SECOND MONDAY OF ADVENT

"Then God said to Noah: ‘Go out of the ark, together with your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives. Bring out with you every living thing that is with you...and let them abound on the earth, and be fertile and multiply on it.”Gen. 8:15-17

Reflection: God purges the unimaginable evil covering the world through a flood which is a preview of baptism. Noah is righteous because He chooses the Lord before everything else, and he calls upon His name.

Prayer: God our Father, You sheltered Your beloved servant Noah and his family in the ark, a prefigurement of the Church. May we take refuge in the true Ark as the world churns and surges outside. Amen.

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” Gen. 3:15

 

Reflection: The Fall comes like lightning as Adam and Eve choose the path of the Devil, exalting themselves to be equals with Him who has no equal. Pandora’s Box is opened and the disease of sin becomes destined to pass on to every human descendant. But even here does the Lord promise that salvation will come.
 
Prayer: God our Father, take away our fear and help us to repent of our sins. May we reach out to the woman whose “Seed” is the source of our salvation and ask her to intercede for us always.

FIRST SATURDAY OF ADVENT

“On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing; he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done.”

Gen. 2:2-3

Reflection: Like an artist who steps back to take in her finished product, the Lord rests and smiles like a master carpenter at the beautiful work of His hands.

Prayer: God our Father, all that exists has its being in You. You hold all of creation in being at all moments. Help us to slow down and rest this season, drinking in the beauty of all You have done and still do. Amen.

FIRST FRIDAY OF ADVENT

“God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them...God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed—the sixth day.” Gen. 1:27,31

Reflection: And here is our beginning. God raises us up from the dust of creation and breathes into each of us an immortal soul. We were made to be stewards of His entire creation. This was Eden— this was His original design.

Prayer: God our Father, our story begins and ends with you, for we are dust and to dust we shall return. Help us in this season of Advent to remember where we began and to thank you for Your gift of life. Amen.

FIRST THURSDAY OF ADVENT

“God created the great sea monsters and all kinds of crawling living creatures with which the water teems, and all kinds of winged birds. God saw that it was good...Evening came, and morning followed—the 

                                              fifth day.” Gen. 1:21,23

Reflection: The Lord is the God of variety! He fills the earth with every kind of animal He can think of, till the earth literally “teems” with life. We start to see hints of His joy and love for what He has made.

Prayer: God our Father, may we relearn how to smile when we see the animals as You see them. Help us to respect all life. Amen.

FIRST WEDNESDAY OF ADVENT

"God made the two great lights, the greater one to govern the day, and the lesser one to govern the night, and the stars...Evening came, and morning followed—the fourth day.” Gen. 1:16,19

Reflection: The heavenly bodies sometimes draw near to one another, occasionally they even collide. Other times they travel in different directions from one another and become far separated. Even in the stars to we see the drama of relationship.

Prayer: God our Father, Your creation is ever moving, ever transforming, yet You stay the same. Help us to begin to trust in You more than the ever-changing world. Amen.

FIRST TUESDAY OF ADVENT

“The earth brought forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw that it was good. Evening came, and morning followed—the third day.” Gen. 1:12-13

Reflection: Creation is originally designed to be more “mother” than “machine.” She is meant to bear the fruit of the seeds planted in her by the Lord. Only later is she tainted by darkness and decay.

Prayer: God our Father, help us to always respect Your creation. May we all stand in awe of Your imagination and design. Guide us to cherish the world You have made, and to always be its respectful stewards. Amen.