Advent starts not with fear, but with joyful anticipation.
In this week’s episode of All Set for Sunday, Fr. Patrick Hyde, OP, VF, helps us kick off the new liturgical year with a stirring reminder that preparation for Christ’s coming is less about dread and more like kids waiting for Dad to come home. Or in Scott’s case, hiding to scare him (10/10 for effort).
Here’s what Scripture is serving up this First Sunday of Advent:
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Isaiah 2 paints a picture of peace: all nations streaming to the mountain of the Lord, where swords become plowshares and people walk in light.
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Psalm 122 gets us singing: “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.” Truly a toe-tapping psalm!
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Romans 13:11-14 is Paul’s holy alarm clock. “Wake up!” he says. Time to put on the armor of light and, as Fr. Patrick beautifully put it, get ready for a spiritual “fit check” by putting on Christ.
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Matthew 24:37-44 urges us to stay awake and alert, not out of panic, but in hope, like children watching for someone they love.
Fr. Patrick reflects on his first daily Mass with the cloistered Pink Sisters, who pray through the night for priests in danger of losing their vocation. That spiritual vigilance, interceding for others, is at the heart of Advent.
He also flips the “thief in the night” imagery. God isn’t here to catch us off guard. He’s the loving Father coming home. Are we watching the window, excited to see Him?
The invitation this Advent? Be vulnerable. Let go of old habits. Trust that exposure to God’s light brings healing, not shame. Or in St. Paul’s words: “Throw off the works of darkness... put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:12,14).
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As Advent begins, what better patron to guide our readiness and trust than St. Joseph, who quietly watched and waited for the coming of the Savior—literally!
