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“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.” The Second Sunday of Advent gives us the opportunity to prepare our hearts in faithful waiting, celebrate the birth of Jesus, and ready ourselves for His second coming. This week, we pause to remember who God is and what He has done for us.

We begin the new Liturgical Year in the Church on this First Sunday of Advent. The Advent Season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas. From the earliest days of the Church, people have been fascinated by Jesus’ promise to come back.

Jesus our King is to be found in the homeless, the poor, the hungry, the oppressed. Nowhere else is it more clear than when we encounter this radical up-ending of our idea of a king in the nailing of a sign above Christ’s head on the cross, His wooden throne — Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. How do we embrace Christ as King?

Today’s Gospel reading gets us to become aware of how God is present in our lives. He uses a tree to convey his message. The tree was a big image for Jesus. He often spoke truths of His message while pointing at trees. When asked about the signs of things to come, He did not give a long homily or break into a lengthy dissertation. He simply looked at a fig tree and said you know from this when summer and winter is coming.

Today begins National Vocations Awareness Week. Our Diocese participates in the “Called By Name” initiative designed to recruit qualified young men to the priesthood in accord with the USCCB setting time aside to foster vocations in communities of faith. Young women who may be considering a vocation to the Consecrated Religious Life by joining a religious order are very much in need.

On May 21, 2013, Pope Francis, while speaking at a meeting with the Missionaries of Charity, said “ … to love God and neighbor is not something abstract, but profoundly concrete: it means seeing in every person the face of the Lord to be served, to serve Him concretely.”

The blind man begged and opened his soul up to God revealing his own weakness. This story shows the true power of Jesus. It reminds us that Jesus truly is the answer to our needs. He is the only one who can save us from our circumstances and set us on a new path. The journey of the blind beggar illustrates a healthy way to personal growth: from self-awareness to a request for help, to a gracious reception of healing and to following the healer.

Jesus’ concept of the Messiah was not one of power and greatness, but that of the “Suffering Servant” who suffered great punishment for the salvation of His people. Jesus told His disciples that they did not understand or know what they are asking. Were they willing to share in His suffering as well as His glory? Are we willing to do the same?

Jesus assured the man that he would be rewarded with even greater treasures in heaven. The rich man went away sad because he didn’t want to part with his accumulated possessions. The message for us then is that wealth and material possessions can weigh us down so much that we lose sight of the real goal which is eternal salvation with Our Father in His heavenly kingdom.

Pope Francis says: “This is a time for cooperation, not competition, for building bridges, not walls.” We ask God to strengthen and sanctify all marriages and to send His mercy upon those who need Him.

In the Gospel reading this Sunday, the disciples try to prevent a man from driving out demons in Jesus’ name because “he does not follow us.” But Jesus teaches them that even those who are not part of the inner circle can lead others to Him, for “whoever is not against us is for us.”

On the journey to Capernaum, Jesus asks His disciples a direct question: “What were you arguing about on the way?” They remained silent because they did not want Jesus to know that they had been discussing amongst themselves who was the greatest. This is not uncommon in our day. We probably do this more than we should and act like children rather than adults.

What does Jesus mean when He says, “Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.” Is anything more universal than the cross? We see it on tattoos, jewelry, our foreheads on Ash Wednesday and, of course, in Church. Jesus knew the cross was His future.

How do you expect the Lord, Jesus to treat you when you ask for His help? Do you approach with fear and doubt, or with faith and confidence? Jesus never turned anyone aside who approached Him with sincerity and trust. So why does Jesus order people to refrain from broadcasting His miracles? Why does He want the healing of the deaf and mute man silenced?

In this Gospel passage, Jesus is being questioned by the Pharisees about why His disciples are not practicing the tradition of the elders, which is to cleanse themselves before their meals. Why don’t they wash their hands? This intense confrontation is about more than just a concern for proper hygiene. For the Pharisees, this is about tradition, faithfulness, respect and honor.

Peter approached Jesus and said: “Lord, there is no one else to whom we can go. You alone have the words of eternal life.” This was an apparition and a profession of faith which must have had an impact on Jesus.

Today we celebrate the feast of Mary’s Assumption into heaven. She was a model disciple open to God’s grace. The feast celebrates the special place that Mary has in the life of the Church. This place is first of all defined by her being chosen to be the mother of Jesus.

When you sit down in a diner or restaurant, they usually serve you bread before the main meal arrives. We use bread for sandwiches, bread crumbs, and pudding. Bread may be white, brown, wheat, rye, or pumpernickel. No country claims to be the exclusive source of bread. What bread is to hunger, Jesus claims to be for the soul. He is not confined to boundaries, no country claims Him, no region owns Him.

Without the gift of the Eucharist and Christ’s sacrifice for us, we would still be “wanderers in the desert” just as the Israelites. Jesus said: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall never hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Trusting in the Lord, this was more than enough. It is so important to just get away and have some downtime for ourselves. We have earned it and we need it. Our Gospel reading reminds us that if we work together, we can feed the multitudes just by sharing our gifts and what we have with other. This is the act of being a true disciple!