Advent Series - Sunday Week One

The Nightwatchman's Christmas - William Kurelek

Sunday Week One
Lectio	Gospel Mk 13:33-37 Jesus said to his disciples: "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'"
Meditatio	Two millennia have now passed, the Second Coming is taking longer than expected. But remember Peter’s warning give in 2 Pt 2:3 “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. My days are much fewer and each day brings me closer. Each new  Advent reminds us of this. But there is a real presence now – each new day brings a new opportunity to encounter Christ. To which group do you belong, those bored waiting, lost in trivial pursuits, or those who begin each day fully prepared to meet the Lord in unexpected places, in unexpected ways?
Oratio	Lord, you promised to remain with us always. Yet, I live and act as though you are distant and remote, hidden and unapproachable. You have become not a person but an idea, a theology, a subject for debate; something I bring to mind from time to time. Lord, since you are here help me find you. Show me where to look for you; in everyday places, among the people I meet, in that last place I would think to look.
Contemplatio	But Mary of Magdala stayed outside the tomb weeping …  and saw two angels in white sitting there … “Woman, why are you weeping?” … “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.”… She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, … Jesus said to … [ you, insert your name ]  Jo. 20:11

With each post I am including a image from the collections of paintings by William Kurelek entitled 'Northern Nativity'. They lend themselves well to the Ignatian approach to contemplation - placing oneself in the scene. What William Kurelek does is place the scene in a contemporary setting.

For additional resources you could visit past Advent posts. On the side panel there is a list of past years. Open a year showing a list of months. Klick on Nov/Dec and open to the posts.

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