1. Week Beginning Monday 2 nd December 2013 “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your lord is coming. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour." Matthew 24:42, 44 Advent, which comes from the Latin word for "arrival" or "coming," is a period of preparation for the birth of our Lord. Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and is the start of the Christmas season, which lasts until the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. The first Sunday of Advent also marks the beginning of the liturgical year, the Church's "New Year's Day," at which time we change the cycle of readings we are using at Mass.

2. Advent is a time of waiting, a time of preparation. Friday 5 th December 2014 How do I reach out to those in need, around me? As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, crying loudly, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!” When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you.” And their eyes were opened. Matthew 9: 27-30

3. "What has happened to the old-fashioned, spiritual Christmas? The cause is our disregard of Advent. The church set aside this four-week pre-Christmas season, as a time of spiritual preparation for Christ’s coming. It is a time of quiet anticipation. If Christ is going to come again into our hearts, there must be repentance. Without repentance, our hearts will be so full of worldly things that there will be ‘no room in the inn’ for Christ to be born again.… We have the joy not of celebration, which is the joy of Christmas, but the joy of anticipation." Old-fashioned, Spiritual Christmas?......... John R. Brokhoff, Preaching the Parables—Cycle C. p. 28.

4. Let us pray……… GOD OF HOPE, As we begin this Advent season and light this candle, we wait for your coming. You showed us how to live life in a meaningful way. You reached out to the poor, you comforted the outcasts, you healed the sick and you treated each person with dignity and respect. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of your Son, Jesus, help us to follow your example and reach out to those in need, around us. Amen.