First reading
Isaiah 40:1–5, 9–11
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it.
Responsorial psalm
Psalm 84 (85):9–14 (Advent)
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Second reading
2 Peter 3:8–14
We are waiting for the new heavens and the new earth.
Gospel acclamation
Luke 3:4, 6
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths: all people shall see the salvation of God.
Gospel
Mark 1:1–8
A voice cries in the wilderness: prepare a way for the Lord.
Images from the Word
- Stay awake
- Own task
- Comes unexpectedly
- Our Redeemer
- God is faithful
Liturgical notes
By the nature of the ministerial priesthood, something else is put in its proper light, something certainly to be held in great esteem, namely, the royal priesthood of the faithful, whose spiritual sacrifice is brought to completion through the ministry of the Bishop and the Priests, in union with the Sacrifice of Christ, the sole Mediator.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §5
The call to ministerial priesthood in the church is only possible if the person has already shared in the baptismal priesthood through baptism and confirmation. In this way, those who are called to minister to the priestly people of God are not separated from the people of God but are appointed to serve them. They ensure that ‘my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father,’ that our sacrifices may find completion in Christ. Through the ministry of the priest, the celebrating assembly unite in offering the sacrifice ‘for our good and the good of all his holy Church’.
‘O people of Sion, behold, the Lord will come to save the nations, and the Lord will make the glory of his voice heard in the joy of your heart’
—entrance antiphon