Come Lord Jesus Series: Second Sunday Advent Year A

 Come Lord Jesus Series.

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Second Sunday of Advent — Year A

Entrance Antiphon:

“O people of Sion, behold, the Lord will come to save the nations,

and the Lord will make the glory of His voice heard

in the joy of your heart.”

(cf. Isaiah 30:19, 30)

 

Reflection

Week Two invites us to become more attentive, more expectant, more willing to listen for God’s voice within the heart’s inner landscape.
Joy is not something we manufacture this week — it is something we receive as God draws near.

Advent’s second week begins with a stirring proclamation: “O people of Sion, behold— the Lord will come.”
The antiphon does not say He may come or He might come, but He will come. Certainty is the flavour of Isaiah’s promise. Advent is the season in which God renews His assurance that history is not drifting without purpose, and neither are we. The Lord is moving toward us with intention, promise, and saving love.

This week’s antiphon shifts the focus from waiting to beholding. To “behold” is more than to look. It is to notice, to pay attention, to become alert to divine movement. Advent teaches us that God is often closer than we realise, already at work in ways the inattentive eye could easily miss. The prophets call us to lift our gaze, widen our perception, and recognise grace breaking through the ordinary.

“The Lord will come to save the nations.”
Here, Advent becomes expansive. God’s saving work is not small or exclusive; it reaches to every people, every land, every heart. We are caught up into something far larger than ourselves — the desire of God to restore all creation. The child of Bethlehem will be the Savior of the world, and Isaiah wants us to sense the immensity of that promise.

And then, a beautiful shift inward:  “He will make the glory of His voice heard in the joy of your heart”. God’s coming is not only outward and historical; it is intimately personal. He does not merely speak from the heavens — He speaks into the heart. His glory is not thunder that intimidates but a voice that awakens joy. Joy is the fruit of God’s nearness; it rises quietly when His presence is welcomed.

Practice for Today:
Pray: “Lord, help me to behold Your coming. Make Your voice heard in the joy of my heart.”

 

Collect Series: Second Sunday Advent Year A

 Collect Series

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COLLECT

 

The Collect of the Second Sunday of Advent Year A reads as follows:

Let us pray

(that nothing may hinder us from receiving Christ with joy)

Father of power and mercy

opening our hearts in welcome.

Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy,

so that we may share His wisdom 

and become one with Him when He comes in glory

for He lives and reigns with You and Holy Spirit 

One God, for ever and ever.

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

 

In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged:

 

1.            What are the things that are hindering us from receiving Christ with joy?

2.            What will I do about these hindrances to overcome them during this 2nd week of Advent?

3.            What parts of my life and my heart are closed or need to be expanded?

4.            What does sharing Christ's wisdom mean to me?

5.            How can I become one with God during this Advent season?

6.            What is my plan to achieve further spiritual growth for this liturgical year?

7.            How will I achieve my plan- each day, each week, each month?

 

GOSPEL REFLECTION

 

In today's gospel we meet the challenging character of John the Baptist who is a man on a mission in his preaching- ' Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand'. He baptized with water and those who went to him confessed their sins.  Still, for those who came for show, he gave them a real mouthful!!!

The challenge for us in this gospel is to ask are we 

·    John the Baptist preaching 'prepare a way for the Lord' by the way we live, and to those we encounter in our workplace, families, friends and parishioners?

·     one of John's listeners prepared to act upon John's preaching:  'Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is close at hand' by receiving the sacrament of reconciliation?

·      a Pharisee or Sadducee attending reconciliation services in advent, because it is the place to be seen or with an 'I should attitude', but have no or little sincere desire to repent?

 The good news is that if we have not received the sacrament of reconciliation for a while- fear not. You will not get a mouthful like John the Baptist would give you. Jesus ( in the priest) will welcome you and help you confess sincerely and give you absolution.  There are  many resources which may help you understand this sacrament including 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconcilation orPreparing for the Sacrament of Reconiliation: A Catholic Guide : Companion to 101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconciliation

 If you regularly receive the sacrament, keep up the good practice since to grow in the spiritual life means we need to be honest with ourselves and know that we are sinners, but loved and redeemed by God.

 

Advent is a time to prepare the way of the Lord and to make straight His paths. 

Let us make the most of our Advent season, so that we may see the salvation of God in our lives.   After all, a good priest helps us to prepare the way of the Lord and make our paths straight.

Let us prepare well and make straight His paths.

Come Lord Jesus series: Saturday First Week Advent

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Entrance Antiphon:

“Come, O Lord, visit us in peace,
that we may rejoice before You with a blameless heart.”
(cf. Psalm 24:3; Psalm 85:8)

Reflection

Today’s antiphon is a prayer as simple as it is profound: “Come, O Lord, visit us in peace.” Throughout Advent, we hear promise after promise of God's coming, but here the Church places on our lips the humble plea that comes from the heart of every believer: Lord, come to us personally. Come into my life, my home, my struggles, my fears. Come into the very places where I long for Your peace.

The word “visit” evokes a deeply biblical image. When God “visits” His people, it is never a casual stopping-by. Divine visitation means God intervenes — He restores, rescues, renews, heals, reorders, and blesses. Think of the Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth: the moment Mary entered the room, the presence of Christ caused joy to leap forth. So too in Advent, when we pray for God to visit us, we are asking for His presence to awaken joy, dissolve fear, and knit our hearts back together.

The antiphon continues: “that we may rejoice before You with a blameless heart.”  This is not a demand for perfection but an invitation to purity of desire. A “blameless heart” in Scripture is a heart turned toward God — a heart that seeks Him above all else. Advent is the season that purifies our longing, burns away distractions, and draws us back to what truly matters. The more we allow God to visit us, the more the heart becomes whole, simple, steady — and capable of rejoicing in His presence.

There is also a subtle movement in this prayer: we ask God to come in peace, and the fruit of that coming is joy. Peace and joy always travel together. When peace enters, joy awakens. Advent teaches us to stop looking for joy in frantic activity or emotional highs; real joy flows from the quiet assurance that God is near and all shall be well.

Today’s antiphon turns Advent into a simple but profound prayer:
Come, Lord. Visit me. Bring peace. Restore joy.

Practice for Today:
In a quiet moment throughout the day, pray slowly:
“Lord, visit me in peace today.”
Let this prayer settle into your heart as you prepare for the Second Week of Advent.

Week One of Advent — A Short Reflection & Review

The first week of Advent has led us step by step into the mystery of God’s nearness and God’s coming.

We began with the upward movement of the soul — “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul” — and moved through days that spoke of light breaking into darkness, God revealing Himself, God visiting His people, and God teaching us to wait with hope. The week invited us to awaken desire, trust His timing, listen for His voice, sense His closeness, and allow His peace to settle into the heart.

Advent is not a season we simply observe; it is a season that shapes us from within. And so, at the end of this first week, the Church gently asks us to pause and look back — not with heaviness, but with honesty. Where has God visited you? Where have you sensed light, or longing, or peace? And where do you feel resistance, distraction, or spiritual fatigue?

Advent is patient. God does not rush the heart. But He does invite us to grow in readiness.

Before we step into Week Two, take a quiet moment to review:

Spiritual Review Question for Week One:

How has the Lord been drawing me this week,
What small change do I need to make so that I can meet Him more attentively in the coming days?

Let the answer be simple.
Let it be gentle.
Let it be honest enough to open my heart a little more to the One who comes.

  

Come Lord Jesus series: Friday First Week Advent

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Entrance Antiphon:

“Behold, the Lord will come, descending with splendour
to visit His people with peace,
and He will bestow eternal life on those who wait for Him.”
(cf. Isaiah 30:19, 30)

Reflection

Today’s antiphon draws our hearts into the radiant promise of Advent: “Behold, the Lord will come, descending with splendor.” Advent is filled with small, quiet images — a sprouting shoot, a gentle shepherd, a flicker of dawn — but every now and then the liturgy reminds us that the One we await is also the Lord of glory. Christ comes in humility at Bethlehem, but He also comes in splendour at the end of time. Advent holds both truths in a single, shimmering tension.

Isaiah’s vision invites us not only to believe in the Lord’s coming but to behold it — to let the imagination of faith lift our gaze beyond the ordinary. “Descending with splendour” hints at the divine majesty that bends toward the world, not to overwhelm but to illuminate. God does not remain aloof. He chooses to come close, clothed in mercy and majesty, carrying the fullness of peace.

And that is the next promise: “to visit His people with peace.”
Peace in Scripture is never merely the absence of conflict. It is the restoration of right order — a deep inner harmony born from knowing that God is near and faithful. When God visits His people, peace is not just given; it settles. It comes as a gift that quiets the anxious heart, reconciles what is fractured, and strengthens what feels fragile.

Finally, the antiphon speaks directly to those who wait: “He will bestow eternal life on those who wait for Him.” Waiting, in Advent spirituality, is not passive. It is a posture of hope, a readiness of heart, a willingness to trust the God who acts in His time. Those who wait in faith receive not only peace in the present but the fullness of life that stretches into eternity.

Advent invites us to wait as people of splendour and people of peace — confident that the God who comes will not disappoint. His descent is not a threat but a blessing. His nearness is life.

Practice for Today:
Pause throughout  today and pray slowly:
“Lord, visit me with Your peace.
Teach me to wait with hope.”

 

Moment with the Gospel Series: The Blind men were healed Mt 9:27-31

 Moments with the Gospel

Moments with the Gospel 

MOMENTS WITH THE GOSPEL

 

Today is Friday of the First Week of Advent.  The Church offers us this Gospel.

I was meditating on Mt 9: 27-31 this morning and the I was curious that Jesus asked the blind men whom He had just healed to ‘not tell anyone about it’.  How is this possible when they had been healed and their sight returned. Let us consider what this might mean both for the blind men and for us during advent

. Why does Jesus tell the blind men not to tell anyone? (Mt 9:27–31)

This command—often called the “Messianic Secret”—appears several times in the Gospels. Jesus heals, then tells the person, “See that no one knows about this.”  At first glance it feels almost impossible…
How can two men who were known as blind suddenly appear sighted, and not draw attention?
Exactly. Jesus knew they couldn’t be invisible. But His instruction wasn’t meant to hide the miracle itself…it was meant to shape the meaning of the miracle.

Let’s look at the deeper layers.

1. Jesus did not want a “miracle circus”

Crowds often pursued Jesus not for His teaching but for spectacle, excitement, or curiosity.

If these men spoke freely, it would increase the number of people coming seeking power, not seeking conversion.

Jesus wants faith, not frenzy. Notice the key line in this passage:

“Do you believe I am able to do this?”

Faith first. Miracle second. He wanted to avoid a reputation that was only about wonders.

 

2. Jesus’ identity had to be revealed in God’s timing

If His fame grew too quickly as a miracle-worker:

• Religious leaders would move against Him prematurely.
• People might try to make Him an earthly king.
• The nature of His mission (the Cross) would be misunderstood.

He was not avoiding revelation; Jesus was controlling the timing so that the Father’s plan unfolded properly. He was being obedient to His Father.

3. The healing itself was already a silent proclamation

The blind men’s healing was obvious not only to the blind men but the whole town would notice.  Jesus was not asking them to pretend nothing happened.
He was asking them not to distort the meaning of the healing by talking about it carelessly, proudly, or in a way that fed the wrong kind of excitement.

Sometimes silence is the most reverent response to grace. It allows the grace to take root and be fully appreciated.

4. Jesus wanted their hearts more than their advertising

He was not recruiting “publicity agents.” He was forming disciples. He often tests people this way:  We may wish to ask ourselves:

Can I hold a grace quietly with humility?
Can I allow God to work in you without needing to broadcast it?
Do I truly want Jesus—or the miracle?

It is  a spiritual principle: What God does in us should first transform us before it becomes something we speak about.

 

5. The men’s reaction shows human enthusiasm… but also disobedience

The Gospel says:

“They went away and spread his fame throughout that whole district.”

Their joy is understandable.  However, Matthew subtly shows they did not listen to Jesus. The command of Jesus was not arbitrary—
it protected Jesus’ mission and their own spiritual purity. He did not ask them to do this just for Himself but it was also for their good too.

Disobedience, even joyful disobedience, can still create complications. Sadly people do not always rejoice in other people’s good fortune and when it comes to spiritual healing, may be jealous or allow the evil one to attack the person through them or even copy the person’s healing causing other falsehoods. Taking the root of disobedience will always have consequences.

6. A deeper meditation:

Some experiences of grace are meant to be held, not immediately spoken.

Sometimes God does something in our lives—healing, forgiveness, peace—and the impulse is to run and tell the world. Often God whispers:
“Let this work go deep in you first.”  Jesus’ instruction to the blind men mirrors that inner discipline of the spiritual life.

Summary:

The restored sight of the blind men would speak louder than any words. Even if they stayed silent, their lives would proclaim:

• God sees
• God acts
• God restores

Jesus often prefers witness by transformation over witness by publicity.

What does this mean for Me?

• What this passage teaches me personally about obedience, gratitude, and humility.
• Why Jesus heals in different ways in different stories.
• What “faith” means in this passage, where He asks them point-blank about belief before healing.

 

 

 

Come Lord Jesus series: Thursday First Week Advent

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Entrance Antiphon:

“You, O Lord, are close,

and all your ways are truth;

from of old I have known of your decrees,

for You are eternal.”

(cf. Psalm 118:151–152)

Advent continues to shift our attention toward the nearness of God, and today’s antiphon makes this astonishingly personal: “You, O Lord, are close.” These words are not a theological abstraction. They are a confession of experience, a declaration that God is not distant or hidden but near — nearer than fear, nearer than confusion, nearer than breath. If Advent is the season of divine coming, it is also the season of rediscovering God’s nearness in the present moment.

The psalmist then anchors that nearness in God’s character: “and all your ways are truth.” Truth here does not mean mere correctness; it means steadfastness, reliability, faithful presence. To say that God’s ways are truth is to say that He does not deceive, abandon, or mislead. His ways may sometimes be mysterious, and His timing may stretch us, but His purposes are utterly trustworthy. Advent invites us to trust a God who walks with us even when the path is dim.

“From of old I have known of your decrees…”
This line reminds us that Advent is not simply about future fulfilment but also about memory — remembering how God has acted before. Israel’s story is filled with God’s interventions, promises kept, and mercies renewed. The psalmist looks back in order to look forward: the God who was faithful then will be faithful now. This remembering is a kind of spiritual discipline, especially in seasons when we feel stretched or uncertain.

Finally, the antiphon concludes simply: “for You are eternal.”
God’s nearness is not momentary. His truth is not temporary. His faithfulness does not fade with changing circumstances. The eternal God draws near today, in this hour of your life, with the same tenderness and strength He has always shown.

Advent gently realigns the heart: God is close, God is truth, God is faithful, God is eternal. And because of this, we can walk through today — whatever it holds — with a steadier spirit.

Practice for Today:
Take a slow breath and pray:
“Lord, You are close.
Let me sense Your nearness in the ordinary moments of this day.”

 

Come Holy Spirit Series: The Spirit of Grace

 Come Holy Spirit Series

Come Holy Spirit

 Come Holy Spirit – The Spirit of Grace

1. Scriptural Foundations

The title Spirit of Grace is drawn from Hebrews 10:29, where we read:

“How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the one who has spurned the Son of God… and has outraged the Spirit of grace?” (Heb 10:29, ESV)

This passage reveals not only the name but also the gravity of resisting the work of the Holy Spirit. To "outrage" or insult the Spirit of Grace is to reject the very love, mercy, and salvific gift extended to us through Christ. It highlights the Holy Spirit as the mediator and dispenser of divine grace, constantly at work to draw us deeper into communion with the Father through the Son.

2. What is Grace?

Grace is often described as God’s undeserved favour—a divine help freely given. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it this way:

“Grace is favour, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call...” (CCC §1996)

The Spirit of Grace, then, is the active person of the Trinity who administers this gift in our lives. Every time we are moved to repentance, every time we rise from sin, every time we are strengthened in prayer, comforted in sorrow, or inspired to serve—it is the Spirit of Grace who is gently but powerfully at work.

3. The Spirit of Grace in the Life of Jesus

The Gospels show Jesus as “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14), and it is the Holy Spirit who anointed Him at His baptism (Luke 3:22). That same Spirit who empowered Jesus’ public ministry is now poured into our hearts (Romans 5:5) to form us in His likeness.

Thus, the Spirit of Grace:

Anoints us for mission (Luke 4:18)
Sanctifies us through the sacraments
Convicts us of sin (John 16:8)
Sustains us with strength beyond our own (2 Corinthians 12:9)

 

4. Grace and Transformation

The Spirit of Grace is not merely a concept—it is a life-changing force. St. Paul wrote:

“By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:10)

This is not passive grace. The Holy Spirit is constantly inviting us to:

Cooperate with grace
Grow in holiness
Persevere in faith

The more we surrender, the more grace is able to accomplish what we could never do on our own.

5. Living in the Spirit of Grace

To live in the Spirit of Grace means:

• Being aware of God's constant initiative in our lives
• Remaining humble, knowing we can do nothing without Him
• Saying yes to the movements of the Spirit—no matter how small
• Approaching the sacraments, especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist, as channels of grace

It also means being gracious to others. If the Spirit of Grace dwells in us, then mercy, patience, and forgiveness should flow from us to those around us.

6. Come Holy Spirit – Prayer to the Spirit of Grace

Come, Holy Spirit, Spirit of Grace.
Soften the hardness of our hearts.
Stir in us the courage to receive the grace You give so freely.
Help us to recognise Your movement in our daily lives—
in whispers, in nudges, in invitations to love.
May we never reject or ignore the grace that draws us back to the Father’s heart.
Make us instruments of grace to others.
In our words, our silence, our presence—
may Your grace overflow.
Amen.