This week in the Gospel we hear about John the Baptist and his message of both repentance and hope.
It is so important in this season that we look at ourselves and reflect on what is in our hearts. That we repent, through the sacrament of Confession, so as to give Christ the gift of our best selves at Christmas.
John the Baptist is also the last herald of the coming of Christ. The final voice in a long line of hopeful signs of things to come.
Hope, true hope, is a virtue so sadly missing in our culture today as people keep rejecting Christ. Pope Benedict XVI said in Spe Salvi “Let us put it very simply: man needs God, otherwise he remains without hope.” These days it can feel a little like it is “always winter and yet never Christmas” as it was in CS Lewis’ Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
Let us, however, hear the voice of John today. Once again inspiring us to hope. Hope for the coming of Christ. Hope for our Salvation.
Gospel Reading Audio
Reflection on the Gospel by Anna Krohn
Click Image to access the reflection sheet
We have provided a number of questions. You dont need to answer them all. They are just a guide. You can pick as many or as few as you wish. It really depends on the time you have through the week and how much time you wish to spend on each.
Mary and Eve
Further reading
Here we are listing a number of other resources that you might like to look at. Of course you don’t need to use any at all or even just in Advent! It is for those who wish to delve more deeply into themes or ideas that have been looked into this week.
Scripture
Click here for the other reading from Mass today.
If you would like to look them up in your own Bible they are:
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11
Psalm 85:9-14
2 Peter 3:8-14
Books
(You can buy these books from anywhere you like – links are given just for information)
Lord Have Mercy – The Healing Power of Confession – by Scott Hahn
This is a chapter of Transformation in Christ which talks about the need to renounce as being one of the steps we all need to be transformed in Him. . The whole piece is a really wonderful read for this time of year. This is a link to the whole book
Spe Salvi (Saved in Hope) is an encyclical, on hope by Pope Benedict XVI.
Articles/Blog Posts
This is an article on our blog by Anna Krohn on Myrrh and Advent
Fr Benedict Groshel on the Sacrament of Confession.
An interesting article on a popular song heard at this time, especially since we had the feast of the Immaculate Conception last week!
An article on what hope really is by Peter Kreeft
This week we celebrate the feast of St Lucy. Here is a blog post that gives you her story and different ideas to celebrate her day.
Audio/Video
A really wonderful insight by Bishop Robert Barron into humility and pride in our Social Media world.
This is a lovely podcast of two women discussing the pressures of Christmas and how they have learned to observe Advent
This is the audio book of Scott Hahn’s book on confession mentioned above.
The Annunciation by Fra Angelico
Advent Music
Below is a YouTube playlist of music for this week. It is meant to be a tool for prayer, but also can be played through your day to help keep the season in mind. Apologies for any advertisements that may interrupt your listening!
If you would like to receive these reflections in your inbox for each Sunday of Advent click here.