First Sunday of Advent

Dear Parishioners,

     On this First Sunday of Advent, we will be having two special ceremonies at our 9:00a.m. and 11:00a.m. Masses. At the 9:00a.m. Mass our confirmation students will be becoming candidates for confirmation. They will be promising to continue to study the teachings of the faith, they will be praying for wisdom to make a wise choice and they will also be doing ongoing service for our faith community.  At the 11:00a.m. Mass, individuals in our Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults will be celebrating the Rite of Becoming Catechumens. This means that they have completed the Inquiry phase of the process and are ready to say that they intend to become Catholic someday.

     I am happy that we have parishioners who have a desire to receive the Sacraments of Initiation. We have the ceremonies we celebrate today in Advent because they remind us of penance we should be doing during these four weeks.  Advent is a time of hopeful expectation as well as conversion.

     St. John the Baptist calls us to repent as we listen to his preaching as Advent starts.  Are we ready to leave sin behind and conform to the teaching of the Gospel?  If so, we need to make efforts to do this during the four weeks of Advent.

     The Blessed Virgin Mary is an example of how we should wait.  Mary waited for the delivery of her baby with a great trust in God.  She took care of herself spiritually, mentally and physically.  Advent is a time to look at our lives asking, “Are we as healthy as we can be?” If not, it is time to make some changes.

     Please pray for our confirmands and RCIA candidates in the weeks ahead. They are symbols to us of the journey we make with the Lord throughout our life.

Blessings,

Fr. Mark