Ecclesiasticus 27:5–8
The test of a man is in his conversation.
Psalm 91(92):2–3, 13–16
R. Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
1 Corinthians 15:54–58
Death is swallowed up in victory.
Philippians 2:15–16
Shine on the world like bright stars; you are offering it the word of life.
Luke 6:39–45
Can the blind lead the blind?
To bring to completion the prayer of the People of God, and also to conclude the entire Communion Rite, the priest sings or says the Prayer after Communion, in which he prays for the fruits of the mystery just celebrated.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §89
Having completed our Sunday celebration of the Mass, we are blessed to take the fruits of the celebration into our world. Our God entrusts us to be ambassadors of his work, and it is through our faith-filled service to our brothers and sisters that God can be present in our world.
‘Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age, says the Lord.’
—communion antiphon
1 Samuel 26:2, 7–9, 11–13, 22–23
Do not lift your hand against the Lord’s anointed.
Psalm 102(103):1–4, 8, 10, 12–13
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
1 Corinthians 15:45–49
The first Adam became a living soul; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
John 13:34
I give you a new commandment; love one another as I have loved you.
Luke 6:27–38
Love your enemies.
In the celebration of Mass, we find:
The high point both of the action by which God sanctifies the world in Christ and of the worship that the human race offers to the Father, adoring him through Christ, the Son of God, in the Holy Spirit.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §16
As the Mass is the action of Christ and the Church, we are blessed by the action of Christ and join with him in truly worshipping God. Christ may be the Alpha, but he relies on the Church to live appropriately, so that he may be present as the Omega. Our God calls for our lives of holiness so that his plan for salvation may be achieved.
‘Lord, I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God, who is coming into this world’
—communion antiphon
Jeremiah 17:5–8
A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord.
Psalm 1:1–4, 6
R. Happy are they who hope in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:12, 16–20
If Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins.
Luke 6:23
Rejoice and be glad; your reward is great in heaven.
Luke 6:17, 20–26
Happy are you who are poor, who are hungry, who weep.
The Homily … should be an exposition of some aspect of the readings from Sacred Scripture or of another text from the Ordinary or from the Proper of the Mass of the day and should take into account both the mystery being celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §65
It is the presider’s task to connect the Scriptures and prayer texts of the Mass being celebrated with the lives of the participating community. For the community, the homilist should be a source, a guide, for living the faith. This is why the homily is included in every Sunday celebration—so that the liturgy may be both summit and source for the community.
‘God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but may have eternal life.’
—communion antiphon
Isaiah 6:1–2, 3–8
‘Here I am: send me.’
Psalm 137(138):1–5, 7–8
R. In the sight of the angels I will sing your praises, Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:1–11
I preached what the others preach, and you all believed.
Matthew 4:19
Come follow me, says the Lord, and I will make you fishers of my people.
Luke 5:1–11
They left everything and followed him.
A main element of the Eucharistic prayer is the acclamation:
In which the whole congregation, joining with the heavenly powers, sings the Sanctus [Holy, Holy, Holy]. This acclamation, which is part of the Eucharistic Prayer itself, is sung or said by all the people with the priest.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §79
Throughout the world’s diverse Christian churches, the practice of singing ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’, drawn from the Book of Isaiah, has remained a consistent part of the eucharistic celebration. The unified voice of the presider and the assembly is never replaced by the voice of the choir alone; all are called to join the heavenly host in singing and praising God. Through this acclamation, the holy people of God assume their rightful place in the eucharistic prayer.
‘Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be consoled. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall have their fill.’
—communion antiphon
Nehemiah 8:2–6, 8–10
All the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
Psalm 18(19):8–10, 15
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
1 Corinthians 12:12–30
You together are Christ’s body, but each a different part of it.
Luke 4:18
The Lord sent me to bring Good News to the poor and freedom to prisoners.
Luke 1:1–4, 4:14–21
‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’
The dignity of the word of God requires that the church have a place that is suitable for the
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §309
proclamation of the word and toward which the attention of the whole congregation of the faithful
naturally turns during the Liturgy of the Word. It is appropriate that this place be ordinarily a stationary ambo and not simply a movable lectern.
As we continue the example of Ezra in our reading this Sunday, we are reminded that the Church has always honoured the special place dedicated to proclaiming God’s Word. The beauty of the ambo invites both reverence for the Word proclaimed and faithful hearing from the assembly. God’s holy people are thus called to be both hearers and doers of the Word in their daily lives.
‘I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’
—communion antiphon
Isaiah 62:1–5
The bridegroom rejoices in his bride.
Psalm 95(96):1–3, 7–10
R. Proclaim his marvellous deeds to all the nations.
1 Corinthians 12:4–11
The Spirit distributes gifts to different people just as he chooses.
cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:14
God has called us with the gospel to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
John 2:1–11
‘My hour has not come yet.’—’Do whatever he tells you.’
The compilers of the Lectionary intentionally rejected the idea of assigning a ‘theme’ to each Sunday of the year and choosing readings accordingly: ‘Such an arrangement would be in conflict with the genuine conception of liturgical celebration, which is always the celebration of the mystery of Christ and which by its own tradition makes use of the word of God not only at the prompting of logical or extrinsic concerns but spurred by the desire to proclaim the Gospel and to lead those who believe to the fullness of truth.’
—Homiletic Directory, §140
As we commence our Lectionary of Ordinary Time today, it must be noted that each Sunday of the year fundamentally celebrates the paschal mystery of Christ. That is, the year is not parcelled according to certain themes about Christ—it is centred on the fullness of Christ, which is present in each celebration.
‘We have come to know and to believe in the love that God has for us.’
—communion antiphon
Isaiah 40:1–5, 9–11
The glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it.
Psalm 103 (104):1–4, 24–25, 27–30
R. O, bless the Lord, my soul.
Titus 2:11–14, 3:4–7
He saved us by means of the cleansing water of rebirth.
cf. Luke 3:16
John said: He who is to come is mightier than I; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Luke 3:15–16, 21–22
‘Someone is coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’
Because we have gone down with Christ, we also come up from the waters together with him and hear—mighty and majestic—the Father’s voice directed to us as well. It pronounces a new name for each of us, in the depths of each of our hearts: ‘Beloved! In whom I am well pleased.’
—Homiletic Directory, §137
Through Christian initiation, we who are baptised can share in being the Father’s ‘beloved’. In baptism, we are incorporated into the Body of Christ, and in confirmation, we are anointed with the gift of the Spirit to be the priestly people of God. We come to our Sunday Mass to exercise this priesthood, in which we offer our daily lives as sacrifices to be consecrated as the sacrifice of Christ. As God has gifted us to be his priestly people, we must live as his beloved.
‘Behold the One of whom John said: I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.’
—communion antiphon
Isaiah 60:1–6
Above you the glory of the Lord appears.
Psalm 71 (72):1–2, 7–8, 10–13
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Ephesians 3:2–3, 5–6
It has now been revealed that pagans share the same inheritance.
Matthew 2:2
We have seen his star in the East; and have come to adore the Lord.
Matthew 2:1–12
The visit of the Magi.
The three scripture readings of the Epiphany Mass represent three very different genres of biblical literature. The First reading from Isaiah is jubilant poetry. The Second reading from St. Paul is a precise theological statement delivered in what is virtually technical language for Paul. The Gospel passage is a dramatic narration of events.
—Homiletic Directory, §125
Our readings today remind us of the diverse styles that our readers must navigate to fully receive God’s message. Today, the Church uses poetry, theology and storytelling to tell the mystery of Epiphany, and each style requires a different approach from each proclaimer. Our community relies on the prayerful preparation of each reader to ensure that God speaks to his beloved people.
‘We have seen his star in the East, and have come with gifts to adore the Lord.’
—communion antiphon
1 Samuel 1:20–22, 24–28
This is the child I prayed for: he is made over to the Lord.
Psalm 127 (128):1–5
R. Happy are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Colossians 3:12–21
Family life in the Lord.
cf. Acts 16:14
Open our heart, O Lord, to listen to the words of your Son.
Luke 2:41–52
Mary stored up all these things in her heart.
The institution of the family faces great challenges in various parts of the world today, and it is entirely appropriate for the homilist to speak about these. However, rather than simply giving a moral exhortation on family values, the preacher should take his cue from the Scripture readings of this day to speak of the Christian family as a school of discipleship.
—Homiletic Directory, §121
In the context of our family, even if that environment feels fragile, we can still grow in life. For us who gather regularly at the table of the Lord, we are called to follow the Lord’s teaching that life is given for the service of others. The pattern of Christ’s self-giving love that we have seen during the Mass must flow into our lives so that we become disciples of our Master.
‘Our God has appeared on the earth, and lived among us.’
—communion antiphon
Advent in 2 minutes, produced by Busted Halo—a brief and engaging video explaining the basics of Advent
Information about Advent–Christmas, from the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference
What is Advent?—an overview of the season from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Advent resources from Loyola Press:
Christmas resources from Loyola Press, including Christmas lesson plans for children and a range of Christmas-themed articles
Blessed, the 2021 Advent and Christmas program of the Catholic Diocese of Wollongong—a beautifully designed and thoughtfully written book of daily reflections, which can be ordered through the diocese’s website
New Life in Christ—a 28-day book of reflections from Evangelisation Brisbane, which can be ordered through their website and used as an Advent resource by individuals and groups, or at any time during the 2021–22 liturgical year
A selection of Advent and Christmas liturgy resources from the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth’s Centre for Liturgy, for Year A, Year B and Year C, including universal prayers, wreath blessings, music selections, children’s liturgy activities, and planning sheets
Advent and Christmas prayers and liturgies from the Catholic Diocese of Auckland: Advent family prayers, the ‘Welcome Home for Christmas’ prayer ritual, and two Christmas Eve home liturgies (an inauguration of the Christmas tree and an inauguration of the Christmas crib)
Creighton University’s ‘Praying Advent’ online resource
An Advent invitation to pray the examen daily, from the Catholic Diocese of Maitland–Newcastle
Advent Examen—a series of articles in Thinking Faith (published by the Jesuits in Britian), exploring how the five stages of the examen—thanksgiving, prayer for the light, examination, sorrow and hope—might guide us through this season of preparation
Advent meditation with Laudato Si’—a four-week series of creation- and ecology-focused Advent reflections by Arthur Jones, a former editor and publisher of NCR, published in 2019 on the EarthBeat website
Caritas Australia’s Advent 2022 Parish Resource—a small-group resource that invites participants to journey through the four weeks of Advent exploring the themes of hope, peace, joy and love, incorporating Scripture, prayer, ritual, reflection, action and song, and focussing on stories from Caritas projects around the world.
Advent resources from Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Wentworthville, with a focus on the liturgical environment for this season, and a useful selection of quotes and directives from relevant Church documents in relation to Advent