A Letter from Fr. Paul - Sunday, November 27th

December can be a very busy month as we dive into the preparations for our cultural celebration of Christmas.  From the perspective of our faith, Advent is a time to reflect more on how we are doing at preparing ourselves for the second coming of Christ (either at our own death or at His second coming, whichever happens first). Yes, we are preparing to celebrate His first coming in Bethlehem, but we are invited to reflect on how we are living each day so as to bring about His Kingdom of Justice and Peace.  It is what Paul articulates in our second reading: it is now the hour to awake from sleep.
 
Paul tells us what we should avoid: orgies, drunkenness, promiscuity, lust, rivalry and jealousy. Notice: all of those involve selfishness.  But what should we do?  Paul says it clearly with “put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”  In other words, we need to live our lives and relate to others as Jesus did.
 
In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to be prepared, for we do not know when the Master is coming.  We are given the season of Advent as an invitation to reflect on how are we living in preparation for his second coming, as we wait to celebrate His first coming.  If we are doing our best to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” that is, live as He lived, we have nothing to worry about: we will be prepared.  And living as Jesus lived is the opposite of selfishness: it is being able to think of others.
 
May you have a blessed Advent.
 
Church sign of the week: Kindness reaches wounds that only compassion can heal.