"Thanksgiving comes from above, It is the gift that we cannot fabricate for ourselves. It is to be received. it is freely offered and asks to be freely received. This is where the choice is!
We can choose to let the stranger continue his journey and so remain a stranger. But we can also invite him into our inner lives, let him touch every part of our being and then transform our resentments into gratitude.
Our little lives become great-part of the mysterious work of God's salvation. Once that happens, nothing is accidental, casual, or futile any more. Even the most insignificant event speaks the language of faith, hope and above all, love.
This is the Eucharistic life, the life in which everything becomes a way of saying "Thank you" to Him who joined us on the road".
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Opening Prayer:
Creator of all, we thank you for the opportunity to gather in study. Open our minds and hearts. By the power of the Holy Spirit, unite us in faith, hope, and love. Help us to be faithful to the gospel and to walk humbly with you. Grant us your peace as we grow in wisdom and understanding. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Luke 21:25-36 How do you view Jesus’ comments on the “end times”?
As we enter Advent, we start with Jesus’ last teaching before his passion and death! Before sharing the story of Jesus’ birth, this Gospel message from Luke emphasizes that Jesus’ predictions of the Temple’s destruction had come true, thus underscoring the reliability of other statements about his end and return. Throughout early Christian literature, one finds church leaders pointing believers to the day of the Lord—when Christians would be vindicated by God and their detractors and antagonists exposed to fear and shame—as a means of encouraging them to remain steadfast in their hope and witness. Israel had originally conceived of this day as the time in which oppressors would be routed and Israel, under God, would be restored, purified, and made wholly God’s own. As the sins of the nation became ever more blatant, hope still remained for restoration. These words about the Second Coming close with an exhortation naming worldly concerns and self-deluding pleasures as the greatest threat to our eternal well-being.
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 What keeps you faithful?
Paul sends a letter that focuses on seeking God’s approval when Jesus returns and explains the insults and abuse believers endure as the natural reaction of ignorant people against the ways of God—to their detriment. Paul’s thanksgiving reminds hearers Whom they must please, even if their neighbors censure them. Hope and holiness are also Advent themes. This season of preparation is viewed as a time of waiting and expectancy, a time to look inward and prepare to present ourselves as blameless before God. Paul urges the Thessalonians to make ready for the Lord’s coming.
Jeremiah 33:14-16 How are you awaiting the birth of our king?
This passage in Jeremiah begins the season of Advent and is read because of the early Christians’ conviction that Jesus was the legitimate heir to David’s kingdom. He proclaims God’s faithfulness to the promises made to David and Levi. After the land was laid desolate, God would once again bring Joy to the people. This promise of restoration focuses on a legitimate heir (“a righteous branch”) from the house of David to reign over Judah. As Christians who await the coming of the Messiah during Advent, this word from Jeremiah reminds us of our connection with others who have awaited their messiah—though the nature of “kingship” has been radically altered by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Closing Prayer
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