by Faith Central & Steve Welsh
“… The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas. The final days of Advent, from December 17 to December 24, focus particularly on our preparation for the celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord (Christmas). …”
[featured image is file photo]
Catholic televised Mass for the First Sunday of Advent, Dec. 2, 2018, from Loretto Abbey in the Archdiocese of Toronto. [Click here for Mass Readings]
[featured image adapted from image at Creative Commons Wikimedia Commons Pjposullivan,
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Loretto_Abbey_chapel_interior,_Toronto.JPG, with additional conditions stated at that link and in the alt-tag here]
“Jesus said … ‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay,
perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. … then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with Power and Great Glory. … stand erect and raise your heads because your Redemption is at hand. Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise …. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength
to escape the tribulations … and to stand before the Son of Man.'”
Catholic televised Mass for Saturday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Dec. 1, 2018, from Loretto Abbey in the Archdiocese of Toronto. [Click here for Mass Readings]
[featured image adapted from image at Creative Commons Wikimedia Commons Pjposullivan,
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Loretto_Abbey_chapel_interior,_Toronto.JPG, with additional conditions stated at that link and in the alt-tag here]
“Jesus said to His Disciples: ‘Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness
and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise …. that day will assault everyone
who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.'”
“Saint Andrew’s feast day is today! This feast is the marker that determines the start of Advent. The first Sunday of Advent begins on the Sunday closest to (or on) November 30th, St Andrew’s feast day. That explains the first part of the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena’s name. The second part simply refers to when the novena ends. On Christmas. So the longest way of saying it is: The Saint Andrew to Christmas Day Novena, but it is also known simply as the Christmas Novena for short. …”
Catholic televised Mass Readings and Homily for the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, from EWTN in Alabama. [Click here for Mass Readings]
O Glorious Saint Andrew,
you were the first
to recognize and follow
the Lamb of God.
With your friend Saint John
you remained with Jesus
for that first day,
for your entire life,
and now throughout eternity.
As you led your brother
Saint Peter to Christ
and many others after him,
draw us also to Him.
Teach us to lead others
to Christ solely out of love
for Him and dedication
in His service.
Help us to learn
the lesson of the Cross
and to carry our daily crosses
without complaint
so that they may
carry us to Jesus.
Andrew, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, was the first disciple of our Lord. Prior to coming to Jesus, Andrew had been a follower or disciple of John the Baptist. One day while walking with John, Jesus passed by. St. John, seeing Jesus, pointed Him out to Andrew and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Realizing that John was saying that Jesus was the Messiah whom they had all been awaiting, Andrew immediately went after Jesus. Turning and seeing Andrew following Him, Jesus asked him, “What do you seek?” whereupon Andrew inquired where Jesus was staying. Jesus replied, “Come and see.” Andrew soon brought his brother, Simon Peter (St. Peter), to Jesus to also become His disciple.
Andrew and his brother, Simon Peter, were fishermen and one day while repairing the fishing nets in their boat with their father, Jesus came by and asked them to go with Him. They immediately left their father, their boat and their occupations, and followed our Lord Jesus who told them, “I will make you fishers of men.”