First reading: Is. 63:16b–17,19b;64:2–7

You, LORD, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever. Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you, while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for, such as they had not heard of from of old. No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you doing such deeds for those who wait for him. Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways! Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful; all of us have become like unclean people, all our good deeds are like polluted rags; we have all withered like leaves, and our guilt carries us away like the wind. There is none who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to cling to you; for you have hidden your face from us and have delivered us up to our guilt. Yet, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.

Second reading: 1 Cor. 1:3–9

Brothers and sisters: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gospel: Mk. 13:33–37

Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

In other words

by Fr. Oscar Alunday, SVD (Divine Word College of Vigan, Vigan locos Sur)

The Gregorian calendar marks December 3 as the 337th day of the year, with 28 days remaining until the end of the year 2023. This day is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and it aims to promote an understanding “of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights, and well-being of people with disabilities.” We remember today as a day of mourning for the thousands of people who died and for over 250,000 injured due to the leak of toxic gases from the Bhopal Union Carbide Factory in Central India. In some countries, the 3rd of December is also a National Day of Giving to appreciate how fortunate we are for the “roof over our head” and the many other things we take for granted. It is a day when people welcome the homeless in their homes for the night, and a day of thanksgiving for what people have and to remember “that it is a better feeling than worrying about what you do not have.”

Like the First Reading, Isaiah airs his complaints to God as one who has hidden his face and allowed people to suffer due to human crimes. At the end, Isaiah confesses his faith to God as Father who cares and molds people according to his divine design, “We are all the work of your hand.” 

Paul follows Isaiah’s thoughts with an attitude of thanksgiving. There’s no reason to complain and worry because of the generosity of God, who sees to it that everyone is equipped with skills and spiritual gifts in Jesus Christ. God is always faithful. At the end of the year, in the month of December, it is good to recognize the faithfulness of God in our daily lives.

If God is faithful to the end, everyone is challenged to “be watchful and alert,” like security guards who are alert in their time of duty day in and day out. The keyword is WATCHfulness: watching the Words we say whether they are edifying, teaching, consoling, warning; watching our Actions since actions speak louder than words; watching our Thoughts-opinions, reflections; watching our Companions and friends (our friends tell a lot about ourselves); and watching our Hearts our emotions, sentiments, awareness). So that when the Lord comes into our lives, we are indeed “watchful and alert” all the time.