“FIRST IMPRESSIONS”
1st SUNDAY OF ADVENT - A-
November 30, 2025
Isaiah
2: 1-5; Psalm 122; Romans
13:
11-14; Matthew 24: 37-44
by Jude Siciliano, OP
Dear Preachers:
The passage from Isaiah today is beautiful – filled with love and hope. It sets the right tone for us as we enter the Advent season. In these days of struggle and division, Isaiah presents a vision that lifts our hearts in hope, despite our personal and worldly challenges.
In his prophetic vision, Isaiah invites us to look beyond conflict to a world where peace and unity reign:
“They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another.”
This is what happens when God’s word takes root in our hearts – we turn from fear, anger, and prejudice toward compassion, reconciliation, and service.
Though the fullness of God’s kingdom is not yet realized, Isaiah urges us to begin walking that path now:
“Let us climb the Lord’s mountain to the house of the God of Jacob.”
He invites us to live today in the light of the peace God promises. Each small act of understanding, each gesture of forgiveness, is already a step into that divine light: “O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!”
Isaiah’s words are fitting for this first Sunday of Advent. He reminds us that Advent is a time of waiting and expectation – not a passive waiting, but an active and hopeful one. God desires that our lives be united, peaceful, and rooted in divine wisdom. Hearing Isaiah’s message, we long for – and begin even now to live – his vision.
“In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills.” Isaiah points to the coming of God’s kingdom – a kingdom that began with Christ’s first coming and will be fulfilled when he returns. During Advent, we renew our commitment to live the kingdom life Jesus taught us and to wait for his peace to reign fully.
The prophet calls us to “beat swords into plowshares.” Advent challenges us to prepare for Christ’s coming not merely through external observances, but through inner conversion – transforming whatever is harmful or divisive into something that nurtures life. Christ came to bring long-promised peace and calls us to become signs of that peace now.
Each week we will light another candle on our Advent wreath – a small sign of Christ’s light growing stronger as his coming draws near. Though we wait in darkness, we are not without light. We can name the darkness in our world and in our hearts, but we also recognize the light of Christ already guiding us—step by step, Sunday by Sunday – until his light fills the world and no shadows remain.
Isaiah’s grand vision may seem at odds with Jesus’ words in Matthew, where he warns that the coming of the Son of Man will be sudden, as in the days of Noah, when people were unaware of what was coming. Isaiah’s message is full of serene hope; Matthew gives a sharp warning. Yet, they complement each other. Isaiah shows us what we are waiting for – God’s reign of peace and justice when hearts are converted and creation is healed. Matthew shows us how to wait – with alertness, readiness, and faithfulness in our ordinary lives.
Jesus says that in Noah’s day people missed God’s signs because they were absorbed in daily life – eating, drinking, marrying. There is nothing wrong with those things, but amid the humdrum, we must keep our hearts awake to God. Advent calls us to do just that – to live ordinary lives with extraordinary awareness.
Advent is not a season of anxious waiting, but of awakened living. If we want Isaiah’s vision of a world transformed by God’s peace, that transformation must begin within us. We prepare for Christ’s coming not by wistful gazing at the heavens, but by living each day with love, mercy, and attentiveness – walking in the light God provides, especially in our Advent Eucharists, in Scripture, and in our conversations with one another.
Here is a prayer for Advent. I’m sorry I do not know the source.
Loving God,
you call us in this holy season to wake from our sleep and walk in your light.
You promised peace for our world and hope for our hearts.
As we begin our Advent journey turn our eyes toward your coming
and make us ready to welcome you in every moment of grace.
Blessing:
“May the God of hope fill us with peace as we await God’s coming.
May God’s light guide our steps
and God’s love make us one in faith and service.
Click here for a link to this Sunday’s readings: