First Sunday of Advent - Year A
November 27, 2016
Gospel: Mt 24:37-44
Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of
Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the
flood, they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that
Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them
all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be
out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill (*); one will be
taken, and one will be left. Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on
which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had
known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and
not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an
hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
http://www.usccb.org
The difficult words
(*)Grinding at the mill means
putting wheat into a machine that grinds it into flour for baking.
This week’s spotlight
Noah
Noah was a good man who respected God. God chose him
to begin a new life on earth. Noah built
an enormous boat, called an ark. He boarded the boat with his wife, his three
sons, their wives, and two of every kind of animal. Then God sent a flood that
destroyed all the people of the earth; the only survivors were those on the
ark.
The covenant
God made a covenant with Noah. He chose to become Noah's ally, his friend. God
blessed Noah and his family. After the flood, God made a promise to Noah: Never
again would he destroy the earth with water. The rainbow is the sign of this
covenant between God and his people, between heaven and earth. By his death and
resurrection, Jesus established a new and eternal covenant between heaven and
earth. Through baptism we become allies of God, and heirs to eternal life.
Reflection
What’s happening?
As Advent begins, shop windows are becoming very
festive. Little by little, decorations begin to light up streets and homes
everywhere. Christmas trees are beginning to appear. You really get the feeling
that something’s about to happen. For the Church, a new year is beginning:
Christians are getting ready for a marvelous event that is just around the
corner. What event could that be? This week’s Gospel gives us a few clues.
Jesus reminds us of how God made a promise to Noah. God wanted a special
friendship with the human race, but Noah was the only person who wanted to
follow God's ways. The people of Noah’s time weren’t able to recognize the Lord
because they weren’t expecting him. Jesus warns us that it’s time to get ready
for his coming. So keep on looking - things will be changing soon!
Discussion questions
1.Why do we get ready for the Second Coming of Jesus?
2.On what day is the Lord coming?
3.What will happen when Jesus comes again?
After
receiving Holy Communion,
you can say this prayer silently to yourself. If you
have not yet
received your First Communion, you can still say this prayer because of your desire to
receive Jesus.
God our Father we thank you for
the promise of the coming of your Son, Jesus. Help us to prepare ourselves for
his coming during these four weeks of Advent. May everything we say to one
another reflect our joy over the approaching feast of Jesus' birth.
This week…
Getting ready for a unique encounter
Advent is a time of waiting.
Would you rather sit and do nothing, or be active? Think of what you can do to
get ready to welcome Jesus. You can smile more, be kinder to others, or collect
books you have outgrown and take them to sick kids in the hospital. Can you
think of other ways to prepare for Jesus this Advent?
Decorate your home and your heart
With your family you can make an
Advent wreath, light its first candle, set up a Nativity scene and decorate
your home, You can also hang up decorations at the window or on the balcony so
that people passing by can enjoy them, too.
Word search
Source: usccb.org
- Magnifikid - sermons4kids.com – rclblectionary.com
–usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm