and those who are held unjustly, we pray…
R: For refugees, immigrants, and displaced persons awaiting a new home or a return to their home: that God may give them patience and guide lawmakers in developing policies to address these issues, we pray…
R: For all who are ill: that God may heal them, strengthen their care-givers, and guide their physicians, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that our minds and hearts may be focused upon the tasks we do, the people we love, and the God whom we serve today, we pray…
L: God our Father, you sent your Son to renew us and our world. Inspire us by the power of his Spirit and sustain us in hope that we may commit ourselves to build a city that is human, peaceful, just, and fraternal. Through Christ our Lord.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
Rough mountains, steep pathways,
rugged trails with ruts, cool trails, running streams,
rough roads, sunny streets…
let us never stop watching for you, O Lord.
Come to us as we walk with one another.
We look for you in all things,
all creation, every event, every love, everyone we meet.
May we stay awake, alert and watchful,
for what’s coming and who’s coming next.
Your birth, Lord, has happened already—
but also, it has not happened at all.
We are still mean to one another.
We still hide truth from those who love us.
We envy and lust after what is not ours.
There is horrendous evil all around us.
We need your birth into our hearts, into the world.
Come, Lord Jesus.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: God our Father,
you sent your Son Jesus among us,
but we have been unaware of his presence.
Wake us up, make us recognize him,
that he may be the light of our lives
and that we may lead people to him.
Through Christ our Lord.A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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