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ADVENT
ENT:: A TIME TO PREP
ADVENT ARE THE W
PREPARE WAAY FOR THE LORD
W e have begun the good work of liv-
ing the spirit of Advent with trust,
hope, and love. Today we are re-
minded by St. Paul to persevere in this praise-
the ravines of our past shortcomings and fail-
ings; and to level down the peaks of our pride
and arrogance. And as we are engaged in
this work of “spiritual landscaping,” our love
worthy undertaking. John the Baptist is our for God and neighbor should increase ever
trusted guide in the all-important work of our more, that we may be found pure and blame-
spiritual renewal in preparation for the com- less at the coming of our Lord.
memoration of Christ’s birth. Let this be our main concern in these days
And to prepare the way for the Lord is to and the special intention for which we offer
make straight the winding roads of our moral the Eucharistic sacrifice we are about to be-
uncertainties and inconsistencies; to fill up gin.
GLOSSARY: • Day of Christ Jesus: The day of Christ’s Second Coming, when he will judge all human beings. • Tiberius Caesar: The
Roman Emperor who started reigning when Jesus was about 8 years of age. It was during his reign that Jesus was crucified. • Pontius
Pilate: The Roman Governor of Judea, from AD 25 to AD 35. He condemned Jesus to death, yielding to the demands of the crowd, in spite
of the fact that he had not found him guilty of any capital offense. • Herod (Antipas): The son of Herod the Great who who had ordered the
slaughter of the babies of Bethlehem in the vain attempt to eliminate the newborn “Messiah-King.” Herod Antipas unlawfully married
Herodias and ordered that John the Baptist be beheaded. • Jordan: The main river of Palestine. It is only about 150 kilometers long and
flows into the Dead Sea.
6 December 2009
and every mountain and hill C –For those who live with- Preface of Advent l
shall be made low. The wind- out enthusiasm and ideals: P –Father, all-powerful and
ing roads shall be made May they find the inspiration ever-living God, we do well
straight, and the rough ways they need in the Gospel of always and everywhere to
made smooth, and all flesh the Lord, and the solidarity
shall see the salvation of give you thanks through
of God’s people. Let us pray! Jesus Christ our Lord.
God.” R. When he humbled him-
The Gospel of the Lord! C –For all those afflicted with self to come among us as a
All –Praise to you, Lord Jesus any kind of disease, espe- man, he fulfilled the plan you
Christ! cially Influenza H1N1: May formed long ago and opened
Homily
they experience our Christian for us the way to salvation.
concern and charity and be Now we watch for the day,
Profession of Faith healed of their infirmities. Let hoping that the salvation
All–I believe in God, the Fa- us pray!* R. promised us will be ours
ther almighty, Creator of C –For all priests: May they when Christ our Lord will
heaven and earth. grow daily in their commit- come again in his glory.
I believe in Jesus Christ, ment to Christ the Good And so, with all the choirs
His only Son, our Lord. He Shepherd so that they may of angels in heaven we pro-
was conceived by the power lead with pastoral love the claim your glory and join in
of the Holy Spirit and born of flock entrusted to their care. their unending hymn of
the Virgin Mary. He suffered Let us pray!* R. praise:
All –Holy, holy, holy Lord,
under Pontius Pilate, was C –For all of us: May we God of power and might,
crucified, died and was bur- discover anew the grace that heaven and earth are full of
ied. He descended to the comes from our faith in the your glory. Hosanna in the
dead. On the third day, he love of the Hearts of Jesus highest!
rose again. He ascended into and Mary and be trans- Blessed is he who comes in
heaven and is seated at the formed into a people with the name of the Lord. Ho-
right hand of the Father. He Christian morality and integ- sanna in the highest!
will come again to judge the rity. Let us pray!* R.
living and the dead. Acclamation
I believe in the Holy C –Let us pray in silence for
our personal intentions. P –Let us proclaim the mys-
Spirit, the holy Catholic tery of faith.
Church, the communion of (Pause) Let us pray! R.
All –When we eat this bread
saints, the forgiveness of P –Lord God, strengthen and drink this cup, we
sins, the resurrection of the our frail hearts in clearing a proclaim your death,
body and the life everlasting. straight path for your Son Lord Jesus, until you
Amen! Jesus. Fill up the valleys of come in glory!
our discouragement, level
Prayer of the Faithful the cliffs of our pride, and
P –As we proceed in our smooth our rough ways. COMMUNION
Advent pilgrimage, we be- We ask this in the name of RITE
come ever more aware of the Jesus, the Lord.
need to prepare the way for All –Amen! All –Our Father . . .
the Lord through a thorough P –Deliver us, Lord . . .
personal improvement. Let All –For the kingdom, the
LITURGY OF power, and the glory are
us ask for his help to do just THE EUCHARIST
that as we implore him: yours, now and for ever.
All –Lord, graciously hear us! Preparation of the Gifts Sign of Peace
C –For the Church and its P –Pray, brethren . . .
leaders: Like John the Bap- All –May the Lord accept the Breaking of the Bread
tist, may they successfully sacrifice at your hands, for All –Lamb of God, you take
dispose the hearts of people the praise and glory of his away the sins of the world:
to welcome the Lord through name, for our good and the have mercy on us. (2x)
their teaching and good ex- good of all his Church.
Lamb of God, you take
ample. Let us pray! R. Prayer over the Gifts away the sins of the world:
C –For all those who have grant us peace.
P –Lord, we are nothing
gone astray in their moral without you. As you sustain
life: May they heed John’s Communion
us with your mercy, receive
call to repentance in this Ad- our prayers and offerings. P –This is the Lamb of God
vent and bear the fruit of a We ask this through who takes away the sins of
sincere conversion. Let us Christ our Lord. the world. Happy are those
pray! R. All –Amen! who are called to his supper.
2nd Sunday of Advent (C)
All –Lord, I am not worthy to of heaven. P –May He fill you with His
receive you, but only say the Grant this through Christ consolation and hope in
word and I shall be healed. our Lord. all the difficulties you
All –Amen! may encounter.
Communion Antiphon All –Amen!
(To be recited only when no Communion
Hymn is sung.) CONCLUDING P – May your love for God
Rise up, Jerusalem, stand RITE increase more and more
on the heights, and see the joy and may you be a bless-
that is coming to you from P –The Lord be with you. ing to all those you meet.
God. All –And also with you! All –Amen!
N.B. After Communion, we pray the prayer P –Bow your heads and P –May almighty God bless
recommended by the bishops: “Prayer for
the Year of the Two Hearts.”
pray for God’s blessing. you: the Father, and the
(Pause) Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Prayer after Communion May God’s grace All –Amen!
P –Father, you give us food strengthen and purify P –Go in peace to prepare a
from heaven. By our sharing you with His forgive- straight path for the
in this mystery, teach us to ness as you prepare to Lord.
judge wisely the things of welcome the Lord Jesus. All –Thanks be to God!
earth and to love the things All –Amen!
PL ANNING A SPIRITU
PLANNING AL REFO
SPIRITUAL RM
REFORM
T
he experience of the Agrarian Reform in the as if God were an expendable item in our life! Advent
Philippines and elsewhere reminds us of is a time to make our own what we sing in the song:
an elementary truth supported by experience: no re- “Come, fill my world. Come, fill my life. Come take my
form will ever succeed unless it is “comprehensive”, hand and walk with me!”
i.e., unless it tackles all aspects of a problem, and is The second step may consist in realizing that our
situated within a supportive environment. set of values may need to be reviewed and properly
Such a principle applies to all types of reform, prioritized. It is not a matter of renouncing earthly val-
including the moral and spiritual ones. These are ues and concerns, but of putting them where they
reforms that we all need and for which each of us has belong.
to take the initiative and supervise the implementa- Our CSR will surely entail the pulling down of the
tion. Advent is a golden opportunity to plan and carry mountain ranges of our pride, our prejudices, our
out a “Comprehensive Spiritual Reform” (CSR). insensitivity to the needs of our neighbor. We have to
John the Baptist impresses on us its absolute fill the ravines of shady dealings, and selfish motives,
need, outlines its radical demands, and stresses its and to straighten up the twisted paths of unworthy
all-embracing character. Such a reform encom- compromises. All these wrong attitudes and actions
passes the whole of our person and our activity. It have to be buried once and for all under a solid layer
concerns our mind, our heart, our hands. This means of honesty, sincerity, and openness. In this way, our life
it should affect positively our outlook, our attitudes, can become a beautiful “reclamation area,” criss-
our actions. crossed by the spacious highways of the love of God
In the concrete, this CSR can mean very different and neighbor. As Paul suggests in today’s Second
things for each one of us. But it also includes certain Reading, we have to “learn to value the things that
common lines of action which apply to most or per- really matter” and let “love abound more and more”
haps all of us. (Phil 1:9.10).
The first fundamental step in our CSR is the redis- Each of us can make this program more detailed
covery of our need for God. “Without God, we cannot and relevant. If we do not get it underway right now,
be,” we sing in a well-known song. But often, in prac- and do not succeed, we will have no one else to
tice – if not in theory – we may have come to behave blame but ourselves.
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