New & Unexpected! Advent Day by Day

All images on this page are from the Anza-Borrego Desert Wildflower Guide,
which includes photographs of blooms in several California state parks near the Mexican border.

Ground pink

The Christian liturgical year begins four Sundays before Christmas Day with the season of Advent. It is a season of quiet anticipation, excitedly waiting for Christ to break into our world in new and unexpected ways. The Advent lectionary features many of Christians’ most beloved passages in the Bible. Many Catholics find participating in daily Mass during Advent is an excellent way to spiritually prepare for Christmas! Note that the readings for daily Mass in Advent are the same every year, except for the first Monday.

We also have a separate lectionary guide for the Sunday Readings in Advent.

Just as the character of the first two Sundays of Advent is different from the second two Sundays, the focus of the daily readings in Advent break up into two sections, too.

Advent begins by focusing on the Second Coming of Christ at the end of time. Most of our first readings come from the Book of Isaiah, foretelling that the desert will bloom and all creation will be restored to God’s original purpose. (On the days near the Third Sunday of Advent, we hear one day each from Sirach, Numbers, and Zephaniah.)
 
Most Biblical scholars believe that the sprawling Book of Isaiah was composed in two, or more likely three, distinct time periods.
 

Bajada lupine

Isaiah 1-39 (“First Isaiah”) is primarily a compilation of prophecies by and stories about the historical Isaiah of Jerusalem, who flourished c. 760-700 BC. (Scholars are less confident about the authorship of chapters 13 - 14, 24 - 27 & 34 - 35.) Isaiah was an adviser to several kings in the southern kingdom of Judah, before and after the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by the Assyrian Empire in 722 BC. While it includes well-known passages about the hope promised by Emmanuel, First Isaiah also features many omens warning Judah and the neighboring nations to obey God or face disaster. 
 

Common fishhook

Isaiah 40-55 (“Second Isaiah”) was most likely written during the Babylonian exile, after Judah was defeated and destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar, c. 586 BC. While the authorship of Second Isaiah—and the reason why Second Isaiah was attached to the same book as First Isaiah—is debated, there are clear connections between these chapters and the Book of Deuteronomy. Surprisingly, in this dark moment in salvation history, Second Isaiah features many of the most beloved, hope-filled passages of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Interspersed with these messages of hope are the four “Songs of the Suffering Servant,” which we hear during Holy Week.
 

Desert woolly star

The origins of Isaiah 56-66 (“Third Isaiah”) are subject to debate. The majority of scholars suppose it was written after the Jewish captives were allowed to return to Jerusalem by King Cyrus of Persia c. 538 BC, but perhaps before the completion of the rebuilding of the temple c. 515 BC. Whereas Second Isaiah speaks to universal themes, Third Isaiah focuses on the internal concerns of the fledgling vassal state of Judah. Nevertheless, Third Isaiah addresses the universal challenge of sustaining faith in times when our circumstances turn out to be very different from our expectations.

Borrega milkvetch

When Advent is as long as possible (i.e., when Christmas Day falls on a Sunday), there are 17 days of daily Masses before December 17. We hear from the Gospel of Matthew 12 of those days, with readings from the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of John making up the balance. These readings are filled with the themes of hope, promise, and the unexpected.