Advent greetings, my friends!

I pray you all had a wonderful holiday. There is just so much to be thankful for this time of year. In particular, I want to thank all of you for sticking with us this far. It is a big ask to give up your time week after week — joining us in prayer and really devoting so much attention to all that a Catholic should be. Your witness and participation bring so much life to our Church that we literally would not be the same without you. I am also thankful for Sr. Jacinta, Mark, and the rest of the team, who dedicate many hours and countless prayers to this vital ministry. Our parish is truly blessed to have so many wonderful volunteers, ministers, and resources to help people grow in their faith.

At our last meeting, we had a small primer on Advent, which comes at the start of our new liturgical year. Now we find ourselves descending into the Second Sunday. While tradition (note the lowercase “t”) often labels the weeks as Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, the depth of each week is more like a diminuendo — a profound decrease — before the great crescendo of Christmas. The colors are muted, the altars bare, and the manger scenes noticeably empty of their centerpiece. Hopefully, you all have picked up a bulletin, placed an Advent wreath in your homes, and are following along with the prayers and activities. All of this is designed to help prepare yourself to receive the gift of Jesus — to welcome Him not only into your homes, but into your very being — so that this year marks a very different experience in your holidays.

Last weekend’s readings had Jesus tell us to stay alert and be ready. This week, we hear from His cousin, John the Baptist, who tells us to prepare the way of the Lord — that He has come to separate the good fruit from the bad and that He already has His axe at the root. But hold on a minute… it all seems pretty bleak, urgent, and almost without hope! Isn’t Advent a time to anticipate, with those lovely candles of Hope and Peace burning on our wreaths?

For the life of a Catholic, we are reminded where our hope lies. We stay awake and ready to greet Jesus at the hour of His choosing. For those who embrace what the darkness of this season can show us, we find our vision growing in the night — more clearly able to spot those single candles burning as reminders of Christ. When we follow the example of John the Baptist and stand at the edge of our own deserts, we can look at the noise and chaos of artificial lights, Mariah Carey songs, and Christmas specials, and instead center ourselves on the peace Christ is offering us. It is only when we strip away the noise that we can be at peace.

We have spent the past eleven weeks stripping down the Creed and all that Catholics believe about who God is and what He came here to do. This week, we begin to look at our response. And what better place to begin than the Mass — our most public expression of faith. Advent is a great time to begin this series on response. What is the Mass? Where does it come from? Sister will lead us through a brief overview of the prayer of all prayers and how we should comport ourselves.

So often, I hear Catholics who have left the faith say that they “don’t get anything out of Mass,” that they prefer other services or worship styles they find more engaging. My first question to them is, “What are you giving to the Mass?” It is called the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and each and every time we approach the table, we should ask: what do we offer God as our sacrifice? It is only in leaving our gifts — our fears, our triumphs, our hopes — that we, the faithful, can fully receive the love God has for us.

I look forward to being with you all this week, and as always, I am praying for you.

Yours in Christ,
Tyler