An Advent project

On Thanksgiving Day in the United States, extended families traditionally gather for a big dinner.

Sometimes these gatherings can be tense. Sometimes they can even end in arguments that strain relationships so much that it may take another year (or longer) to heal.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, be merciful to me – a sinner.

Today’s Gospel (Luke 21:25-28, 34-36), a prophecy of the world’s end, reminds us that life is short: too short for relatively trivial disagreements or emotional injuries to sever our godly relationships.

Today’s second reading (1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2) not only gives us critical advice in preparing for the world’s end (or our individual deaths, whichever comes first), this reading also proposes for us a project for us to accomplish during this season of Advent.

May the Lord make you
increase and abound in love
for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness
before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus
with all his holy ones.
Amen.