As a faith community, we continue on our Advent journey as we strive to remain watchful and alert as we prepare for the celebration of the birth of the Lord. This past week we conducted our Advent Mission, and it was well received as Monsignor Marren helped us focus on the example of the Holy Family and to more fully embrace the true spirit of Advent as we await the coming of the Christ Child.
During Advent we continue to honor our Mother Mary in special ways. This Monday, December 8th, we honor Mary as we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Our Catechism states, “The dogma proclaimed in Christian Tradition and defined in 1854, that from the first moment of her conception, Mary – by the singular grace of God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ – was preserved immune from original sin.” It is a Holy Day of Obligation, and our attendance at Mass should be viewed more as a privilege than an obligation.
Next Friday, December 12th, we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, as we once again honor Mary, our Mother. She is the patroness of the United States, Mexico and all of the Americas, as well as the protector of the unborn. She is a religious as well as a cultural figure to the people of Mexico. In 1531, she appeared in a vision to a humble peasant farmer named Juan Diego near Mexico City. The appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe helped generate the conversion of Mexico and Latin America to Catholicism. Her feast is celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm throughout the Americas. Pope Leo has a very special appreciation for this feast day, since he spent many years as a missionary and bishop in the Latin American nation of Peru.
As we focus on these two great feasts of our Church, please be aware that we will have additional opportunities during this season of Advent to avail ourselves of the great Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Sacrament will be offered at various times in the mornings and the evenings. It is here to heal us spiritually and get us closer to the Lord who loves us. Please check the parish bulletin or the parish website for additional times for the Sacrament.
During this great season of Advent, my hope is that through our devotion to Mary, through our prayers and spiritual reflections, through our acts of charity, and through the healing provided by the Sacrament of Reconciliation, our hearts will be made ready to receive Our Lord, Our Savior, Our King of Kings.