Dear Parishioners of Saint Polycarp,
Greetings: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:3). Just as the season of Spring marks the beginning of the year, the liturgical season of Advent marks the beginning of our Church year. Each year, Holy Mother Church designates four weeks for the liturgical season of Advent—but only approximately. When Christmas falls on a Sunday, we have an advent of only twenty-two days. The liturgical vestment for this liturgical season is violet. The scriptural Readings for this Church year are taken from Cycle B ~ (There are three cycles [ABC] used for the scriptural Readings), and Cycle B is the year of Saint Mark’s Gospel.
According to the Universal Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar ~ (henceforth Universal Norm), “Advent has a two-fold character, for it is a time of preparation for the Solemnities of Christmas, in which the First Coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered, and likewise, a time when, by remembrance of this, minds and hearts are led to look forward to Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time. For these two reasons, Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight” (n. 39).
The instruction from the Universal Norms makes clear that Advent is not just a time to prepare for Christmas, or the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus but it is also a time to look forward with hope for His Second Coming. That is why, all three Readings (First, Second, and the Gospel) share a similar theme of “expectant delight”—that is, be watchful, be alert with hope and preparedness for the Coming of the Lord.
The Gospel of Mark for this Sunday begins with Jesus’ voice: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come” (Mk 13:13). The disciples had asked when the end of the world would come. Jesus did not get specific about time. Rather, “His central teaching is that He will return in glory to usher in the end of the world. Because no one but God the Father knows the precise time of any of the end events, it’s necessary to be constantly vigilant. One thing is sure: No matter when Jesus’ Second Coming to planet earth, He will be coming to each of us at our death” (Buetow, All Things Made New, p. 6).
Jesus’ voice on being watchful and alert is not about an unknown future, but “about our responsibility toward the present. Every moment has an eternal significance, so we should be on guard” (L. cit). Jesus’ words on being watchful or vigilant remind us to focus on the present moment, for it is this precious moment of the present that ushers us toward the future. In other words, do not wait or hesitate to embrace God: Embrace Him now! To expand Jesus’ words of treasuring the present moment, I wish that you do not wait to love your loved ones. Love them now!
In brief, as we begin the liturgical season of Advent, my brother priests, and I pray that you continue to focus on God and to prepare for His Second Coming with a faithful God. May God bless you and your family in His love. May Our Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph, and Saint Polycarp accompany you each day of your life.
Father Viet Peter Ho
Greetings: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 1:3). Just as the season of Spring marks the beginning of the year, the liturgical season of Advent marks the beginning of our Church year. Each year, Holy Mother Church designates four weeks for the liturgical season of Advent—but only approximately. When Christmas falls on a Sunday, we have an advent of only twenty-two days. The liturgical vestment for this liturgical season is violet. The scriptural Readings for this Church year are taken from Cycle B ~ (There are three cycles [ABC] used for the scriptural Readings), and Cycle B is the year of Saint Mark’s Gospel.
According to the Universal Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar ~ (henceforth Universal Norm), “Advent has a two-fold character, for it is a time of preparation for the Solemnities of Christmas, in which the First Coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered, and likewise, a time when, by remembrance of this, minds and hearts are led to look forward to Christ’s Second Coming at the end of time. For these two reasons, Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight” (n. 39).
The instruction from the Universal Norms makes clear that Advent is not just a time to prepare for Christmas, or the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus but it is also a time to look forward with hope for His Second Coming. That is why, all three Readings (First, Second, and the Gospel) share a similar theme of “expectant delight”—that is, be watchful, be alert with hope and preparedness for the Coming of the Lord.
The Gospel of Mark for this Sunday begins with Jesus’ voice: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come” (Mk 13:13). The disciples had asked when the end of the world would come. Jesus did not get specific about time. Rather, “His central teaching is that He will return in glory to usher in the end of the world. Because no one but God the Father knows the precise time of any of the end events, it’s necessary to be constantly vigilant. One thing is sure: No matter when Jesus’ Second Coming to planet earth, He will be coming to each of us at our death” (Buetow, All Things Made New, p. 6).
Jesus’ voice on being watchful and alert is not about an unknown future, but “about our responsibility toward the present. Every moment has an eternal significance, so we should be on guard” (L. cit). Jesus’ words on being watchful or vigilant remind us to focus on the present moment, for it is this precious moment of the present that ushers us toward the future. In other words, do not wait or hesitate to embrace God: Embrace Him now! To expand Jesus’ words of treasuring the present moment, I wish that you do not wait to love your loved ones. Love them now!
In brief, as we begin the liturgical season of Advent, my brother priests, and I pray that you continue to focus on God and to prepare for His Second Coming with a faithful God. May God bless you and your family in His love. May Our Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph, and Saint Polycarp accompany you each day of your life.
Father Viet Peter Ho