Juntos en el camino: Palabras semanales del Arzobispo Hebda
As the liturgical year nears its end, the Church annually turns her focus to the "Four Last Things": death, judgment, heaven and hell. All this helps set the stage for the celebration of Christ the King—the final Sunday of the liturgical year, when we recognize that Jesus has the ultimate authority, far above every earthly power. The readings remind us that we need to prepare to meet Jesus at the end of our lives, and that the Church needs to be vigilant as we await the Lord’s second coming.
We’ll quickly move from endings to beginnings. Advent (from the Latin word for beginning) is just around the corner. The Wall Street Journal just ran an article this week about Advent calendars with high-end beauty aids for each day of the season. We know, however, that Advent has to be about more than vegan bath bombs, avocado eye cream and refreshing pore cleansing masks “ideal for winter-parched skin.” The season that we’re called to celebrate needs to be a prayerful, reflective time to prepare for Christ’s coming. While Advent is in some ways like an old friend, the same every year, my experience is that there is always something new to discover, some fresh takeaway that the Lord wants to reveal.
This is why I highly encourage you to join me in making plans now for how we will spend this Advent growing closer to our Lord. Spending time with Him—especially in the Blessed Sacrament—is one of the best ways to prepare. Perhaps that means making a Holy Hour each week of Advent or adding a daily Mass when you can.
For families, this may mean taking a step back from screen time and curbing early Christmas celebrations in favor of acts of service and activities that focus on the saints whose feasts fall in Advent. Kids love the stories of St. Nicholas, St. Juan Diego and St. Lucy, to mention just a few. The powerful Advent feasts of our Blessed Mother, honored as the Immaculate Conception and as Our Lady of Guadalupe, can provide great points of entry into the season as well.
If you’re in a small group, this is an ideal time to work with your parish to choose an Advent-themed book or video series. I’m amazed at how many excellent Advent podcasts and reflections are out there. I always love the annual Magnificat “Advent Companion” and count on Father Rocky’s daily Advent inspirations (available through Relevant Radio).
This year, I’m also really looking forward to working my way through a second volume of Fr. Pietro Rossotti’s Lord I Love You!, focusing on the Advent and Christmas homilies of Pope Benedict XVI. Many of you will know Fr. Rossotti from his work at St. Peter in North Saint Paul and at The Saint Paul Seminary.
These Advent preparations can all help point us toward our need to prepare for the Lord’s second coming, as evidenced by the first Gospel of the Advent season, when Jesus reminds his disciples that “at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Mt 24:44). Here is where knowing the reason for our hope (1 Pt 3:15) makes all the difference. Unlike our first parents, Adam and Eve, we know we need not hide in response to the Lord’s coming. Rather we wait with an expectant hope and child-like wonder as once more we prepare to welcome Christ, our Savior.
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