Come Lord Jesus Series: Saturday Second Week of Advent- Feast of St Lucy.

 Come Lord Jesus Series

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Saturday — Second Week of Advent (Year A)

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)

(Yes — this antiphon returns. The repetition is intentional and deeply Advental.)

Reflection

As the second week of Advent draws to a close, the Church places on our lips a prayer that gathers together everything we have been learning:
“Come, O Lord, visit us in peace.”

This is not the cry of urgency alone, nor the plea of desperation. It is the prayer of a people who are learning to trust the way God comes. Advent has been schooling our hearts in patience, attentiveness, and openness. We have heard again and again that the Lord will come — with light, with truth, with peace, with splendour — and now we ask Him to visit us, not simply to arrive, but to remain.

In Scripture, when God visits His people, something always changes. A visitation brings restoration, healing, re-ordering, and blessing. It is never rushed, never superficial. To ask the Lord to visit us in peace is to ask Him to enter the inner places of our lives — the places of restlessness, fatigue, quiet worry, and hidden longing — and to settle them gently in His presence.

The fruit of that visitation is beautifully named: “that we may rejoice before You.”
Advent joy is not loud or forced. It grows slowly as peace takes root. It arises when we stop resisting God’s nearness and allow ourselves to be met as we are. Rejoicing “before” the Lord suggests honesty and humility — standing in His presence without pretence, without fear, without needing to prove anything.

And then comes the phrase that can so easily be misunderstood: “with a blameless heart.”  This does not mean a flawless heart. In the language of Scripture, a blameless heart is a single heart — a heart turned toward God, seeking Him sincerely, even in weakness. Advent is not about perfection; it is about orientation. A blameless heart is one that keeps turning back to the Lord.

As Week Two ends, this antiphon becomes a prayer that gathers our desire:
Come, Lord.
Visit us.
Bring peace.
Awaken joy.
Unify our hearts.

Week Two of Advent — A Short Reflection & Review

Week Two of Advent has deepened our awareness of God’s nearness and God’s voice.  We have listened to prophets who spoke of light breaking into darkness, of God descending with splendour, of peace being bestowed, of hearts being enlightened, and of the Lord speaking in the joy of the heart. This week has invited us to move from simply waiting to listening, from watching the horizon to noticing what God is already doing within.

Advent’s work is often subtle. It unfolds quietly, shaping desire rather than demanding action. As this week ends, we are invited not to judge our progress, but to notice God’s presence.

Spiritual Review Question — Week Two:

Where have I noticed the Lord drawing closer this week?

What might He be asking me to release or simplify so that I can welcome Him more fully in the week ahead?

Let the answer come gently.
Advent is patient. God is near.

Feast of St Lucy — Light in the Darkness (13 December)

Today the Church also remembers St Lucy, whose very name means light. Celebrated in the heart of Advent, her feast is a quiet proclamation that God’s light cannot be extinguished — not by darkness, not by fear, not by suffering. The Entrance Antiphon is one for her feast not of Second Saturday of Advent.

Lucy lived in a time of persecution, and her witness was marked not by outward power but by interior clarity and courage. Tradition remembers her especially as a bearer of light — both physically and spiritually — someone whose faith remained radiant even when circumstances were harsh. In her, the Advent promise becomes flesh: “On that day there will be a great light.”

St Lucy reminds us that light is not something we generate for ourselves. It is something we receive and then carry. Her witness echoes the rhythm of Advent itself: Christ draws near, illuminates the heart, and then sends His light into the world through ordinary, faithful lives.

As we conclude this second week of Advent, St Lucy stands beside us as a companion and intercessor — encouraging us to trust the light already given, even when the path ahead feels dim. Her presence gently reinforces everything this week has taught us: God’s coming brings peace, clarity, and a light that endures.

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