Here we are at the beginning of the Advent season! Naturally, as we celebrate this time, our thoughts turn to Christmas.
However, the Church reminds us not to focus our attention on the celebration of Christmas yet—especially its material aspects—but rather on the four weeks of spiritual preparation that Advent offers. Advent is a period of waiting, reflecting, and deepening our understanding of how we can live meaningfully, joyfully, faithfully, and generously. Therefore, we should observe it as a heightened time of grace during which we can discover peace, wholeness, and joy.
This season should include moments filled with prayer, silence, attentiveness, presence, and patience. To achieve this, we must intentionally carve out time for prayer, study, and meditation, utilizing various resources, including social media.
Mary is our model this Advent of how it is to pray and to be generous with others. She listened to God, pondered God’s word in her heart, and was opened to God’s will. She was sensitive to the needs of others, as she showed when she visited her cousin, Elizabeth, who became pregnant in her old age.
She prayed with sincere gratitude to God. She recognized her poverty of heart, and that’s why she trusted in God and surrendered her heart and mind to Him.
The Church invites us then to enter into deeper communion with God—to “climb the Lord’s mountain” and to “stay awake” as the Scripture Readings reminds us.
The commercialism of the Christmas season can distract us from this call of Advent. That is why we need to be more vigilant and aware when it overtakes us. As Pope Francis conveyed, Advent is an invitation “to sobriety, to not be dominated by the things of this world, to material reality, but rather to govern them.”
I urge you then to spend more time of prayer and silence this Advent and to go to confession. This is the best way to prepare for Christmas and the Second Coming of our Lord.
On December 1 & 2, I’m inviting you to come to our Advent Evenings of Reflection at 7:00 P.M. with Fr. Christian Morquecho and Msgr. Lorenzo Miranda as our speakers. Then on December 3, to come to our Advent Penance Service. There will be other priests from the neighboring parishes to help in hearing confession.
Let’s take this period of Advent to grow in prayer and relationship with God and one another.
Blessings to all!
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California