1st Sunday of Advent
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
Written by Will Hickl
I love that as we begin this liturgical year in Advent, we are encouraged to go rejoicing to the house of the Lord - there is much rejoicing and anticipation for Who is to come! But, if you’re like me, how often do we get sucked into the distractions that come with the Christmas season of travel, family, purchasing gifts for others, finals at school, etc? This list is not bad, but we have to be honest with ourselves and evaluate what we are prioritizing around this time.
Admittedly, I am not that great at participating in the anticipation and hope and joy of Advent. Usually at this time of year, I have a spreadsheet tracking prices of things I hope to go on sale before the year ends, I have a spreadsheet for travel plans in the new year, and one of the main things I am anticipating is when eggnog is going to hit the shelves.
But, thankfully, this is a new year, and my wife and I have set some goals for personal and family prayer that we are excited about.
The encouragement that comes to mind for all of us (myself included), is to lean into the psalm response as a theme for not only Advent, but this new year. I have always found that joy and gratitude are complimentary, so the next time you go to Mass, I encourage you to give God a praise of gratitude for all of things He has done for you. If we remain grateful, recognize God’s faithfulness, and make an effort to pray and fast this Advent, I am confident that rejoicing will be our natural response.
How often do we rejoice when at Mass? How often are we captivated with joy when Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist? How might we go rejoicing to house of the Lord?
Will Hickl is the co-founder and President of NOVUM RECORDS, producer, worship leader, software designer, one half of the alt-rock duo NOVUM, and most importantly husband and father based out of Lewisville, TX. He is extremely passionate about seeing artists thrive, and desires to build good culture through art. You can find him on Instagram, check out his musings on his Substack, and check out his new worship music on Spotify or Apple Music.
Pray with today’s psalm.