First reading Apocalypse 22:1-7
The Lord God will shine on them; it will never be night again
The angel showed me, John, the river of life, rising from the throne of God and of the Lamb and flowing crystal-clear down the middle of the city street. On either side of the river were the trees of life, which bear twelve crops of fruit in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which are the cure for the pagans.
The ban will be lifted. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in its place in the city; his servants will worship him, they will see him face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. It will never be night again and they will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining on them. They will reign for ever and ever.
The angel said to me, ‘All that you have written is sure and will come true: the Lord God who gives the spirit to the prophets has sent his angel to reveal to his servants what is soon to take place. Very soon now, I shall be with you again.’ Happy are those who treasure the prophetic message of this book.
Responsorial Psalm 94(95):1-7
Marana tha! Come, Lord Jesus!
Come, ring out our joy to the Lord;
hail the rock who saves us.
Let us come before him, giving thanks,
with songs let us hail the Lord.
A mighty God is the Lord,
a great king above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his.
To him belongs the sea, for he made it
and the dry land shaped by his hands.
Come in; let us bow and bend low;
let us kneel before the God who made us:
for he is our God and we
the people who belong to his pasture,
the flock that is led by his hand.
Gospel Luke 21:34-36
That day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘Watch yourselves, or your hearts will be coarsened with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life, and that day will be sprung on you suddenly, like a trap. For it will come down on every living man on the face of the earth. Stay awake, praying at all times for the strength to survive all that is going to happen, and to stand with confidence before the Son of Man.’
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Stay awake and pray
In today’s gospel, Jesus invites us to stay awake and pray at all times. By saying this, Jesus calls us to live constantly with an attitude of
awareness and contemplation of His presence, who is with us at all times. Often, the pleasures and cares of this life distract us from
perceiving God’s presence in us and around us. As we start the Advent season, let us ask Jesus to help us journey inward and encounter Him within.
awareness and contemplation of His presence, who is with us at all times. Often, the pleasures and cares of this life distract us from
perceiving God’s presence in us and around us. As we start the Advent season, let us ask Jesus to help us journey inward and encounter Him within.
We pray, using the words of St. Patrick, “…Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me…”. Today, let us live and move and have our being in this awareness that Jesus is with us.
Reflective question:
Am I open to the call of Jesus to stay awake and pray at all times?
Am I open to the call of Jesus to stay awake and pray at all times?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
