five minutes with the word advent 2015

five minutes with theWord

Advent 2015

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Five Minutes with the WordPresident: Jeff SmithPublisher: Joseph Difato, Ph.D.Editor: Leo ZanchettinContributing Writers: Ann Bottenhorn, Jill Boughton, Christine Difato, Bob French, P.M. Graham, Theresa Keller, Joel Laton, Lynne May, Fr. Joseph A. Mindling, O.F.M. Cap., Hallie Riedel, Lisa Sharafinski, Fr. Joseph F. Wimmer, O.S.A., Patty Whelpley, Jonathan WilsonArt Direction: David CrossonCover Design: Andrea AlvarezDirector of Operations: Jack DifatoGeneral Manager: John RoederProduction Manager: Nancy Clemens

For sales or customer service, direct all mail to The Word Among Us, 7115 Guilford Dr., STE 100, Frederick, Maryland 21704.

Telephone: 301-874-1700 Fax: 301-874-2190. Our Web address is www.wau.org. e-mail: [email protected]. Made in the U.S.A.Five Minutes with the Word is published from 7115 Guilford Dr., STE 100, Frederick, Maryland 21704. Letters to the editor should be addressed to this location. Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40031176Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to The Word Among Us, c/o Metanoia Outreach Box 1107, Station F Toronto, Ontario M4Y 2T8Copyright ©2015 The Word Among Us.The meditations in this booklet may be reproduced with prior approval of the publisher for use in Bible studies, discussion groups, religion classes, and the like.Excerpts from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Psalms Copyright ©1991, 1986, 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. Used with permission. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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In an Advent homily two years ago, Pope Francis said, “Christmas has always been about con-

templating the visit of God to his people.” He said that the birth of Jesus “speaks of God’s tenderness and hope” and that without this tenderness and hope, we become “a cold Church that loses its

sense of direction.” These words resonate with me, because I have always seen

Advent as a special time to mediate on what it meant for Jesus to come to live among us. I simply can’t imagine why God would give up the glory of heaven just for us. His love and generosity move me deeply—but it also helps me stay focused on what is most important in my life: to witness to God’s tenderness and hope to my family, my friends, my parish community, and the people around me.

This little booklet, Five Minutes with the Word, contains medi-tations for each day of Advent based on the Mass readings. They will help you enjoy the tenderness and hope that God has for you. So try to carve out a few minutes each day just to be with Jesus. Ask him to take away any of coldness that may be hidden in your heart. Ask him to fill you with his warmth, his compas-sion, and his gentleness.

I am sure that your efforts will be rewarded. God’s tender love will move in your life. You will find yourself becoming more peaceful, more compassionate, and more loving. May we all seek the Lord and his kingdom this Advent!

Joe Difato Publisher

A Season of “Tenderness and Hope”


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29 Sunday, November 29

A meditation based on Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Be vigilant at all times. . . . Your redemption is at hand.

(Luke 21:36, 28)

So begins another Advent—with words of warning to stay alert, but also with words of confident reassurance. Isn’t

it funny how we are so quick to focus on the verses that sound threatening but lose sight of the ones that remind us how faithful God is and how deeply committed he is to us?

Do you believe that right now, God wants nothing but good things for you? After all, he has been pouring out grace on his people for millennia. From the very beginning, he has been leading us to the day of our “redemption,” so why would he stop now (Luke 21:28)?

In today’s first reading, we see St. Paul praying that the people of Thessalonika will deepen in their love for each other as they wait for the Lord’s return (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13). Paul didn’t say this because he thought that the Thessalonians were doing poorly. Quite the opposite—he begins his letter by praising them for their “work of faith and labor of love” (1:3). Paul wasn’t correcting them or admonishing them; he was congratulating them and urg-ing them to keep up the good work!


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The same is true for you. God isn’t upset that your faith in him or your love for other people isn’t greater than it is. He knows your heart; he knows how much you want to please him. He delights in the faith and love that you do have—incomplete though it may be. Now he is urging you to take another step so that you can be even more faith filled and loving.

We are entering Advent, a season of grace when God invites us to journey deeper into his love and his presence. Over the next four weeks, you’ll find numerous opportu-nities to connect with the Lord, whether it is at Mass, in prayer, or in your encounters with other people. Make the most of them. Trust that each situation is another opportunity for your redemption to unfold even more.

TODAY’S OTHER READINGSJeremiah 33:14-16 Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14 1 Thessalonians 3:12–4:2

Pray. . . “Lord, draw me closer to you this Advent!”


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30 Monday, November 30

ST. ANDREW

A meditation based on Matthew 4:18-22

Peter, and his brother Andrew . . . (Matthew 4:18)

When we first meet Andrew in Matthew’s Gospel, he is fishing with his brother Peter. In fact, all four

Gospels regularly identify Andrew with Peter. Does this mean he is just a sidekick to the lead apostle, kind of like Robin was to Batman? No, their relationship is much more equal, more like Paul and Barnabas.

Neither brother would have been the man they were without the other. Neither of them would have developed their unique gifts without the relationship and solidarity they had together. They needed each other!

As a disciple of John the Baptist, Andrew was one of the first to follow Jesus. He’s the one who evangelized his brother Peter, in fact! So clearly, Peter would have been a very different man had it not been for Andrew. His simple, steady faith must have made a deep impact on the impulsive fisherman. And for his part, Andrew most likely thrived under Peter’s leadership as the infant Church began to spread out from Jerusalem in the days after Pentecost.

Even though Andrew was not often in the limelight, people knew him as someone to depend on, whether it was the boy who gave him his loaves and fishes (John 6:8-9)


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or Philip, who asked him what to do with the Greeks who wanted to meet Jesus (12:20-22). Andrew was happy to work behind the scenes, and his steady faith produced a lot of fruit!

This is what makes Andrew a perfect model for us. Perhaps you see yourself as a simple, everyday Catholic. You may not have a big platform to evangelize. You may not have an important role in your parish. You may not have much influence over other people. But you are not just a sidekick. Like Andrew, you are a pillar of the Church. It just wouldn’t be the same without you.

We don’t often see the impact that we have on the Church. We don’t often know how much of a difference our intercessions make in the grand scheme of things. But God knows. He treasures every one of our prayers, and he rejoices every time we turn from temptation and trust in him. So keep on following the Lord; we need you!

TODAY’S OTHER READINGSRomans 10:9-18 Psalm 19:8-11

Pray. . . “Lord, thank you for calling me into your service! Thank you for giving me an essential role to play in your Church!”


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1 Tuesday, December 1

A meditation based on Isaiah 11:1-10

A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. (Isaiah 11:1)

An old stump lies forgotten in the woods. The great tree it once supported was chopped down generations ago,

and whoever cut it down left the stump alone, expecting that it would just die and rot. But that didn’t happen. After many, many years, it is showing signs of life. A tiny new shoot is growing on that ancient stump. It is green and vulnerable, barely noticed, but it’s there—a quiet miracle if ever there was one.

Though its strong branches may one day provide shade and shelter, today it’s just a twig. Cartloads of fruit may come from it later, but for now, a single gentle bud blossoms.

This is the picture that the prophet Isaiah paints as he describes a future king of Israel, who will bring righteous-ness and justice to God’s people. For Isaiah, that king was likely Hezekiah, the infant son of the current king, Ahab. This child would become a “greater David” springing from the same root, establishing peace and justice.

By invoking the image of a once majestic tree beginning to regain, and eventually surpass, its former glory, Isaiah tells the people that God has not abandoned them. The


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“stump” of their nation has not been left to rot! An age of renewal and redemption is coming, even though it begins as inconspicuously as a twig sprouting deep in a forest.

This is how God wants us to look at the birth of his Son. He wants us to see that this little child, who looks so weak and helpless, is the One destined to change the world. It must have been hard for most people to see the child Jesus in this way, but some did. Mary and Joseph, as well as Simeon and Anna and maybe a handful of oth-ers, saw it. And what these few people saw changed their lives. Simeon was filled with peace because his eyes had finally seen God’s salvation. Anna was so excited that she couldn’t stop talking about him.

So what do you see when you look at the baby in the manger?

TODAY’S OTHER READINGSPsalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 Luke 10:21-24

Pray. . .“Lord, open my eyes so that I can see who you are.”


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2 Wednesday, December 2

A meditation based on Matthew 15:29-37

He broke the loaves and gave them to the crowds. (Matthew 15:36)

Ruth Stull was a woman given to a cause—the natives of Peru. Originally from Ohio, Ruth traveled to Peru

to share the gospel with them. It wasn’t an easy vocation, and there were times that she must have felt as crumbly as the bread that Jesus held in his hands in today’s Gospel reading. But Ruth saw great hope and consolation in this story, not an occasion to worry about herself. “If my life is broken when given to Jesus,” she once said, “it is because pieces will feed a multitude, while a loaf will satisfy only a little lad.”

What a wonderful perspective! Of course, very few of us are called to share the gospel in a Peruvian jungle, but we have all experienced what it’s like to be tested and tried—and divided into many pieces—in the course of doing God’s will. Parents experience this as they pour themselves out for their children. Priests experience it as they minister to their many parishioners. Everyone experi-ences it with the everyday demands of life! We know that we are able to touch so many more people if we allow ourselves to be “broken and scattered” than if we remain safe in our comfort zones.


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We all face situations in which we feel fragile or unsure as to whether there is enough of us to go around. But here’s the miracle and the paradox. If we can place our-selves in Jesus’ hands as we keep moving forward, we’ll find his comfort and strength—and we’ll end up bearing much more fruit than we ever thought we could.

We may think that we are most suited to help people when we feel strong and capable. And of course we need to take care of ourselves so that we don’t become exhausted or dispirited. But many times, it’s when we feel weak that God works most powerfully through us.

Ruth Stull learned to “boast most gladly” in her weak-ness (2 Corinthians 12:9). We can, too.

Today, keep repeating these simple words: “When I am weak within myself, then Jesus will be strong in me.” It’s not a paradox. It is a simple statement of faith in God’s grace and strength.

TODAY’S OTHER READINGSIsaiah 25:6-10 Psalm 23:1-6

Pray. . . “Lord, give me the strength to work hard, the peace to survive my demands, and the desire to give myself generously to others.”


five minutes with the word advent 2015

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