Pastoral Message – November 28, 2021
Happy Advent!
Well… It’s here again – that season of grace we call Advent! It’s a season of “joyful hope,” expectation, patient waiting, and preparation that is like a double edge – in that, we are anticipating both the celebration of Christmas and the Parousia, the second coming of Christ.
Spotlighting the season with the light of symbols and customs, you might keep an Advent Calendar. You might light the candles of an Advent wreath. You might take up a new devotion or shift your prayers. You might resolve to come to Mass daily. You might get to Confession. You might exercise charity through mending broken relationships. You might be generous in giving to the poor and the hungry. You might visit the lonely. You might ponder God’s wondrous work by reading holy Scripture. You might pray for both the living and the eternally living as you decorate a tree with nostalgic items that conjure up memories – ornaments that have become relics because they remind you of saints. You might fast so when Christmas comes you can truly feast in body, mind and spirit. You might participate in some of the seasonal offerings of the parish – a Penance Service, a holiday party, a Taize prayer service, etc.
So God bless us all!
Fr. Reynold
