Second Sunday of Advent

Dear Parishioner,

Advent is a Liturgical Season which calls on us not only to repent, but to hope. Hope is the least talked about the Theological Virtues, but it is perhaps the virtue that we need to exercise more on this earth than any other. How can one have faith without hope? How can we have the energy to love when we are not confident about tomorrow? Hope is all important.

John the Baptist is one of the Biblical figures that appears in the scriptures during our Advent liturgies. John was a prophet. Some would say that he was the last of the Old Testament prophets. He looked forward in anticipation. He knew in his heart that the world he longed for, a world of justice, would not come to pass in his life time, but he still preached with conviction about a new order in this world. He did so despite the fact his words led to his death.

Mary is another Advent personage that we reflect on this time of the year. We celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception this Thursday and we commemorate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the 12th of December. Mary is a symbol of hopefulness. She is depicted as Our Lady of Guadalupe as a pregnant teen who is a native American.

How unsure she must have been as she anticipated the birth of Jesus. Mary was poor and she must have wondered, not only who this child would be, but how she would feed him and maintain a home for him. Yet, she moved forward trusting in God. Our Advent celebration is full of hope filled with signs of God’s divine providence.

I think of us as a parish family today. What does the future hold for us? We have so many challenges. We live in a world where less people want to be affiliated with churches. We have the practical concerns of supporting Catholic Education and maintaining our church properties. We have the challenge of reaching out to our community to engage in acts of charity. We cannot hope to fulfill the needs of all who are hurting. At times, it must seem overwhelming to us all. But we are reminded during Advent, that the future is seldom completely understood by any of us. Yet, we move forward in faith as did John the Baptist and Mary. We trust as they did. We hope as they hoped, in the Lord.

Blessings,

Fr. Mark