Sunday, November 29, 2026 · Year B
First Sunday of Advent
Be watchful, be alert
Advent begins, and with it Year B and the Gospel of Mark. Isaiah begs God to tear open the heavens and come down; Jesus tells us to stay awake for the master of the house.
The Readings
- First Reading Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7
- Responsorial Psalm Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
- Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
- Gospel Mark 13:33-37
Open the readings on USCCB.org →
First Reading Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7
Isaiah begs God to tear open the heavens and come down. We are the clay, and he is the potter.
Psalm Psalm 80
Lord, make us turn back to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Paul thanks God for the grace given in Christ, who will keep us firm to the end as we wait for him.
Gospel Mark 13:33-37
Jesus tells us to watch, because we do not know when the master of the house will return.
Step Into the Story
Today's first reading comes from the last part of Isaiah, written after the exiles returned home and found their city in ruins. They longed for God to show himself: "Oh, that you would tear open the heavens and come down!" Paul wrote to the Christians of Corinth, a busy, worldly port city, around AD 54.
Mark is generally considered the earliest Gospel, traditionally linked to St. Peter's preaching in Rome, around AD 65-70. In chapter 13 Jesus speaks on the Mount of Olives about the destruction of the Temple, which came in AD 70, and about his return. "Evening, midnight, cockcrow, morning" are the four Roman night watches. He invites us to be ready in every one of them.
Meet Christ
Advent opens with a single command from Jesus: "Watch!" Picture the servant at the door of a great house, night after night, listening for footsteps. He does not know which watch it will be, evening, midnight, cockcrow or dawn. So he stays awake through all of them.
Jesus is not trying to frighten you. He is telling you he is coming, and that he wants to find you awake to love. Isaiah's cry, "Oh, that you would tear open the heavens and come down!", has already been answered at Bethlehem. He will answer it again, at the end and every day in between.
Make one concrete Advent resolution today and write it down. Put a date for confession on your calendar before Christmas.
The Church Teaches
- 110·Christ, Lord of the whole world
- 111·the end of the world
- 229·preparing for repentance
Christ's Return in Glory
Christ's coming in glory could happen at any moment (CCC 673). The Kingdom will be fulfilled only by God's victory over the final unleashing of evil (CCC 677).
"Come, Lord Jesus!"
Since the apostolic age, the liturgy has been drawn toward its goal by the Spirit's groaning in the Church: Marana tha, Come, Lord Jesus (CCC 1130).
Preparing Through Confession
Plan to go to confession before Christmas. Even for everyday faults, the Church strongly recommends it (CCC 1458).
Journal Prompts
What am I actually waiting for this December? Is Christ on that list?
Where am I spiritually asleep?
If I am the clay, where am I resisting the potter's hands?
What one change would make this Advent different from last year's?
Talk to God
Come, Lord Jesus. Wake me from sleep, shape me like clay in Your hands, and make me ready to welcome You. Amen.