First Sunday of Advent
Scripture:
Isaiah 63:16b –17, 19b; 64:2–7
1Corinthians 1:3–9
Mark 13:33-37
Reflection:
Yet, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay and you are the potter: we are all the work of your hands. –Isaiah 64:7
Clay is an interesting substance that can be molded into any form. Clay comes in four types, earthenware, stoneware, ball, and porcelain. These types of clay can be fired in a kiln at various high temperatures and times. If the potter has worked the clay correctly to remove the air bubbles then it will retain its shape through the firing. In other words it doesn’t explode. A glaze then is painted onto the vessel to create a unique design and it is placed back in the kiln to be fired again so the glaze can melt and take on its own characteristics. Expert potters can recreate the same shape over and over so that they seem to be all the same. The potter might know the small flaws but you or I would not see these.
God, as the potter, created us as unique masterpieces. We are the work of his hands throughout our lives. Through God’s gentle hands he molds and shapes us into the person that we are supposed to become. As we begin a new liturgical year today, with the coming of the First Sunday of Advent, we await with hope and expectation the coming of the Lord within us in a new way. The experiences of the past year have molded and shaped us into the person we are today. We are not the same as we were last year at this time. Many have lost loved ones and jobs. Some have experienced more stress than usual whether it be at work or at home. So much of how we live and work has changed over the past ten months due to the pandemic. We are ready for something to be different. We wait in hope and expectation that there is a vaccine soon. We wait in hope and expectation that the numbers will be lower so that we can do some of the things we enjoy. We wait in hope and expectation that . . .
As we begin, a new liturgical year, we can continue to be clay. To be molded by God into the person that we were created to be with expectation that God will fill us with faith, hope, and love as we move forward towards the coming of Jesus Christ in our hearts once more.
May you and your families have a blessed Advent Season!
Linda Schork is a theology teacher at Saint Xavier High School in Louisville, Kentucky.