The following are homilies, images and other digital resources you might find useful for your celebration of the First Sunday of Advent (Year C). Advent, which comes from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming” or “arrival”, is a period of preparation for the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord. This year, the season of Advent begins on November 29. The first Sunday of Advent also marks the beginning of the liturgical and ecclesiastical year.

READINGS

FIRST READING: Jer 33:14-16
PSALM: Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
SECOND READING: 1 Thes 3:12-4:2
GOSPEL: Lk 21:25-28, 34-36

HOMILIES

• The Hope That Gives Life [www.bible.claret.org]
  Today, at the start of the Liturgical Year the church invites us to set out on a great journey – to follow the footstep of Christ in all of his mysteries so that we can live as he lived. St. Luke gives us the last address of his public ministry where Jesus is clearly fretful about the future as he paints a bleak picture of the end of the world. Read more…
• Look Up Because Your Redemption is Drawing Near [www.rc.net]
  What can keep us from recognizing the signs which await the coming of the Lord? Indifference and the temptation to slacken off – to become passive and lethargic or to fall asleep spiritually. It is very easy to get caught up in the things of the present moment or to be weighed down with troubles. Read more…
• First Advent: Santa and Calvin [www.st.ignatius.net]
  St. Paul wrote that our love must continually grow so we can stand blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord. That brings us to the quite frightening gospel with its warnings about being prepared for the end of time or at least, the end of our own personal time. Read more…
• First Sunday of Advent [www.catholicmatters.com]
  On this the first Sunday of Advent the Church wishes to remind us of what Advent means—a period of preparation for the Advent—the Coming—of Christ our Savior. This prophecy of Jeremiah intended to encourage the Jews to trust in God in spite of all their present difficulties, can and should encourage us too. Read more…

IMAGES

To view and download their full size versions, please click on the images or the names of the artists.

Advent Sermon Graphic by Aaron Alexander

First Advent and First Candle is Lit by Per Ola Wiberg (Powi)

New Beginning by Jonmatthew Photography

SLIDE PRESENTATIONS

The multimedia presentations below present the history and meaning of the Advent season. Please take note that the first presentation contains audio, while the second only contains text and images. You can download the first presentation here and the second presentation can be downloaded here.

VIDEO

The following video is Tracy Chapman’s “New Beginning”. The core message of the song is that we all need to resolve to start all over and make a new beginning (which is also the essence of the Advent season). The refrain goes “We can break the cycle – We can break the chain. We can start all over – In the new beginning. We can learn, we can teach. We can share the myths, the dream, the prayer. The notion that we can do better. Change our lives and paths. Create a new world and start all over.” You can download the video in MP4 format by clicking here.