The first candle is lit
Today is the New Year in the Church. Today on this First Sunday of Advent the liturgical year begins. Advent is a call to the spirit of poverty and hunger for God. Advent, Christmas preparation is a time for conversion, to follow and seek God’s presence. It is the reflection of the great mystery of the Incarnation, of humanity expecting a Redeemer who comes to save his creation. On the first Sunday of Advent, the invitation of the Word of God is to “to look and watch overâ€, to respond and to be aware of the realities of our time. The first reading from Isaiah describes the social and religious situation of the Jewish people who returned from exile but when they reached Jerusalem they found the temple abandoned, and encountered a vacuum. What they needed was a human community that received them well and made them feel at home but they did not find it. Isaiah invites us to prepare for the Lord’s coming, with calls for repentance and to put ourselves in the …