God’s plan of salvation is centred in Christ and realised through him. Advent looks back at the promise of his first coming, when that plan was announced. And it looks forward to his second coming, when that plan will reach it’s fulfilment. And, of course, it celebrates his actual coming in time.
The First Readings of the Advent Sundays (from Isaiah) are concerned with the Messiah and the messianic times. Isaiah kept the hopes of the people alive in very dark times. In today’s reading we have the theme of universal peace and salvation.
The Gospel and the Second Reading deal with the Lord’s second coming, which the first Christians believed was imminent. Both readings convey a sense of urgency through phrases such as, ‘Wake up’, ‘Stay awake’, ‘Stand Ready’.
