Unpacking The Mass with Keith Nester

Episode: 1st Sunday in Advent, Year A
Date: November 26, 2025

Overview

In this kickoff to the new liturgical year (Year A), host Keith Nester dives into the theme of Advent as a season of joyful anticipation and readiness, encouraging listeners to make "Advent resolutions." Through scriptural reflection on the Mass readings (Isaiah 2:1-5, Romans 13:11-14, and Matthew 24:37-44), Keith explores how Advent is a call to renew our hearts in preparation for Christ's coming—both in history, in mystery, and in majesty at the end of time. Listeners are challenged to wake up spiritually, break from sin, protect their spiritual “house,” and focus their hearts on Christ amidst seasonal distractions.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Liturgical “New Year” and Advent Resolutions

[02:16]

• Keith celebrates the start of Liturgical Year A, comparing it to a New Year’s Day:
  “Happy New Year. Right. Liturgical Year A has begun… We're gonna make some Advent resolutions. You know how you make New Year's resolutions? Well why don't we do that with the liturgical year too?”
• Emphasizes the brevity and focus of Advent compared to secular new year’s resolutions (“You only have to keep them up for a few weeks”).

Reading and Reflecting on Scripture

[04:30-09:20]

• Reads and explains the First Reading (Isaiah 2:1-5):
  • The prophecy of a time of peace and divine justice:
    “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation... O house of Jacob, Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.”
• Second Reading (Romans 13:11-14):
  • St. Paul’s urgency:
    “It is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed… cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
• Gospel (Matthew 24:37-44):
  • Jesus compares His coming to the days of Noah and urges vigilance:
    “Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming… you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Advent: Looking Back, Looking Forward

[11:40]

• Keith explains Advent’s twofold focus:
  “We look back at the first coming and look forward to the second coming. And in reality, that's a pretty cool place to be, isn't it?... Because we know that he's real. We know what he's accomplished. And we have a promise. We have a hope.”
• The Israelites awaited Christ with incomplete understanding, but Christians look to the future with knowledge of Christ’s first coming and resurrection.

The Urgency of Readiness

[13:20 & 16:00]

• Readiness is at the heart of the Advent message; it’s for “those who are ready” and a warning for those who aren’t.
• Keith likens Advent to preparing for an important guest’s arrival:
  “Imagine that Jesus is coming over for Christmas dinner. He's actually showing up. What would you do in your house...? Your heart is the temple of the Lord, and he's coming into your life.”
• The coming of Christ is certain—either at the end of time or at the end of our personal lives. The exact timing is unknown, but preparedness is non-negotiable.

Spiritual Sleep & The “Snooze Button” Analogy

[17:50]

• Keith warns against complacency:
  “Don’t hit the spiritual snooze button in your life, my friends.”
• He lists ways spiritual procrastination can manifest:
  • Neglecting prayer (e.g., "I know I need to pray more, but not now.")
  • Putting off confession
  • Delaying other spiritual commitments
• Urges immediate action:
  “The alarm is going off. It's time for you and I to wake up, my friends. It's time for you to be ready...”

Christ Comes to Us Daily

[20:20]

• Advent is also about noticing Christ’s presence daily, not just waiting for the second coming:
  “He wants to show up in those places as well, my friends. But you gotta be watching...”

St. Paul’s Call to Conduct “Becomingly”

[22:00]

• Emphasizes St. Paul’s instruction:
  “We have to conduct ourselves according to the truth, not according to sin.”
• Urges listeners to self-examine and “clean up” their spiritual lives as if Christ were coming for a visit.

Three Practical Advent Resolutions

[24:15-30:35]

1. Break Up With Sin

   • “Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.”
   • Strong imagery:
     “Where are you still in a relationship with sin? It's time to break up with sin… Block, delete all that stuff. Unfriend, unfollow, unsubscribe. All of the things you got to do to sin to break up with it. That's what you got to do.”

2. Protect Your House

   • Draws on Jesus’ “thief in the night” parable:
     “Friends, your heart is your house… Protect it from the evil one. Protect it from falling away. Protect it from the spiritual snooze. Be awake. Be ready.”

3. Eliminate Distractions

   • “Make this season about Jesus instead of everything else."
   • Advises to separate from whatever takes focus away from Christ.
   • Re-emphasizes St. Paul’s:
     “Put on Christ. Take off evil. Put on Christ. That's so important, my friends… When you put on Christ, guess what people see? They see Christ.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Advent Resolutions:
  “Let’s make some Advent resolutions… You only have to keep them up for a few weeks, my friends.” [02:40]

• On Readiness:
  “I'm not trying to be morbid, but, friend, there could be people… that aren't going to live until the next calendar year. Are you ready? What if that's us?” [31:00]

• On Spiritual Snoozing:
  “Don't hit the spiritual snooze button in your life, my friends.” [17:50]

• On Focusing on Christ:
  “Eliminate distractions. Make this season about Jesus instead of everything else. That’s a big part of it, isn’t it?” [29:55]

• On Accountability:
  “A is for accountability, my friends… Maybe one of your Advent resolutions is that you’re going to show up every single week during Year A.” [33:00]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:16] – Liturgical New Year & Advent Resolutions
• [04:30-09:20] – Reading Isaiah 2, Romans 13, and Matthew 24 with commentary
• [11:40] – Looking Back to Christ’s First Coming, Forward to His Second
• [13:20; 16:00] – The Urgency & Imagery of Readiness
• [17:50] – Spiritual Snooze Button Analogy
• [20:20] – Looking for Christ in Daily Life
• [24:15-30:35] – Three Advent Resolutions Explained
• [33:00] – Call to Accountability & Community Participation

Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Keith ends by igniting hope and commitment for the season and the liturgical year:
“None of us are guaranteed one more day on this planet. Christ is coming. Are we ready? That’s really what I’m hoping for with Advent. I want to just let this start so that we can just catch momentum and move into it…” [32:10]

Listeners are invited to continue journeying together, supporting one another in their resolutions and readiness for Christ.

Tone:
Keith is energetic, relatable, practical, and gently urgent—mixing humor with spiritual seriousness, and always aiming at personal transformation and community accountability.