2 nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT - YEAR A

5 th December 2004  

S: Good morning. Today is the second Sunday of Advent. This morning we concentrate on the story of John the Baptist who was a cousin of Jesus and invited people to prepare for his coming.

B: John lived in the wilderness – a touch of a wild man in him really and our word of life for today comes from St. Matthew’s Gospel: “A voice cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord”.

S: So I guess some of our preparations from now on for Christmas will involve going to Christmas parties and we will also see the Gardai step up their already fruitful efforts to save lives on our roads. God knows if it wasn’t for those efforts things could be a lot worse. And isn’t it a strange world when the thought of a fine or penalty points slows us down, rather than the thought of someone loosing their life. This Christmas, for goodness sake do slow down – do take care. It’s worth a lot more than a fine or a few penalty points!

B: Indeed, and if that was one of the few things we did in our preparations for this Christmas, I think we would be making sure a lot more people had a Happy Christmas.

Going back to John the Baptist, I guess he’s really not one you would be having to Christmas parties! With John there’s no beating about the bush – you either repent or you don’t. So, part of our preparations for Christmas is also having a look at where we went wrong in the past and what we would like to change in our lives. Asking forgiveness for any hurt we might have caused. Go on, give yourself the luxury of honesty this Christmas and if you need to – repent and change!

S: Our reflection this morning focuses on the God of hope:

God of Hope, come! Enter into this heart of mine which often loses itself in self, missing the message of your encouragement because I am so entangled in the web of my own whirl of life. Enable me not to lose sight of the power of your presence or the truth of your consolation.

B: God of Hope, come! Enter into the lives of all those I hold dear, the ones whose lives are marked with pain, struggle, and deep anxiety, those whose lives bear ongoing heartache, those whose difficulties threaten to overwhelm them with helplessness and despair. Come and gift them with a deep belief about you and your never-ending faithfulness and companionship.

S: God of Hope, come! Enter into this Advent season with the grace of joyand laughter. Fill faces with smiles of delight and voices with sounds of pleasure. Let this gift come from deep within. Replenish all with the joyful blessings that only your peace can bring.

B: Before we go this morning we would like to let you know about a very special evening of prayer taking place this Wednesday evening at St. Mary’s Cathedral here in Limerick at 8.30pm. This evening prayer centers on the theme – ‘Whose birthday is it anyway’. Both Bishop Mayes and Bishop Murray will be leading the service and you are all welcome to come along.

S: I must say it’s one evening I’m looking forward to. You’ve been listening to ‘Just a thought’ with Seamus Madigan.

B: And Brenda Cribbin. We can be contacted through the Limerick Diocesan Offices at 66 O’ Connell Street.

S: We look forward to your company again next week, so in the mean time, take are

B&S: Byeee……

© Copyright Diocese of Limerick 1991-2007 - Disclaimer