We may be accustomed to think of Advent as the time when we prepare for the coming of God, but the readings also train our attention on our own journey to God. We see this most clearly in this first Sunday with readings that tell us the identity of the pilgrims, the destination toward which they travel, and the way of life that is required of them on their journey. As the Vatican Council has proclaimed: We are a pilgrim people.
Both the reading from Isaiah and the psalm response speak of the pilgrimage to the mountain of the Lord, the place where God can be found. Although the psalm speaks about Jerusalem and refers to the temple there, the broader theological significance of the mountain, the city and the temple is one and the same. They represent the presence of God in our midst, and this presence is the goal of our striving. There are clear directions about how we are to live while we are on this pilgrimage to God. In Isaiah we learn that we must put away our instruments of violence and hatred, our swords and our spears. Lest we pick them up again, we are told to convert them into life-producing implements, into ploughs and pruning hooks. Paul exhorts us to put away our deeds of darkness and self-indulgence and to clothe ourselves instead in the deeds of Jesus Christ. Matthew points out the need for alertness, attentiveness, a disposition that is open to a change of heart.
© Dianne Bergant CSA, https://www.liturgyhelp.com/calendar/date/2025Nov30/0/RefDiBer