Welcome to Advent and Happy New Year.

Today’s scripture readings remind us of the three ways we welcome Jesus this Advent.  

We look back in time and welcome Him once again as the infant in the manger – God incarnate – who came to walk among us, to inaugurate his kingdom, to teach us, to heal us, to save us.  We look forward in time to that day when Jesus will appear again and bring his Kingdom, and all of us, to absolute fulfillment.   Maybe most importantly we look at our current day and welcome Jesus into our lives right here and now so that we can help build up His kingdom, spread His saving message, return to Him the love He lavishes on us, and share that love with others.

In our first reading (Jer. 33:14-16) we hear of the “promise” that God makes to us – a promise fulfilled in Jesus and the salvation Jesus achieves for us.  In our second reading (1 Thess. 3:12-4:2)we hear St. Paul remind us that God pours out His grace to us to help us live the life of love that we are called to.  And in our Gospel (Luke 21:25-36) we hear Jesus tell us that if we are faithful to God’s calling, if we trust in God’s promise, and if we dispose ourselves to God’s grace, in the end we will be able to “stand erect with our heads held high”, confident that we will live with Him forever in his heavenly kingdom.

The psalm of today’s mass (Psalm 25) offers us a great prayer – a prayer that can help us come to know God more and more, help deepen our personal relationship with Him, and help us live out our call to discipleship with trust and confidence in Him.  This is a prayer that in my mind will never go unanswered:

To you O Lord I lift my soul
Your ways O Lord make known to me;
teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
and for you I wait all the day.