(Resources below were drawn from the Loyola Press website and the material of The Catholic Way: Breaking Open the Word • Copyright c 2020 Ann Naffziger. Published by the Pastoral Center / PastoralCenter.com. All rights reserved.)
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THE SCRIPTURES:

First Reading - Isaiah 63:16b-17,19b;64:2-7
Isaiah prays for the Lord’s forgiveness of the people.
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 80:2-3,15-16,18-19
A prayer for the Lord’s protection
Second Reading - 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Paul gives thanks to God for the faith of the Corinthians.
Gospel Reading - Mark 13:33-37
Jesus warns his disciples to be watchful so that they will be ready when the Son of Man comes.
 

PERSPECTIVES:

See below for 1 - Background on the Gospel Reading, 2 - Using Art as Focus for Reflection, 3 - Questions to Consider, and 4 - Considering the Wisdom in a Cartoon

1.  BACKGROUND ON THE GOSPEL READING
 Today we begin the season of Advent, which marks the start of a new liturgical year for the Church. The readings for Sunday Mass are arranged on a three-year cycle. Each year features a different Gospel—Matthew, Mark, or Luke. Readings from the Gospel of John are interspersed throughout all three years. With this year’s first Sunday of Advent, we begin Cycle B of the Lectionary, which focuses our attention on the Gospel of Mark. This week and next week, our readings from Mark’s Gospel present two important Advent themes: the Lord’s return at the end of time and John the Baptist’s preparation for Jesus.
Today’s Gospel is taken from the end of Mark’s Gospel, the chapter that immediately precedes Mark’s account of Jesus’ Passion. Having been questioned repeatedly by the scribes and the Pharisees, Jesus is now questioned by his disciples—Peter, James, John, and Andrew—who want details about his prediction of the destruction of the Temple. Jesus answers with many warnings about the difficulties that the disciples will face.
Today’s passage comes at the conclusion of Jesus’ warnings to his disciples. Jesus emphasizes the need for watchfulness. The Son of Man will come without warning; only the Father knows the exact hour. The disciples must not be caught unprepared when this time comes.
   
Scholars believe that Mark’s Gospel was written around the time of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70. Mark’s audience consisted of Christians who were living in difficult social and political times, times of conflict. They were likely beginning to face persecution as followers of Jesus. In this difficult time, it helped to recall that Jesus had foretold of such difficulties. Early Christian communities took courage from Jesus’ warning to remain alert and watchful, and they found in his words a way to persevere through suffering.


2.  USE ART AS A FOCUS FOR REFLECTION
Today’s Gospel reminds us that Advent is about more than our preparation for the Church’s celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas. Advent is also about preparing ourselves for Christ’s return in glory at the end of time. Like the disciples and the faithful in Mark’s community, we must also stay alert and watchful. Our faithfulness to God, through the good times as well as the difficult times, shows us to be ready for the coming of the Son of Man.

Watch this presentation on today’s artwork: https://youtu.be/s-LxjkOipdE  (2:59)

The Gospel at the start of Advent calls us to vigilance.  To watch and to be ready for the Lord of the house, awaiting his return.  William Holman Hunt’s “The light of the World” offers us one image of what this arrival might look like.  The light of the world is deeply symbolic, showing Christ arriving at a door at night.  It is an allegory for Christ seeking entry at the door of the human heart.  His way to the door is lit by a lantern, casting a soft light on the door, to show that it is overgrown with plants.  It has not been opened in a while.  The plants also show that it is not only a late hour, but late in the year. 

They are dry past harvest, and ready to crumble away as winter comes.  Holman Hunt’s image softens any apprehension about the coming of the Lord, as He presents through the choice of colors, and in the representation itself a warmth, and a  gentleness that shows Christ’s deep love for us as the reason for his coming.  A crown and rolled stately sovereign, Christ the King ventures into the darkness, in the mess of rambles to seek entry into our hearts.  This majestic King whose arrival would be expected to be announced by fanfare instead taps gently at the door to request entry.  Our humble King seeks encounter instead of fanfare, conversion instead of our confinement to the darkness.  One of the boldest symbols of the image is the lantern Christ holds in his left hand showing Christ as the one that disperses the dark and illuminate the dead places within our hearts.  A subtle detail is the fruit on the ground, possibly a symbol of original sin of our fall into the darkness of deception.  Yet Christ does not leave us out in the darkness but comes for us as our light into the dead of night.  Finally, a significant detail on the door is its lack of handle or doorknob.  This is Hunts way of showing that the door can only be opened from the inside, through our faithful response to Christ that fast invitation.  Watching and waiting for his coming calls us to attentiveness to encountering the Lord above all, even as this busy and frantic season gets underway.  

In William Holman Hunt’s painting, we see that the door does not have a doorknob or handle, which means it can only be opened from the inside. Think about the people or things in your life that you have closed the door on or are scared to open. Recall examples, such as being scared to stand up to a friend or not opening the door to a new challenge.

Dear Jesus, you are welcome in my life, but sometimes it is hard to open the door. Please give me strength to be open and welcoming, to see beyond the darkness, and to let the light into my life.

The Gospel reading on the first Sunday of Advent always focuses on the theme of being alert, awake, and watchful. It is a great week for Catholics to reflect on how we can keep our minds and hearts alert to how Jesus comes to us each day, not just on Christmas. The temptation is to fall into the trap of spending this month in a flurry of over-spending, overeating, and abusing alcohol, all activities which limit our ability to “stay awake” to what is most important in our lives.

As Advent begins, we hear Jesus warn his listeners-and us-to be alert and watchful. What are we to be watching and waiting for? In the Gospels, Jesus was referring to his Second Coming and the end of the world as we know it. In fact, the apostles and his early friends and followers were so certain that Jesus was returning soon that they believed it would happen in their lifetimes. Now, 2,000 years later, we sometimes take for granted that the world probably isn’t about to end anytime soon, despite the COVID pandemic, natural disasters, and racial tensions of 2020. Yet maybe Jesus is still calling us to be alert to all of the opportunities we have to love and be loved right now, today, because we don’t know how much time we have left on this earth. It is common to hear victims of natural disasters or tragic violence say, “I never imagined this would happen to us. I never imagined this would happen here.” Maybe part of what they are saying is that they were sleepwalking through life, taking their lives and the lives of their loved ones for granted. If we knew we only had a short time left to live, how would we want to spend our remaining time? What if we knew our child or spouse or parent would be taken from us soon? How might our priorities change? Even if we aren’t motivated to stay watchful for the end of this world, Jesus is still calling us to be alert so that we don’t miss the opportunities to love and serve the people of this world while we have the chance. What is passing us by because we are too busy and distracted to notice.


3.  CONSIDER THESE QUESTIONS:
…Every few years a small Christian group predicts that the end of the world is in sight. We might not pay much attention to them, but how would I live life differently if I only had a few weeks or days to live? What would I change? What concrete actions would I take? In what particular area(s) of my life do I take things for granted?  How could I change?  What might I like to be more alert to this upcoming week?  What might Jesus be inviting me to notice, savor, and cherish more?

Gracious God, in this time of preparation for Jesus’ birth, May I make more room in my heart and my life to welcome you, in whatever form you come to me. Amen.

Jesus tells his disciples a story about a gatekeeper who was told to watch carefully for his master’s return. The gatekeeper is warned that the time or day of the man’s return is unknown, and so he must be watchful. He is cautioned to stay alert and not be caught sleeping. This Gospel from Mark is read on the First Sunday of Advent, the season we prepare to celebrate Christmas. And Mark certainly isn’t subtle in telling us how to get ready. His Gospel almost shouts, “Keep awake, pay attention.” Fortunately, being on guard and staying alert is something parents know all about. With five children under ten (three under three at one point), I was on guard at all times. When they were infants, my eyes were always alert for open basement doors, sharp or breakable items and choking hazards. The teen years required even more vigilance. We needed to be alert for subtler hazards. Some questions became standard: Where are you going? Who will you be with? When will you be home? In the weeks ahead, consider staying alert in other ways. Discover where God is in your everyday life. On Christmas we celebrate more than Jesus’ birth. It is a celebration of Jesus alive today, all around us in all of creation and especially in his people. And it is a celebration that Jesus, in all his glory, will come again.

Look carefully. Be alert to where Jesus can be found in your life. Recognize him in the faces of your children, friends, coworkers, and be especially vigilant in finding Jesus in the faces of those you would rather ignore. Whenever possible, help your children understand that Jesus is all around them, especially in the people he loves. Find Jesus in your own heart, and be vigilant for opportunities to share his love with your family and the people you encounter in your everyday life. Stay alert!

Write down your hopes and dreams for the year ahead.
What do you want to remember from last year?
What are you looking forward to next week? 
What are your concerns?

4.  CONSIDER THE WISDOM IN A CARTOON