1st Week of Advent 2024 - Hope

Advent Readings 

(Jer 33:14-16; 1 Thes 3:12-14:2; Lk 21:25-28, 34-36)

Hope Candle Prayer:

God of hope, we light this candle as we prepare for the coming of your Son. Awaken our hearts to you this Advent season, so that when Christ arrives, we are ready to receive him with all our hearts, all our minds, and all our strength. Amen.

 (Light one purple candle.)

What is Hope? Our Catechism of the Catholic Church # 1817 tells us:

 Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit. "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." "The Holy Spirit . . . he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that we might be justified by his grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life."

Week 1 Advent Reflection on Hope:

As we enter into Advent, we start at an interesting moment in time. The Church has begun a new year, families are preparing for Christmas and the start of 2025, just 31 days from today. Resolutions are being made, gifts bought, and parties are in the works. For some, however, the darkest part of the year begins.

Holidays are a wonderful time to rejoice, make merry, and surround ourselves with friends and family. But in the weeks leading up to them, we encounter the darkest parts of the year, and the Church turns to readings of the end times. We start our brand-new year in the liturgical cycle with the least amount of daylight, speaking about the end of the world as we know it. What are we to make of this? Lord, please tell me there is a plan…

In our Gospel reading for Year C, Jesus in one breath tells us, “Beware…” and “Do not be anxious.”

Easier said than done. Jesus tells us that the end is a confusing time, with great turmoil and nations bewildered by what they are seeing. God wants us to know that He is in charge and has it all under control. Now is our time to look to the light, now is our time to watch and not despair.

Hope is what we are called to look for this week. As we light the first candle on our wreaths today, let us remind ourselves that hope is the virtue that comes from God. It is not internal but a gift given by the Holy Spirit to help us know that we are made for eternal life. Our God is a God who keeps His promises.

So yes, the days are darker, the nights are long, and 2024 has been a long year. But we must look with hope at what is to come and trust that Jesus is in control.

Your Brother in Christ, Tyler