“Raise your head because redemption is at hand.” (Lk. 21:28). Jesus challenges us this 1st Sunday of Advent to take time and take a good look at our sinful realities and open ourselves to possibilities of greater sanctity and true greatness. The right attitude for this Advent season is that of hope. No matter how low or how far we have wandered from God’s love, we are always welcome to rise up and to come closer to God’s heart.

“My Kingdom is not here.” (Jn. 18:36b) When Jesus was brought to Pilate, He said to him, “My kingdom does not belong to this world.” Pilate could not understand why he had to intervene in this mocked trial, because he actually did not have a problem if Jesus claimed to be the King of the Jews. The RomanEmpire by policy, allowed kings to rule in their realm for as long as they are under his authority. When Jesus claimed He is the King of the Jews, many did not understand Him, because His statement should be understood in the context of His Messianic Mission.

“The Son of Man coming in the clouds, with great power and glory...” (Mk. 12:44) By His coming in power and glory, the Lord wants this option for us: He is inviting us to live with Him in Glory. The Son of Man came to save us from eternal death, and to offer a passage from death to life. He is the “once and for all” sacrifice for our sins. The mission for man is to complete the task, the passage from the slavery of sin which causes death, sharing the fullness of life with Him.

“From her poverty, has contributed all she had...” (Mk. 12:44)

God wants people to do good out of pure sincerity. It is not so much the quantity as the quality of our giving that matters. This Jesus pointed out when He put more value to the widow’s mite rather than the rich peoples’ surplus. And all believers should give to the Lord. Giving is a privilege and a responsibility for those who have received from God first.

“And no one dared to ask him anymore questions.” (Mk. 12:34)

When Jesus was asked which is the first commandment? He fixes love as the most fundamental commandment, but He further teaches us that love can be expressed in love of God, love of neighbor, and love of oneself. The commandment to love must start with love of God first, love of neighbor second, and love of self, last. His answer summarizes all of sacred scripture so that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

“Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” (Mk. 10:45)

The blind Bartimaeus’ cry among the crowd was a display of great faith in Jesus. He first experienced interior healing, when he began to publicly acknowledge that Jesus has the power to heal him. It is both a prayer and a profession of faith. This prayer has evolved through the centuries into a Christian tradition of the Jesus prayer. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner.” (CCC 2616)

“And you will have treasures in heaven; then come, follow me.” (Mk. 10:21)

"God made them male and female…."

In the Garden of Eden, God said, "It is not good for man to be alone." Thus, He created Eve, so that Adam will have someone with whom He could enter into a loving communion of life. The plan of God from the beginning was for man to be in a loving relationship with Him and with one another. The communion of man and woman forms the covenant relationship called marriage. The love of spouses require by its very nature, unity and indissolubility of the bond made in a marriage covenant, which embraces their entire married life. In the Gospel, Jesus identifies the root cause of many-failed relationship, the "hardness of heart."

For whoever is not against us is for us.” (Mk. 9:40)

Jesus is inviting his disciples to be more open toward those who are not within the formal bounds of the Christian community, and not to consider them as foes. He also teaches us to acknowledge and encourage those who may not be of our own kin or kind, of our own community but who collaborate with us in our work for His kingdom.

This week’s readings teach us that living as Christian stewards requires us to swim against the tide of our “me-first” culture and stake out a path for our lives that may be different from that of our neighbors, friends or co-workers.

Jesus illustrates in today’s Gospel. “Taking a child, He placed it in their midst, and putting His arms around it, He said to them, ‘Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me, and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.’”

What is discipleship? Discipleship is living as Christ called us to live. It is following to the best of our abilities the perfect model that He provides us. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that it is ‘a vocation to holiness and to the mission of evangelizing the world.’ (CCC1513) ‘as we are called to follow and imitate Christ’ (CCC520).

We often associate the word "healing" with something that produces dramatic, physical results: the blind see, the crippled walk, and the deaf hear. Witnessing such miraculous events is few and far between for most. Healing happens more frequently in very ordinary ways using very ordinary means. Andwe can all be God's instruments for bringing it about.

In today’s Gospel from Mark, Jesus instructs us in the best way we can honor Him, teaching us the meaning of true worship. Jesus reveals that the way we truly worship Him is by giving Him our hearts. We also learn in this Gospel passage what our Lord does not want — the pious lip service that the scribes and Pharisees offer.