First Sunday of Advent

“Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy 
from carousing and drunkenness 
and the anxieties of daily life, 
and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.
For that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth.
Be vigilant at all times 
and pray that you have the strength 
to escape the tribulations that are imminent 
and to stand before the Son of Man.”

In this homily for the First Sunday of Advent, Fr. Stephen Hamilton focuses on the Gospel image of drunkenness, not only as a sin, but also as a symbol of unpreparedness in our spiritual vigilance for the coming of Christ as anticipated in our observance of Advent but also in our ever present hope in Christ’s second coming.

Reading 1 JER 33:14-16
Responsorial Psalm PS 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
Reading 2 1 THES 3:12—4:2
Alleluia PS 85:8
Gospel LK 21:25-28, 34-36