| November 30, 2025
Dear Friends in Christ, On this first weekend of Advent, Jesus tells us in St. Matthew’s Gospel to “…stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” Important words for us to hear as we enter this season of preparation for the birth of our Savior. Maybe we are hearing Our Lord telling us to be vigilant against making this Advent season, and upcoming Christmas celebration, just about decorations, office parties and gifts (all three of which are nice outward signs of what we are getting ready to celebrate). But we know that Advent is more than just about these outward signs for the upcoming Christmas season. At the core of Advent is preparing our hearts, minds and souls for the birth of our Savior at Christmas. We can ask ourselves some questions over the next few weeks. Are we growing in the virtues of charity and generosity? Are we growing in patience, discipline and temperance? Are we a person who brings joy and happiness to a room or are we sucking the life out of a room when we show up? These are some good things to think about over the next few weeks as we get ready for Christmas. Decorations, parties and gifts are fun and we should enjoy them during this time of year, but more importantly we have to be looking out for having our hearts, minds and souls ready to receive the true gift of Christmas – the birth of Jesus. Let’s keep Jesus’ words of staying awake in order to prepare for Christmas so that we can truly be ready to celebrate the birth of Our Lord. God Bless, |