First Sunday of Advent, Cycle A

Our readings for Sunday are here.

These are the poem, my notes, and interpretations of Fr Dennis’ homily from the Masses of

The poems Fr Dennis references this year are:

In 2016, we reflected that —

We receive apocalyptic phrasing (“swords into plowshares”) in Isaiah but they are nonetheless uplifting readings.
Gospel? Stay awake! But what does that mean?
Advent is a time of rethinking / start over / retelling a story in our religious and personal and spiritual lives … and in retelling these stories we remember who we are and how God is in our life.
That kind of staying awake — a contemplative awake, an aware in gratitude awake (not fearful) — the kind we want more of!
Remember that Eucharist = thanksgiving, so we practice to turn more quickly to gratitude.
Poetry gets underneath where we are in our lives or their meaning.
Joyce Sutphen’s Country Roads
- “as if we were waiting” evokes Advent
- “for the waters to open” reminds us of the Red Sea or a river parting
- “cross over Jordan” reference is the cross over to death in the psalms, the Hebrew scripture.
Other new life is the waiting to be seen or crossed over to.
This idea of “waiting for more” is waiting for the more who is once again the infant Jesus.

In 2013, we reflected that —

Each new birth is a sign of joy, of hope of a soul being given some purpose before God.
Advent is the waiting, the collapse of Mary’s pregnancy into 1 month.
Advent is the getting into the earthiness, the realness of God-with-us, of God being with us: The Incarnation is on His Way. 🙂
James Silas Rogers’ Rutabagas evokes this sense of Advent. Each earthy taste of the dirt; the realness that won’t go away, like The Gift, the child Jesus Christ.

Our image is from our own Celeste Novak!