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Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — Christians should look toward the New Year with hope and a commitment to working for justice and peace, Pope Benedict XVI said.
“God is love, he is just and peaceable, and anyone wishing to honor him must first of all act like a child following his father’s example,” the pope said Jan. 1 during a Mass marking the feast of Mary, Mother of God and World Peace Day.
Readings for December 4
Second Sunday in Advent
Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; 2 Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8
Today’s Gospel describes the ministry of St. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Jesus Christ. Jesus will later describe John as a “light, which burned brightly.” Jesus Christ is himself the light of the world, which the darkness can never overcome. While there are many things to be concerned about in our modern world, Advent is a season of hope, as we prepare for the birth of the savior, the source of all our hope. This hope is not blind optimism, but something much deeper and stronger, the theological virtue of hope.
