1st Sunday of Advent

Our readings for the first Sunday of Advent are:

1. Jeremiah 33: 14-16
2. Psalms 25: 4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
3. 1 Thessalonians 3:12 - 4:2
4. Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36

• Vitality in the stump
• Jesus is described as a shoot sprouting from the tree of David, telling us that the merciful God who gathered His people, guarded them, received them back into His welcoming arms over and over again, was continuing that same salvation history, with something both bold and new.
• We all encounter various of God's character traits in our lives.  How have you encountered God's faithfulness?
• How much do you count on that faithfulness of God day to day?
• How has God encountered your faithfulness?

• Formation vs. information
• One of the biggest challenges in celebrating the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is to make sure that the information serves the faith formation and not the other way around.
• What are some of the experiences, encounters with God if you will, that have shaped your understanding and appreciation of God?
• Was that revelation something that happened all at once, or over a period of time?
• Do you feel that you are still drawing deeper graces from that encounter?

• Defense against desolation
• One of the instructions that Ignatius gives his followers is that in the face of spiritual desolation (a conviction from the evil one that God has abandoned you, that you are not loved, that you are alone) that even though your prayer life may seem dry and without fruit, to not only continue what you are doing, but do it even more.
• What are your prayer practices?
• How did you come to those and not other forms of prayer?
• What is it like when you are able to pray regularly?
• How have you changed your prayer practices through the years?
• How has your prayer changed you?

• Carousing and anxiety
• A contemplative posture is not, as some would think, an escape from reality, but a deeper experience of events of the day, seeing God's hand in everything and everyone, and finding peace knowing that you are a part of a much larger plan that is even now emerging.
• What do you look forward to most?  Might it be retirement, traveling the country to see the grandkids, a family wedding, your next promotion, the 2nd coming, an uptick in the stock market?
• Of all of the things that you look forward to, which one(s) provide meaning and context for the rest?
• How do you strike a balance in your life between preparing for an uncertain and emerging future that is possibly very distant, versus the demands of today, tomorrow, next week?
• Which is easier to live: a long life or a short one?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How has God been faithful to me, and have I thanked Him for that lately?
2. How is God revealing Himself to me today?
3. Where is my prayer life taking me?
4. How might God be preparing me for tomorrow, the next day, eternity?

Shalom!