Jean Beil of Caritas North America reflects on the readings for the
First Sunday of Advent.
 â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â â
****First Sunday of Advent****
Today's Lectionary Readings
Happy New Year and welcome to Advent!  This is my favorite liturgical
season - filled with amazing, courageous people, wonderful stories of
discovery and dedication, and beloved musical themes.Â
Speaking of music, today's first reading, while calling us to
repentance, contains concepts and images that have proven to be hymn
writers' inspiration: "No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen any
God but you doing such deeds for those who wait for him."Â Â And
this:Â Â "O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay and you the
potter: we are all the work of your hands."
But for us, Catholic Charities employees and volunteers and the entire
worldwide Caritas family, I think the second reading contains messages
we are meant to hear on this first Sunday of Advent.  First of all,
thank God for us; for all of us!  We have been called to fellowship
with Jesus to be his hands and feet walking within and reaching out to
our troubled world, for the service of charity.  We have answered that
call and been enriched so that we are not lacking any resources we might
need for this great work.Â
In the Gospel we are reminded to remain watchful.  "You do not know
when the lord of the house is coming...What I say to you, I say to all:
'Watch!'" The chosen people waited hundreds of years to meet the
Christ, and many of them missed him when he walked among them.  We,
however, are privileged  to see him daily when we look with the eyes
of faith.  Watch therefore, for the hungry, the orphan, the stranger,
the confused, the homeless, the traumatized, the vulnerable and the
lost.  We will not miss him!Â
**Jean Beil, after a long career in the Catholic Charities ministry at
both the local and national levels, now serves as the Regional
Coordinator for Caritas North America.  Jean lives in Alexandria with
her husband and two cats and sings in the choir at Good Shepherd
Parish.**
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