We begin a new Church year during which we will read the Gospel of Saint Matthew. Matthew’s central themes are discipleship, covenant, and church in relation to Jesus. We begin with a season of penitential expectation for Christ’s imminent coming. In the darkness of this world, our sins are glaring; we are violent, unjust, and self-serving. Yet, our God comes to save us from our slavery and entrapment to earthly things. Advent invites to re-orient ourselves to the coming light of Christ. We are being challenging to attend to our stewardship of our wakefulness, rather than let the structures of this world control our lives.
advent-1-a-lectionary-catechesis