From the Desk of Fr. Mike

December 8, 2024

     Throughout the Advent season, we begin the celebration of the Eucharist by praying together this Advent prayer:

 Father, in the wilderness of the Jordan you sent a messenger to prepare people’s hearts for the coming of your Son. Help me to hear his words and repent of my sins, so that I may clearly see the way to walk, the truth to speak, and the life to live for Him, our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

This short and beautiful prayer is found on the back cover of our seasonal missalette. May we take all the time we need, in the remaining days and hours of Advent, to be guided by Jesus’ words in the Scriptures. May the ever present grace of God guide our every Advent prayer, calling us ever closer to God and to our brothers and sisters.

The Advent season weaves together so many different images and themes for our individual and communal prayer. It is an annual invitation to savor and relish the spiritual gifts of this beautiful season. It is an invitation to “keep the A’s in Advent.” Advent is meant to evoke in us “attention, anticipation, even some anxiety,” as we wait in joyful hope for the celebration of Christ’s coming in time, in the “now” and in the “unknown” future.

How are you able to keep “attention” to God’s grace in your life and in your prayer? Might the choices we make each day of Advent re-direct our attention to God’s active grace in each of our lives. In Advent, our tradition of faith invites us to “anticipate” a birth, our Savior’s birth. We make room in our hearts for this great gift. May we be open to this gift and “anticipate” in faith and prayer His coming on Christmas morn. Our world tries to entice us with the “more.” “More” activity, “more” spending, “more” gifting, “more” drinking, and “more” busyness. We may identify “more” in society’s rushing to Christmas, not the stillness and sparseness of Advent. The invitation to “more” stillness amid the frenzied activity of the pre-Christmas season is ever present to us in faith.

“Anxiety” is a constant reality in many lives. It can be part of our lives, it does not need to control our lives or our Advent days. With God’s grace in our prayer, may any and all “anxiety” of Advent, which can paralyze God’s children with fear, be transformed into “anticipation,” which has a positive sense of expectation, like an upcoming visit of a good friend. Is that not our attention and anticipation, the birth of a Savior, our life-long companion and friend, Jesus Christ?

Let me close my article this Second Sunday of Advent with words of thanks.

Thanks for intentionally joining us in prayer these Advent days. In addition to Mass you can join us in Eucharistic Adoration, Praise and Worship and Reconciliation on Tuesday, December 10, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. (You can attend a reconciliation service in Advent at Holy Cross Parish at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, December 16 or at St. Patrick’s Parish at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, December 17.) You may also call Fr. Radley or myself and we are more than willingly to schedule time to celebrate God’s healing mercy in the sacrament of reconciliation.

Thanks for supporting the Guild of St. Mary Advent Giving Tree. All gift cards and gifts are to be returned this weekend.

Thanks for feeding the hungry, allowing them to celebrate with food during this Advent and upcoming Christmas season. Donations to help Pack the Pantry at Most Blessed Trinity can be brought to the truck in the parking lot this weekend. The caravan of volunteers will bring the food to the Food Pantry following the 12:00 Noon Mass. Thanks for allowing clients at the Food Pantry to find “more” food this Advent.

Next weekend, the third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday – perhaps you will invite and bring a family member, neighbor, co-worker or friend to Mass to rejoice with us in our Advent prayer.

      May God guide us in our lives of faith these Advent days,

Past Letters: