From the Pastor's Desk: December 1, 2019

From the Pastor’s Desk:                                                            
December 1, 2019
 
Today the Church begins a new liturgical year - Advent.  Advent, comes from the Latin word “adventus,” which means “a coming to”, and embraces four Sundays, beginning with that which is nearest to the feast of St. Andrew, November 30 ^th . With the beginning of Advent, the spirit of the Church changes and is symbolized by the purple vestments and emblematic of penance in preparation for the great festival of our Lord’s Nativity. Advent begins a new year that offers a new start to live with and in Jesus. We have the option to become a testimony of His loving redemption, to share in it through who we are and what we do, and finally to recall our own eternal destiny. To grasp our attention and enter into a deeper meaning of this holy season, Advent begins with abrupt words from Jesus: "Be awake! Be alert!" To be alert amid the hustle of the sound of the secular "holiday season," Jesus' urgency may be just what we need to jolt us into Advent as the special time of preparation for Christmas.
 
Although, our secular society begun their push for Christmas almost a month ago, we indeed should focus to be alert, so the next four weeks will not passed us by without notice of anything special. We are invited to be watchful to live more fully our Christian calling to pattern our lives on the life of Christ. This time offers an opportunity to begin a new year of grace, a year in which we deepen our participation in the life of Christ as a template for our own.
 
As we begin this holy season, we are confronted again with the question so vital for us Christians: what place do I give Christ in my life? Am I close to Him? In this short few weeks of preparation and anticipation for the coming of Christ in Christmas, we should let go of our cares and worries a bit and enjoy at least a few minutes each day the luxury of taking time to remember God’s faithfulness, to alert ourselves to the many blessings we have received and to recognize God’s love and care in our everyday busyness and concerns. In this time, we need to turn our hearts toward the Lord who especially now is “coming to us”. We must become vigilant to His presence, not only in our own little world but in the larger sense of our community and the Church. Our Lord is coming! Be watchful!   Be alert!
 
In our watchful anticipation for the coming of the Emmanuel – God with us, beside regular participation in Sunday and daily Eucharist, I want to invite all of you to set aside time for St. Luke Divine Mercy Advent Parish Mission – December 8-11, 2019. The mission under spiritual guidance of Fr Chris M. Alar, MIC, “Father Joseph” – Director of the Association of the Marian Helpers will focus on the gift of God’s mercy. This special time offers us tremendous opportunity to experience this Advent in eager and active anticipation for the coming of Christ at Christmas. I pray that we will set time aside to participate and to prepare the doors of our hearts and open them wide for Christ and His mercy at Christmas.
 
Have a blessed Advent!
 
With prayers,
Fr. Andy