First Sunday
The readings for the First Sunday of Advent serves as a transition from the celebrations of Christ the King Sunday with a strong theme of “staying awake” and being “prepared” for the days are coming when the promises to Israel will be fulfilled.
Second Sunday
The readings for the second Sunday of Advent bring forth a theme of preparation: repentence. The people of Jerusalem are called to look east – and by the Jordan, John the Baptist cries out to prepare a way for the Lord.
Third Sunday
The readings for Gaudete Sunday: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” Expectations are heightened and the people question if John is the Messiah. No -“one mightier than I is coming“
Fourth Sunday
The readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent turns our attention from the ministry of John the Baptist to the events that preceded John the Baptist’s birth. We witness how Jesus was recognized as Messiah even before his birth while still in Mary’s womb.
Themes and Character of the Advent Readings
Advent has a two-fold character: as a season to prepare for Christmas when Christ’s first coming to us is remembered; as a season when that remembrance directs the mind and heart to await Christ’s second coming at the end of time. Advent is thus a period of devout and joyful expectation” (General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar, 39).
This two-fold character is best expressed in the Scripture readings chosen for Advent. No matter which Lectionary cycle we’re in (Year A, B or C; this Advent starts us in cycle A), the Gospel theme for each Sunday of Advent remains the same.
The First Sunday of Advent centers on the Lord’s coming at the end of time: “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you must also be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of man will come” (Matthew 24:42–44).
The Second and Third Sundays of Advent focus on the message of John the Baptist, who baptizes with water in preparation for the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. John calls people to repentance, telling them that the kingdom of God is at hand: “John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’ It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths” (Matthew 3:1-3).
Of note is the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete (“Rejoice!” in Latin) Sunday. On this day we realize that the time of waiting is coming to an end. To mark the different character of this Sunday, the priest can wear a rose-colored chasuble and/or stole, expressing joy rather than penitence.
That joy is also reflected in the Gospel: “When John the Baptist heard in prison the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question: ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’ Jesus said to them in reply: ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them’” (Matthew 11:1-5).
It isn’t until the Fourth Sunday of Advent that the Scriptures focus on the preparations for the birth of Jesus. Matthew’s Gospel tells of how Mary was betrothed to Joseph and found with child. Joseph, who had thought to divorce her quietly, is visited by an angel of the Lord who tells him to take Mary into his home as his wife. “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us’” (Matthew 1:22-23).
The other readings also reflect the themes of the Gospel readings. The Old Testament Scriptures used during Advent are prophesies about the Messiah and the Messianic age. Most of them are taken from Isaiah, but they also include Jeremiah, Baruch, Zephaniah, Samuel, and Micah. Along with the Psalms, these readings help us see how Jesus recapitulates salvation history, bringing to fulfillment all the prophesies of the Old Testament. The second readings—epistles from the Apostles—serve as exhortations to be ready for the Lord’s second coming and as proclamations of the kingdom of heaven and the necessity to love as Jesus loved. The second readings are also chosen to complement the message of the Gospel for each week.
The prayers during the Mass are also attuned to the themes and character of the Sunday and it’s readings. You go explore their richness here.