December 1: The First Week of Advent / La Primera Semana de Adviento

“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose.” (1 Corinthians 1, 10)

In the weeks of Advent, we pray for a future of universal peace and mutual acceptance. The prophet Isaiah, for example, predicts that under the guidance of the Messiah, all nations and races will live in harmony and join in worshiping the true and only God. When combined with St. Paul’s wise advice (above) we find a reassurance that this future promised to us will draw us beyond all narrow racial or national boundaries (or any other difference that could separate us) – so that everyone in the human family will become one in mind and heart. 

For the cynical and tired among us, let’s remember that “nothing changes if no one changes.” And that change has to begin in us.

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El mensaje del Adviento habla de “salvación universal.” El profeta Isaías, por ejemplo, proclama que todos están llamados a creer en Dios, a adorarle, y rendirle culto. También, estamos llamados a vivir según el Plan de Dios y sus leyes y a gozar de su paz.