First Sunday of Advent
Psalm
25, Verse 12-14
12 Who
is the one who fears the LORD? God
shows him the way he should choose. 13 He will abide in prosperity, and
his descendants will inherit the land. 14 The counsel of the LORD belongs to
those who fear him; and his covenant
instructs them.
Today is a day for any last-minute
shopping. Remember that “A happy heart is
better than a full Purse.”
Ponder on the thought that God
wants us to study the world, fall in love with its creator, and live happily
forever after. “Lord my God, teach my
heart where and how to seek you, where and how to find you.” Anselm of
Canterbury
So,
what are the covenants of God that instruct us?
Covenant comes from the
Latin word "convenire" which means to come together. A
covenant is basically an agreement between people, or between God and His
people, that binds one to the other. This is much different than a contract,
which involves the exchange of goods or services for money. A good way to
remember this distinction is to examine Holy Matrimony between a husband and a
wife, and contrast that with prostitution. In the former, the two become
one flesh at the marriage ceremony, with vows taken before God, each other, the
priest, friends, and family, and they have sexual relations with each other
that are holy and good. In the latter, money exchanges hands for
sex. A covenant can be thought of as a sacred family bond, taken with an
oath before a higher power, whereas a contract can be thought of as an
agreement to pay someone for services rendered, which involves a promise to each
other, rather than an oath. Covenants most often involve a ceremony with
witnesses, invoking God, and a communal meal. The covenant therefore unites
flesh and blood, as well as ensuring a common family name. So why did God
decide to make covenants with mankind? Well, we are God's family, and
through sin, we have separated ourselves from the eternal love of God,
preferring instead the temporary pleasures of this world. Hell awaits us if we
fail to unite ourselves to Him while we are still alive. To help show us the
way, God our loving Father initiated 6 major covenants in the Bible to bring us
back into His family. Notice the 4 things similar in these covenants - A
blessing, a condition/curse, a sign, and the resultant form of God's
family.
God's Covenants with man
·
The
Blessing - Their descendants will fill the earth and subdue it.
·
The
Condition/Curse - Do not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil/death
will result.
·
The
Sign - The Sabbath - Keep it holy
- · The Family Form - Marriage
·
The
Blessing -God will never flood the entire earth again.
·
The
Condition/Curse - Do not drink the blood of animals or shed human blood
·
The
Sign - A Rainbow
·
The Family Form- Traditional Family
·
Blessing-
Land and many blessed descendants
·
Condition/Curse-
Circumcision
·
Sign-
Circumcision
·
Family
Form - Tribe
Exodus 34:10, 24: And he said, "Behold, I make a
covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been
wrought in all the earth or in any nation; and all the people among whom you
are shall see the work of the LORD; for it is a terrible thing that I will do
with you..... For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders;
neither shall any man desire your land, when you go up to appear before the
LORD your God three times in the year.
·
Blessing-
Becoming God's chosen people
·
Condition/Curse-
They MUST keep God's law and the Commandments
·
Sign-
The Passover
·
Family
Form - A holy nation
·
Blessing-
God becomes our Father, and we become his child
·
Condition/Curse-
Chastisement with the rod of men
·
Sign-
Solomon's Temple
·
Family Form - An eternal royal
kingdom
·
Blessing
- God's Law will be written on our hearts. Believers become the new
chosen people.
·
Condition/Curse
- Belief in Jesus as the son of God, Baptism, eating His Flesh and drinking His
blood at Communion, and living as Christians, not pagans.
·
Sign
- The Eucharist
·
Family
Form - A universal worldwide Kingdom, or His Church
So now that you know you belong to a universal (catholic) worldwide Kingdom, are you being true to your part of the last covenant, namely, living a Christian life following baptism and consuming the Eucharist? Or, are you living like a pagan? The choice is yours to make, right now. If you choose God's way, the benefits are literally out of this world. If not, you will have hell to pay.... Choose Wisely!
Notice the evil ones assaults of these Covenants 1) against the church with the protestant reformation 2) against the kingdoms in the age of enlightenment 3) against the holy nations in communism and atheism 4) against the tribe (local community) with TV/Computers/games which isolate us 5) against the family with divorce, contraception, abortion, etc. and 6) against holy union with same sex unions, prostitution, pornography and pedophilia. Yet, God is good He has and will overcome evil not with evil but with love.
A sudden announcement that the lord is coming
‘Awaken! Remember that God comes! Not yesterday, not
tomorrow, but today, now! The one true God, "the God of Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob", is not a God who is there in Heaven, unconcerned with us and our
history, but he is the-God-who-comes.’
Today
get ready your Christmas decorations.
Advent
Wreath
Many Catholics may be
surprised to learn that the Advent wreath actually came from Lutherans living
in East Germany. Yet though this custom is relatively recent as far as
tradition goes, it has rightly earned a place of prominence among our Advent
customs. A simple wreath made of evergreen (yew or fir or laurel) is adorned
with four candles equidistant from each other. These candles may be of any
color: in some European countries they are all white, though in the U.S. they
generally correspond to the liturgical colors of the four Sundays of Advent
(three purple and one pink or rose). In a dark room, a purple candle is lit on
the First Sunday of Advent, another on the Second, the rose candle on the Third
Sunday (in commemoration of Gaudete Sunday), and the last purple candle on the
Fourth Sunday. Thus, all four candles will be lit for the week before
Christmas. There is no formal ceremony for the lighting of the wreath or for
the prayers that are said around it; there is not even an official Roman
formula for blessing the wreath. Catholic families simply pray together for a
holy preparation and a holy Christmas, concluding with a traditional Advent
hymn. The symbolism of the Advent wreath is simple but effective. The wreath,
with its crown-like character, reminds us of the King, while its circular shape
betokens the "fulfillment of time" that both Comings bring about. The
candles, on the other hand, represent the prophets whose inspired words pierced
the darkness under which mankind groaned while waiting for the Messiah; they
also represent the elects' hearts burning for Christ.
Blessing
of an Advent Wreath
The use of the Advent
Wreath is a traditional practice which has found its place in the
Church as well as in the home. The blessing of an Advent Wreath takes place on
the First Sunday of Advent or on the evening before the First Sunday of Advent.
All make the sign of the
cross as the leader says:
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Response (R/.) Who made heaven and earth.
Then the Scripture, Isaiah 9: (lines 1-2 and
5-6) or Isaiah
63 (lines 16-17 & 19) or Isaiah 64 (lines 2-7)
is read:
Reader: The Word of the Lord.
R/. Thanks be to God.
R/. Thanks be to God.
With
hands joined, the leader says:
Lord our God,
we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ:
he is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples,
he is the wisdom that teaches and guides us,
he is the Savior of every nation.
Lord God,
let your blessing come upon us
as we light the candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light
be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation.
May he come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ:
he is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples,
he is the wisdom that teaches and guides us,
he is the Savior of every nation.
Lord God,
let your blessing come upon us
as we light the candles of this wreath.
May the wreath and its light
be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation.
May he come quickly and not delay.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
The blessing may conclude with a verse from
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”:
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel”:
O come, desire of nations, bind
in one the hearts of humankind;
bid ev’ry sad division cease
and be thyself our Prince of peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
in one the hearts of humankind;
bid ev’ry sad division cease
and be thyself our Prince of peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
Advent
Calendar
Another popular Advent custom, also from Germany,
creates a similar build-up of anticipation. Advent calendars are colorful
pieces of cardboard on which is depicted a many-windowed house. Behind the
shutters of each house is a picture or symbol that points to the coming of
Christmas. Beginning December 1, the children are allowed to open the shutters
of one window per day. Finally, on December 24, the front door of the house is opened,
showing the nativity.
Each Sunday in Advent has a particular theme the first
week is faithfulness, associated with Christ coming in final victory. The
second and third Sundays, which feature the stories about John the Baptist,
represent hope and joy. The fourth Sunday, which covers the events that
led up to the birth of Jesus, represents love. Many churches light a candle on
an advent wreath each Sunday to represent each theme. The wreath is
either suspended from the ceiling or sits on a table. It is made of
evergreen branches and holds four candles - three purple for the first weeks of
Advent and a pink one for the last week. A white Christ candle is placed
in the center and will be lit on Christmas. A common activity for children is
to make Christmas ornaments. Many church Christmas trees are decorated
with these ornaments that represent symbols in Christianity, like doves and
fish. Advent starts the four Sundays before Christmas. Church banners and
cleric's stoles are purple during the season. Advent is a journey towards
Bethlehem. May we let ourselves be drawn by the light of God made man -
Pope Francis via twitter
on Dec 21, 2013.
Advent
Begins Top Events and Things to Do
·
Decorate your home with evergreens or go
to a 'Hanging of the Greens' church service. Church members decorate the
church in preparation for Christmas.
·
Hang up an advent calendar. Many of
these decorative pieces have little doors that open and reveal holiday images
or have pockets with small items in them that reflect the season. They are
especially popular with children who enjoy opening the little doors to reveal
chocolates.
·
Sing Advent Hymns. Two popular ones
are in the Deep Midwinter, and O Come, O Come Emmanuel.
Chanukah
(Hebrew: ×—× ×•×›×”) is an eight-day
Jewish festival, also known as the festival of lights. On each day a Menorah
(an eight branched candelabra) is lit with an ascending number of candles to
match the day. The reason for Chanukah is based on the story of the
Maccabees battle with the Greeks. It is told that one pure bottle of
olive oil lasted for eight days in the Holy Temple. It should have lasted
only for the first day.
Hanukkah Facts
·
It
is customary to eat fried foods on Chanukkah because of the significance of oil
to the holiday. Among Ashkenazic Jews, this usually includes latkes
(potato pancakes fried in oil) and doughnuts.
·
A
popular game during Hanukkah is dreidel. The dreidel is a four-sided
spinning top with one Hebrew letter inscribed on each face/side. These
letters are Nun (like N), Gimel (like G), Hei (Like H) and Shin (like Sh).
These letters stand for the Hebrew phrase Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, a great
miracle happened there, referring to the miracle of the oil.
·
There
is a special prayer called for the Miracles said during all prayer
sessions and grace after meals. In this prayer the Lord is thanked for
allowing the Jewish minority to overcome their much larger and stronger enemies
(a recurrent theme in Jewish survival).
·
Chanukkah
is not one of the Biblical festivals and Jews are permitted to work on
Chanukkah.
Hanukkah Top
Events and Things to Do
·
An
event that gathers much attention is the White House Hanukkah Party.
Watch it on TV (some parts are broadcast) or YouTube.
·
Play
a dreidel game, which consists of spinning a special four-sided block with
Hebrew letters. Once you're out of game pieces, you can either get a loan or
you're out until one person collects all of the game pieces.
·
Make
latkes and donuts at home. Many recipes can be found online.
·
Listen
to a special song is sung after the lighting of the candles, called Maoz Zur,
'the Rock of our Salvation'. Many renditions of it can be found on
YouTube.
The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery aims
to end slavery in the world. Contemporary forms of slavery include sexual
exploitation, forced marriage, trafficking
of persons and recruitment of children
for armed conflict. The International Labour Organization estimates that there
are currently 21 million people enslaved in the world, a business that
generates around 150 billion US dollars in illegal profits every year. The
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery was designated by the United Nations
General Assembly as a day to be celebrated every December 2nd. The day marks
the 1949 adoption of the UN Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in
Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others.
International
Day for the Abolition of Slavery Facts & Quotes
·
The average cost of a slave globally is
$90.
·
Human trafficking is the third largest
international crime industry after illegal
drugs and arms trafficking. It generates a profit of approximately
32 billion every year.
·
1 million children
are enslaved worldwide.
·
Child slavery is a crime against humanity.
Humanity itself is at stake here. A lot of work still remains, but I will see
the end of child labor in my lifetime. – Kailash Satyarthi, Indian children’s
rights advocate and founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan.
International
Day for the Abolition of Slavery Top Events and Things to Do
·
Watch a movie about the horrors of
slavery. Some suggestions are: 12 Years a Slave (2014), Django Unchained (2014)
and Amistad (1997)
·
Donate to a charity
fighting to end slavery.
·
Spread awareness by using the hashtags #InternationalDayforAbolitionofSlavery,
#EndSlavery and #HumanRightsMatter.
·
Volunteer your time at a local rescue
center for victims of human
trafficking. These centers assist victims in sharing their stories,
regaining their lives and dignity and helping to reduce this problem.
·
Read a book about the horrors of slavery.
Some suggestions are: Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Beloved and Chains.
As we begin the Advent season let us take up the nature of God by
reflecting on these traits that make us a model for our children and our
sisters and brothers in Christ. Today reflect on:
Cautiousness vs. Rashness
Knowing how important right timing is in accomplishing right actions (Proverbs 19:2)
2477
Respect
for the reputation
of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.
He becomes guilty:
·
of
rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient
foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;
·
of
detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another's
faults and failings to persons who did not know them;
·
of
calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of
others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.
2478
To
avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as
possible his neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way: Every good Christian ought to be more ready to
give a favorable interpretation to another's statement than to condemn it. But
if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter
understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not
suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a
correct interpretation so that he may be saved.
Daily Devotions
[4]https://www.wincalendar.com/Advent
[7]http://graceonlinelibrary.org/home-family/christian-parenting/49-godly-character-qualities/
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