We begin this season of advent with the hope of the birth of the messiah. During the next four weeks the liturgy of the church will prepare us for the celebration of Christmas, the coming of Christ into the world.

On this first Sunday of Advent, the church invites us to reflect not only on the coming of Christ on Christmas, but also calls us to prepare for his second coming, the final judgment. We have to be alert and vigilant because we will not know the hour or the day that the Lord will return.

Dear fellow disciples, peace.

The humanity of Jesus was provoked until the end. Hanging on the cross He was a victim of bullying and abuse, insults and infamous accusations, but He stayed firm in His purpose. He even had words of forgiveness for a fellow crucified man who recognized Him as the King announced by the prophets. That man, by saying "Remember when you come into your kingdom", recognized a royalty of the King who passed through the cross. A King whose throne is the cross and whose crowd is made of thorns. "Today you will be with me in paradise" is the answer and recompense for such faith and trust.

Dear fellow disciples, peace.

The primitive christian communities lived in the context and the pressure of false alarms regarding the end of time. This instability started to discourage them in the practice of good works because fear paralyzed their life of gospel values.

Jesus calls their attention to the opportunity to witness the faith, not worrying too much about false alarms. He assures that in every situation the early church would have the possibility to experience God's care and protection. The Father would give to them the necessary strength not to be intimidated and not to give in to the attacks of their adversaries.

Dear fellow disciples, peace.

The sect of the Sadducee was a fundamentalist group who denied the resurrection, as they disregarded the Law of Moses. In fact, the understanding of the destiny of humanity after death had been the subject of a long reflection. It was thought then that all, good and bad, had the same destiny, the Sheol. A place in the heart of the earth, where people would live in darkness.

Dear Fellow disciples, peace. 

The episode of Zacchaeus in today’s Gospel describes the journey to salvation. This rich man from Jericho becomes the perfect example of a disciple of God’s kingdom. 

The first step in  his and our journey is to desire to see Jesus and to overcome all difficulties to encounter Him. His low stature (like someone I know) and his effort to climb a tree proves his desire to overcome the hindrances whatever they may be.

One of the biggest mistakes in our Christian life is believing that we are good and that what we do is enough for our salvation. It is a big mistake because it makes us fall into mediocrity, and even worse it makes us assume that we have earned salvation just by being good or following some rules. This is what happens in today's gospel. We have the Pharisee who is sure that for following some laws and regulations God will reward him and save him. The problem is that for this Pharisee salvation does not depend on God but on his own life and ability to follow the rules and laws. The main thing for this man is to be faithful to the law, but this gives him a dangerous confidence since it makes him believe he is good, religious and perfect.

Dear fellow disciples,

Jesus promises that God “will do justice on behalf of all his chosen ones, those who cry to Him day and night”. He will not delay but will answer them promptly.

What does “justice” means in relations with God? In the context of the gospel justice means the plan of God for every human being. It is the will of God that the petitioner wants to see accomplished and he/she nurture in his/her heart the desire to put it in practice.

Dear fellow disciples,

The gesture of gratitude of the leper healed caught Jesus' attention. In fact, of the ten only one came back to say “thank you”. He was a Samaritan, in other words, he was part of the people who hated the Jews. The other nine never thought about coming back and, probably, took it for granted. It was this “enemy” of Jesus who comes back, prostrates himself and give thanks.

The narratives of miracles do not report that those healed gave thanks to Jesus or required a thank you note. Why then is Jesus impressed by the gesture of this Samaritan?

Dear Fellow Disciples,

To serve the Kingdom of God implies that the servant, minister, has the conscience that he or she is just a servant, a minister of God. Our decision to accept the call and embark in discipleship is free. It can't have expectations of rewards or worldly honors. "We are just servants, and have done just our duties". This is the attitude of a real servant of God's kingdom.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace!

We as the Church of Jesus Christ in the United States are about to enter a special time of grace. It is the Eucharistic Revival. A time to deepen our understanding and reverence towards the REAL PRESENCE of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. It seems, in certain areas, that Catholics have grown cold or indifferent towards this reality. In other areas it is the exigencies of political correctness which forces on our throat a diluted religion to accommodate everyone. The risk with this is that slowly but surely we are departing from the Truth about our faith and Church.

Dear fellow disciples, peace.

Today’s Gospel parable in a way teaches the disciples to be dishonest. Jesus uses the fact of character or behavior deviation to show how it is necessary to be clever with matters of the Kingdom.

To crossing of arms or letting the ship run with the flow is the naive attitude of those who do not care about salvation. The disciple works his salvation [every day] with fear and trembling (cf. Phil 2:12).

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace!

In chapter 15 of Luke's Gospel, Jesus tells three parables about losing, finding, and rejoicing. The outcasts of society, the taxpayers, and the sinners approach Jesus eager to hear what he has to say. In Luke's Gospel, hearing is a sign of conversion. The Pharisees and scribes, still suspicious of Jesus, complain about him associating with sinners. So he tells them these three parables.

Dear Fellow Disciples, peace!

A decision to embrace discipleship for the Kingdom of God must be well thought through. We don’t decide to become disciples of Jesus under pressure. It is naive of us to decide without considering the consequences and implications. If we do so, disappointment will come for sure!