by Sr. Joyce Ann Zimmerman, CPPS
First Sunday of Advent: Matt 24:37-44
December 1, 2019
The First Sunday of Advent begins our liturgical year, and so it is an opportune time to consider with fresh eyes Precious Blood Spirituality as it is experienced and lived by the Dayton, Ohio Sisters of the Precious Blood. Since the gospels are the heart of each liturgical Liturgy of the Word, the gospels are an effective lens through which to glimpse Precious Blood Spirituality.
In this Sunday’s gospel we are admonished to “stay awake” and “be prepared.” For what? For whom? For the final coming of Jesus Christ, when all things as we know them will end and everything will be gathered back to the Father. How we live our lives now determines whether the Second Coming of Christ will for us mean doom and gloom or glory and bliss. Of course, we would all choose the latter! The road to eternal Life is paved by patterning our lives after Christ’s life, as we learn through the gospels. Precious Blood Spirituality is a gift on this journey, for this spirituality draws us into the saving Mystery of Christ, of dying to self for the sake of others. Our staying awake and being prepared is a matter of giving ourselves over for the good of others as Jesus so movingly does for us. We can have no better teacher than he! This Advent, how might I grow in choosing to die to self for the good of others?