On Sunday the Church will celebrate three ‘firsts’.
This coming Sunday will be the first Sunday of Advent, the period of the liturgical year given to us to help us prepare for the birth of Jesus at Christmas.
The First Sunday of Advent is also the first day of the Church’s year – rather than 1 January each Church year begins on the First Sunday of Advent. Church years are labelled A, B or C; on Sunday we will be beginning Year C, meaning that over the course of the year most of the Sunday Gospel readings will come from the Gospel of Luke.
Finally this Sunday will see the introduction of a new lectionary in Catholic churches in this country; all of the readings used at Mass will be taken from a different translation of the Bible, the English Standard Version.
Each of these ‘firsts’ is an invitation. Advent is a time to appreciate that while there are signs of Christmas all around us, we are not at Christmas yet. While we are engaged in practical preparations for Christmas, Advent is a special time in its own right where we are invited to prepare our hearts, as well as our homes, to be able to celebrate the birth of Jesus.
It is in the Gospel of Luke that we read about Angel Gabriel appearing to Mary, announcing to her that she was to be the mother of Jesus. We read of Mary’s humility and of her acceptance: ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word.’ When St Jeanne encouraged us to ‘Live up to our name’ it is this example of Mary that we are invited to try to follow: a willingness to say yes and to put all our trust in God.
The new lectionary will mean hearing and reading the same scriptures as in the past, but in a different translation, meaning some slightly different words or phrases. It is an invitation to hear or read what may be familiar pieces of scripture afresh, and perhaps in doing so to find new meaning.
The last weeks of term are always busy and the build-up to Christmas is often hectic. I do encourage however, trying to take some time during Advent to reflect on the true message of Christmas, and to do so by opening up a Bible, in print or online, and through the words on the page or the screen inviting God to speak into your heart.
