Hope Calls Us to Wake Up and Be Ready (Advent 1A)

We live in a time like Isaiah when most people have become distracted and lost their faith in God. They have no fear of God’s judgement, no hope for eternal spiritual life in Jesus. We are a faithful remnant waiting for Jesus to return in Glory to judge humanity and restore His Kingdom on Earth. The Good News is that we are a people who have faith and a real hope that this will come soon and include us. The Readings remind us to put off deeds of darkness and cloth ourselves with Jesus and His armour of light.

1.    Isaiah Gave Israel the Hope of Restoration

How To Enter the Kingdom of God (Reign of Christ)

 On the Cross Jesus shows us how God reigns over His Kingdom with love. The Reign of Christ that we celebrate today is a spiritual time that began 2000 years ago on the Cross and will continue to the end of time. The Prophet Jeremiah reminds us of why Jesus had to come. The Apostle Paul explains who Jesus is. The thief on the cross models how to come into this spiritual kingdom that is both visible and invisible. 

1. Jeremiah explains why God had to intervene

Obstacles To a Life of Grace (Clergy Cursillo weekend talk)

 You have now been invited to commit yourselves to the Ideal of a “Life of Grace”, and been taught how to grow spiritually in that life as part of a church community through worship and sacraments. This new “life of grace is easy to live out here in a retreat environment surrounded by friends who encourage and support you. The problem is we can’t all stay here forever. We all have to go back to our lives in what we are tempted to call the “real world”. The bad news is that:

·      Most of the people around us do not know about Jesus / have a life of grace

·      World has been corrupted by human weakness and sin

·      People have been deceived by false teachers and demons

 

This is your spiritual “boot camp”. Unlike soldiers taught to defend themselves against an obvious physical attack; you need to learn how to protect yourself from both your own desiresand a hidden enemy who tries to deceive youthrough your mind. You will need to work hard at piety, study and action to overcome the obstacles to living a spiritual life of grace. 

 

1. Sin is an obstacle to living a life of grace - spiritual life