Opening the Word: First Sunday of Advent (12/01/2024)

Opening the Word is a series of prompts from The Emmaus Institute for Biblical Studies to help focus our minds and hearts on the Sunday Mass Readings. After Jesus revealed Himself to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus, they said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32). Our Lord desires to enflame our hearts also by revealing Himself to us in His Word. Take this opportunity to pause, and allow the Lord to make Himself known to you through the opening of the Scriptures which will ready your eyes to see Him in the breaking of the bread.

First Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16
Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:12–4:2
Gospel: Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Step 1: Begin in prayer, asking the Lord to open your heart to receive how He wants to make Himself known to you. Then, attentively read the Scriptures. 

Step 2: Consider these meditation prompts that follow from the readings:

1. Advent is a time where we call to mind our waiting for the Lord, while also remembering that amidst the waiting, God does not forget us. Similarly, the first reading says, “The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made…” (Jer 33:14). Take this time to entrust your cares and concerns to the Lord, even the ones that might require some ‘waiting.’
2. St. Paul in the second reading exhorts us to “increase and abound in love,” to “be blameless in holiness,” and to “conduct yourselves to please God.” Take this time to examine your mind and heart and consider where you can make a commitment to grow in holiness, according to the encouragement of the Apostle.
3. Similarly, take heed of Jesus’ words in the Gospel: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life…” What are the anxieties that keep you from complete reliance on Jesus? How can I surrender them to Jesus this Advent?

Step 3: Conclude with a prayer of gratitude and ask the Lord to keep these Words in your heart.