Let Us Rejoice at the Coming of Jesus
Collect
Hear in kindness, O Lord, the prayers of your people, that those who rejoice at the coming of your Only Begotten Son in our flesh may, when at last he comes in glory, gain the reward of eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
We Carry in our Hearts the Hope of His Coming
Today’s Mass Collect reminds me of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi: “But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.” As Christians we carry in our hearts the hope of His coming and our transformation into His likeness. In this Advent Collect we ask God to hear us! We ask for the grace to identify with Him in both our joy and suffering—in both life and death. When we carry this hope in our heart, we can rest in the hope that He will transform us.
Let us pray
Eternal Father, you give us life despite our guilt and even add days and years to our lives in order to bring us wisdom. Make us love and obey you, so that the works of our hands may always display what your hands have done, until the day we gaze upon the beauty of your face.