Sunday, November 29, 2026 · Year B
First Sunday of Advent
Be watchful, be alert
Advent begins, and with it Year B and the Gospel of Mark. Isaiah begs God to tear open the heavens and come down; Jesus tells us to stay awake for the master of the house.
Mass Readings
- First Reading Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7
- Responsorial Psalm Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
- Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
- Gospel Mark 13:33-37
Open the Mass Readings on USCCB.org →
First Reading Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7
Isaiah begs God to tear open the heavens and come down. We are the clay, and He is the potter.
Psalm Psalm 80
Lord, make us turn back to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Paul thanks God for the grace given in Christ, who will keep us firm to the end as we wait for Him.
Gospel Mark 13:33-37
Jesus tells us to watch, because we do not know when the master of the house will return.
Step Into the Story
The last part of Isaiah was written after the exiles came home from Babylon around 538 B.C. and found their city in ruins, the Temple not yet rebuilt. The prayer is raw: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down!” Mark, likely the earliest Gospel, was written around 65 to 70 A.D.; Papias, a bishop of the early second century, ties it to Peter’s preaching. In chapter 13 Jesus foretells the Temple’s fall, which Roman legions carried out in 70 A.D.
- 586 B.C.Babylon burns Jerusalem
- c. 538 B.C.Exiles return from Babylon
- c. 20 B.C.Herod begins the Temple
- 26 A.D.Pilate becomes prefect
- This week’s scene: c. 30 A.D.Jesus warns: stay awake
Walk out of the Temple with Him in His last week, probably in 30 A.D. A disciple stops and stares: “Look, Teacher, what stones!” Some of Herod’s blocks run longer than a fishing boat, and the white walls tower above you. Jesus says not one stone will be left on another. Follow Him in silence down into the Kidron Valley and up the Mount of Olives.
Sit with Peter, James, John and Andrew on the slope, the whole Temple spread out across the valley. They ask Him privately: when? The Romans divided the night into four watches, and Mark names them: evening, midnight, cockcrow, morning. A servant at the door has to be awake in every one. Keep your own watch now beside them, eyes on His face.
Encounter the Lord
Advent opens with a single command from Jesus: “Watch!” Picture the servant at the door of a great house, night after night, listening for footsteps. He does not know which watch it will be, evening, midnight, cockcrow or dawn. So he stays awake through all of them.
Jesus is not trying to frighten you. He is telling you He is coming, and that He wants to find you awake to love. Isaiah’s cry, “Oh, that you would tear open the heavens and come down!”, has already been answered at Bethlehem. He will answer it again, at the end and every day in between.
Make one concrete Advent resolution today and write it down. Put a date for confession on your calendar before Christmas.
Know Your Faith
- 110·Christ, Lord of the whole world
- 111·the end of the world
- 229·preparing for repentance
Christ’s Return in Glory
Christ’s coming in glory could happen at any moment (CCC 673). The Kingdom will be fulfilled only by God’s victory over the final unleashing of evil (CCC 677).
“Come, Lord Jesus!”
Since the apostolic age, the liturgy has been drawn toward its goal by the Spirit’s groaning in the Church: Marana tha, Come, Lord Jesus (CCC 1130).
Preparing Through Confession
Plan to go to confession before Christmas. Even for everyday faults, the Church strongly recommends it (CCC 1458).
Key Takeaways
- Scripture
- Doctrine
- Sacraments
- Christian Life
- Christian Life: Advent begins with Jesus’ command to watch and be ready.
- Christian Life: Christ could return at any moment, so we should live each day ready to meet Him.
- Sacraments: God came to us at Bethlehem, and He comes to us now in His Word and the sacraments.
- Sacraments: Going to confession before Christmas is a concrete way to prepare, even for everyday sins.
Test Your Knowledge
True or false? Tap your answer.
Advent looks both back to Christ’s birth and forward to His return in glory.
True.
Christ’s return in glory could happen at any moment.
True.
Jesus’ command to watch is meant mainly to frighten us.
False: He wants to find us awake and ready to love.
Isaiah’s image of God as potter and us as clay expresses our dependence on God.
True.
The Church recommends confession only for serious sins.
False: it strongly recommends confessing everyday faults too, CCC 1458.
The Kingdom will be fulfilled only through God’s victory over evil at the end.
True.
“Marana tha”, Come, Lord Jesus, has been the Church’s prayer since the apostles.
True.
Isaiah’s cry for God to come down went unanswered.
False: it was answered at Bethlehem, and Christ will come again.
Making a concrete Advent resolution is a practical way to keep watch.
True.
Watching for Christ means withdrawing from daily duties to wait passively.
False: it means staying faithful and ready in daily life.
Answers: 1 T · 2 T · 3 F (He wants to find us awake and ready to love) · 4 T · 5 F (it strongly recommends confessing everyday faults too, CCC 1458) · 6 T · 7 T · 8 F (it was answered at Bethlehem, and Christ will come again) · 9 T · 10 F (it means staying faithful and ready in daily life)
Journal Prompts
What am I actually waiting for this December? Is Christ on that list?
Where am I spiritually asleep?
If I am the clay, where am I resisting the potter’s hands?
What one change would make this Advent different from last year’s?
Talk to God
Come, Lord Jesus. Wake me from the sleep of routine. You are the potter and I am the clay; shape me with Your hands this Advent, and keep me watchful and ready to welcome You with joy. Amen.