You
Are The One To Come
Expectation
& Hope
The
Desert and the
Parched Land will Exult;
The
Steppe will
Rejoice
and Bloom.
They
will Bloom with
Abundant Flowers, and
Rejoice with Joyful Song.
Isaiah 35: 1-6a, 10
Rejoice Again I Say Rejoice
God Comes To Save Us
Advent
is a time of yearning and waiting for the Promised Messiah. A time of hope and expectation that the long-desired
one will come to save us. We have just celebrated the feast of Mary’s
Immaculate Conception, the one who is sinless and chosen to bring Life and
Salvation into our world. And John the
Baptist appears in the readings as the Messenger of God, proclaiming that Jesus
is the One, so be strong and do not fear, He is the One who is to come and will
set us free.
The
third candle of the Advent Wreathe is Rose, a color of JOY. Darkness increases in the world and in our
lives at this time, so the message this week is to Rejoice! Jesus is near and
this ‘Good News is JOY for all the world. Jesus is the One, the Long-Desired One who is
faithful, who gives sight to the blind, who loves the just and protects
strangers, who sustains the fatherless and the widow, who reigns forever.
During
this third week of Advent we light three candles, two purple and one rose/pink
candle. We pray that the growing light of the One to Come will appear at
Christmas and become Manifested to all nations during the celebration of
Epiphany.
How will we
Prepare and Celebrate?
Read the Word of God, especially the Prophet
Isaiah and the Gospel Passages of the Birth of Christ.
Foster relationships of joy, hopefulness.
Practice being hopeful and joyful. Give a
surprise of ‘good news’ to others.
Expect God’s Mercy and Salvation and live this
sharing it with others.
Do one thing each day this week that fills you
with joy.
Recite many times a day the mantra, Come, O Long-Desired
One, Come!
Come, O Long Desired One, Come
