Day 2

The Catholic Parishes in Waterloo

Busy Catholic’s Online Advent Retreat

A Season of Praise

Day Two – Tuesday, December 6

Praise is Proclamation

Today’s Reading

Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all you lands.
Sing to the LORD; bless his name; announce his salvation, day after day….

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and what fills it resound….
He shall rule the world with justice and the peoples with his constancy.

(Psalm 96)


Fr. Knight’s Reflection

  How do you experience Mass? As celebration? As immersion in awareness of a communal joy? The whole assembly should feel the Good News penetrating every pore in their bodies. We will, if we are saturated in praise.

  Everyone who has encountered Jesus Christ is charged to evangelize through praise: “Sing…bless…announce…cry out!”

  Everyone consecrated by baptism to be prophet, priest, and steward of Christ’s kingship is committed to “announce his salvation” with overwhelming enthusiasm—and to do it, first of all, at Mass.

  Every person in the pews is a “celebrant” at Mass. The priest at the altar “presides” over their celebration.

  Isaiah says, “Say” what you know! We experience truth in expressing it. We share truth in proclaiming it. “Speak,” Isaiah says. Proclaim; fear not to cry out; announce his salvation; tell…his wondrous deeds.

  Praise unleashes joy. What we praise we appreciate. What we appreciate we celebrate. What we celebrate we proclaim. Celebration is evangelization. It makes the Good News present in praise.

  Jesus said: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not…go in search of the stray?” If we make Mass an authentic celebration, we won’t have to search; the strays will come to us.

Copyright by David Knight. Used by permission of Twenty-Third Publications.

For Your Reflection or Discussion

What’s the most important thing you have celebrated or proclaimed in the past year? … since you graduated from high school?


Daily Practice

Be aware at Mass. Celebrate what you hear.


Advent Prayer

Father, all powerful and ever-living God,
we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

When he humbled himself to come among us,
he fulfilled the plan you formed long ago

and opened for us the way to salvation.

Now we watch for the day,

when Christ will come again in his glory.

And so, with all the choirs of angels in heaven

we proclaim your glory
and join in their unending hymn of praise.