My dear beloved brothers and sisters,
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!
During Advent, what are you preparing for? I am hopeful that we each must learn to discern what is of value.
During these last two weeks, I have visited lots of our parishioners who are sick, at the Hospital, Care Facilities and even at Hospice. Please include them in your prayers. Thank you!
We already began our journey last week of living the spirit of Advent with hope, faith, trust and love. This weekend St. Paul reminds us to persevere in this praiseworthy undertaking. St. John the Baptist guided us in our spiritual renewal, “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” It means encouraging others with hope and at the same time working for our personal transformation or conversion – to love God and neighbor more and more.
We have so much work to do this season as St. Paul sums up for us, “that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” That we must pray together and know where we stand in the midst of so many conflicting ideologies and value-systems in our society.
This Advent, I pray that you will put into action your hope; that you will produce a “harvest of righteousness” as St. Paul speaks about. Allow these actions to show that the promise of conversion has become or will become a reality in our lives.
AMEN.
God Loves you!
~ Fr. NEIL