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Men of Epiphany will be meeting this Saturday, December 10th, 6:30 a.m. in the Hearth room. If you can make it, this study is a marvelous preparation for each week's Mass readings.

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Advent, A Time to Renew Our Minds

Sunday, December 10, 2006
Second Sunday of Advent
Baruch 5:1-9
Psalm 126:1-6
Philippians 1:4-6,8-11
Luke 3:1-6

Click here for readings  (For quick review only; bring your Bible)

One of the most precious gifts that God has given to us is our minds. With our minds, we think, create, choose, imagine, and feel. Our intuition and conscience reside in our minds, and who could possibly imagine what we would do without all of our memories?.

In a sense, Paul’s prayer for the Philippians in the second reading is one long prayer for their minds. Look at the key concepts: knowledge, insight, determination, purity, and, above all, love (Philippians 1:9).

The knowledge that Paul prayed for includes both an understanding of the truths of the gospel and a practical grasp of how to live in the Spirit each day—in the midst of home, family, work, and community. Likewise, his prayer for perception involves the Philippians’ ability to bring their knowledge of the gospel to bear on their daily lives, as well as their ability to sense the presence of the Lord and to hear his Spirit’s promptings in their lives.

For Paul, this is the way to holiness. Learning how to love more deeply, how to understand more clearly, and how to “see” life with the eyes of Christ is at the heart of our hope of being transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Did you notice in all this how intricately our efforts are tied in with the power of the Holy Spirit? Paul prayed for the Holy Spirit to deepen the Philippians’ love, to increase their knowledge, and to provide them with the ability to discern. But he also called upon them to press on to follow his example of exerting all their effort to press on toward the goal of eternal life (Philippians 3:14,17). It’s why he told them to think about “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable.” He knew that if they did this, then the “God of peace” would be with them, filling them with his love, his peace, and his grace (4:8). Now isn’t that good advice for us as well?

“Lord, pour out your Holy Spirit. Transform us all into your likeness more and more each day.”

Questions for Reflection/Discussion by Catholic Men

1.    In the first reading, we are encouraged to take off our “robe of mourning and misery”. What are the things in your life that weigh you down: Sinful habits? Family circumstances? Job situation? How do you believe God wants you to deal with these areas this Advent?

2.    In the Responsorial Psalm, God promises that our sorrow will be turned into joy; and not just some temporary external “joy” but an inner joy. The psalmist goes on to say that our mouths will be “filled with laughter”. God wants you to experience his blessings and be filled with joy. Can you share a time when God’s actions brought a special joy into your life?

3.    St. Paul’s beautiful prayer in the second reading speaks of his confidence that God will complete his “good work” in each of us (Philippians 1:6). Therefore, we ought not to be discouraged. Are you willing to make a commitment with the men in your group to pray this same prayer for certain family members and others during Advent? Why or why not? Advent is a special season of grace. Be expectant that God will answer these prayers.

4.    Again St. Paul prays that our “love may increase even more” (Philippians (1:9). St. Alphonsus says that loving God is the greatest work we can do on earth, and since our ability to love God comes from God, we must ask him for the grace to love him. Have you ever asked God for that gift? How can your prayers during Advent allow your love to “increase even more,” especially for those you find hard to love?

5.    In the Gospel, we are introduced to John the Baptist, whose words echo the prophecy from the first reading: mountains will be flattened and valleys filled in to make our path to him easier so we “shall see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6). During Advent, how can you be a witness to your family members and others so that they “shall see the salvation of God.”

6.    In the meditation we hear these words: “For Paul, this is the way to holiness. Learning how to love more deeply, how to understand more clearly, and how to “see” life with the eyes of Christ is at the heart of our hope of being transformed by the Holy Spirit.” What steps can you take during Advent to allow the Holy Spirit to empower you to “love more deeply,” “understand more clearly,” and “see life with the eyes of Christ”?

Come Holy Spirit!  ~  Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful, and en kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and they are created, and you renew the face of the earth. Let us pray: O God, you taught the hearts of your faithful by sending them the light of your Holy Spirit. In that same spirit give us your right judgment and the joy of your consolation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

Prayer to St. Joseph  ~  Glorious St. Joseph, guide and protector of the Holy Family, we ask that you obtain for us from your son, Jesus, the strength and wisdom to lead our families to their Father in heaven. Most Chaste spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, may we imitate your obedience to the will of God and be ever mindful of the vocation to which we have been called. Amen