This Advent, you are invited to pray alongside Archbishop Casey. Each day he will share a spiritual reflection with an accompanying song available through the YouTube link.

Follow us on Facebook (10) Facebook

Instagram

Advent Reflection for December 23 – Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Readings: Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24, Psalm 25:4-5ab, 8-9, 10 and 14, Luke 1:57-66

The gospel for today ends with the people around Elizabeth and Zechariah pondering the meaning of John the Baptist’s birth and name:

“All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, ‘What, then, will this child be? For surely, the hand of the Lord was with him'” (Luke 1:66).

While they might have been speaking of John, months later others would ask, “What child is this?” when looking upon the baby Jesus.   And, in truth, centuries after those two births it remains something to ponder with the birth of every child.  For surely, each life is a product of God’s handiwork, created with purpose and intentionality.  Each of us has a role to play in the story of our human family.

As we draw near to the Season of Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Savior, perhaps we also might celebrate how God seeks to include us in the work of salvation.  Each of us has been blessed since birth with particular gifts and talents.  Like the presents we will exchange in the coming days, we must consider how God is asking us to share our gifts and talents with those around us.

Looking ahead to the new year, taking to heart all the things that we have pondered in this Advent Season, we ask ourselves, “Who shall I be in the New Year?  For surely, the hand of the Lord is with me, leading and guiding me to become a gift for the world around me.”

Advent Reflection for December 24 – Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Christmas Eve
Readings: Isaiah 9:1-6, Psalm 96: 1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13., Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-14

It’s opening night!

After many weeks of preparation, Christmas is now here.  And, just like any theater troupe, we may be feeling some opening night jitters. We might wonder if we are sufficiently prepared for the Christmas Season and find ourselves overcome with nervousness as it unfolds before us. To calm our jitters, let us consider some tried-and-true methods.

First, we might consider our familiarity with the role we have been asked to play.  The past several weeks of Advent have been a time of rehearsal.  Over the course of these many days, we have gone over the script.  We know the story.  We know our lines.  We understand that the celebration of Jesus’ birth is not simply a dress rehearsal.  Christ seeks to take center stage in our life and asks us to loudly declare, “Amen! You are welcome here!”

Second, we might consider some breathing exercises.  Taking deep breaths can help calm our nerves.  We recall the Spirit first given us in Baptism and remind ourselves that God’s grace is in the air we breathe, filling our lungs with the strength we need to enter joyfully and confidently into the coming days of Christmas.

Third, we might remind ourselves of the rituals that help keep us grounded when anxiety has us feeling unsteady and uncertain.  Christmas Mass, together with the music, foods, and customs of our families, can help to steady and secure us.

Let us trust in God and know that our preparation throughout the Advent Season has made us ready to celebrate this most holy night.

---

Advent Reflection for November 30 – The First Sunday of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9,Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24: 37-44

Today is the First Sunday of Advent… a new beginning.

In the coming weeks, the rhythm of nature around us will remind us of some important life lessons.

Each day, we’ll see the sun rise and set, with less light each day up until the winter solstice, teaching us to live in hope even as we enter into darkness at day’s end.

With the end of day and the onset of night, we will hold fast to the promise of the dawn and the beginning of a brand-new day.

As cold winter days begin to surround us, enveloping us in their darkness, we long for the light.

We know that light by the name of Jesus, so we will journey through these Advent days toward Christmas with the hope that Christ’s light might overcome our darkness.

May we keep our eyes open, looking to the horizon and believing that God’s light shall break through our darkness.  A new day will dawn.

Follow the sun… follow the Son.

Advent Reflection for December 1 – Monday of the First Week of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 4:2-6, Psalm 122:1-2, 3-4b, 4cd-5, 6-7, 8-9, Matthew 8:5-11

In today’s gospel reading we hear the centurion say to Jesus, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.”  In that moment, Jesus does more than just “say the word,”  because Jesus is more than a word. Jesus is the Emmanuel, the God-with-us, who comes into our life to offer us an experience of the holy and healing presence of God.

God does not simply say to creation, “I love you,” from some far-off and distant heaven, but expresses that love through the incarnation. In the gift of Jesus, we find that divine presence born into creation. The Word Incarnate is not simply God speaking to our hearts; Jesus is in our midst. And, just like in his encounter with that centurion so long ago, Jesus comes to us this day to bring us hope and healing.

These days of Advent challenge us to transform our love from simply being something spoken as part of our everyday vocabulary to becoming something more- a sharing in the life-changing, love-perfecting work of God in the world.  Can we, like Jesus, make our love more than words and allow our encounters with one another to become experiences that reveal the holy and healing presence of God in our world?

Advent Reflection for December 2 – Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10, Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17, Luke 10:21-24

So many in our world today struggle with loneliness.  As a human family, we are more connected than ever before in history.  Our laptops, phones, and watches, filled with their various apps and internet connections, constantly remind us that we are never alone.  In an instant, we can be in touch with someone on the other side of the world.

However, even with all those folks at our fingertips, a profound loneliness seems to pervade our society.  We find ourselves longing for true friendship and sincere love.  We are all too often left simply with our social media followers and friends and lacking any real connection, struggling to find our place in the world.

Advent invites us to consider where we call home and who it is we find there.  For Mary and Joseph, home would not be their familiar Nazareth streets; they’d first make a home in Bethlehem and then in Egypt.  Their family would become more than their blood relations; amidst shepherds and kings, Mary and Joseph would discover the gift true friendship and the expression of true love.

When we feel alone, find ourselves in unfamiliar places, and are lacking any real connection with those around us, Advent invites us to step back and take a moment to go into our hearts.  There, in the calm and quiet of our hearts, we will find God waiting for us.  And with God’s grace to guide us, we can then find our way home.

Just as God did with Mary and Joseph, we pray in these Advent days that our good and gracious God will open our eyes and reveal to us that home is where the heart is and that those unexpected companions around us may just become our truest friends.

Advent Reflection for December 3 – Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest
Readings: Isaiah 25:6-10a, Psalm 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6, Matthew 15:29-37

Like Mary and Joseph, our Advent journey takes us down paths unknown and filled with surprises. As they arrived in Bethlehem and could not find room at any inn, their hearts must have been filled with worry. Tired from the long journey, they had to remind each other to keep moving forward, step by step, one foot in front of the other, following and trusting the Light that had not yet abandoned them to the darkness.

Each year, we make the same journey, repeating the routines, customs, and traditions of years past. We haul out of storage our many boxes and bins of decorations, and we deck the halls with boughs of holly. We dress ourselves in the festive colors of the season and gather with family and friends whom we may only visit once a year.

We call to mind a multitude of memories, visiting with the ghosts of Christmases past, present, and future.

While it may be one more journey through Advent and Christmas, each year we find ourselves different than before, one year older and oftentimes facing something new and unexpected. Some years we may feel we are wiser, while other years we may find ourselves more confused or uncertain. Some years may find us filled with joy, while other years we may feel more sorrowful or empty.

Yet, no matter our circumstances, we must remind ourselves and each other that it’s going to be okay.

St. Teresa of Avila reminds us, “Every part of the journey is of importance to the whole.” With Mary and Joseph teaching us through their own journey, may we come to discover how to walk by faith and not by sight.

Advent Reflection for December 4 – Thursday of the First Week of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 26:1-6, Psalm 118:1 and 8-9, 19-21, 25-27a, Matthew 7:21, 24-27

It’s about presence and not presents.

Saint Augustine writes in his *Confessions*, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” Nothing else will satisfy.  All of the stuff that we accumulate cannot bring us the peace, love, and joy that we long for. Our souls will only find their contentment when we are all made one in God. When we are finally reunited with all those we love who have crossed over to heavenly shores, and we find ourselves received into God’s eternal embrace, that will be when our souls truly find their rest.

This longing for presence can be heard in today’s song choice.  Listen to the plaintive sound of the violin.  Hear the desperate yearning of the male singer.  Take into your heart his heartbreaking realization that his hope will never be realized.  His love will not be present again; he must settle for presents.

Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans reminds us that “hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” God’s love will sustain us during our life here on earth, promising to reunite us with our loved ones in heaven, and forever keeping hope alive for us.

Each day, through simple signs and gestures, God gives us glimpses of what shall be.  We must pay attention to how God and our dearly departed loved ones make themselves seen and heard.

In these holy days of Advent and Christmas, we celebrate how heaven and earth unite. And while our souls may long desperately for a heavenly homecoming, we can already experience today, in our hearts and in our homes, the closeness of God and God’s angels and saints.

May we allow their presence to give us joy and stir up hope in our hearts.

It’s about presence and not presents.

Advent Reflection for December 5 – Friday of the First Week of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 29:17-24, Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14, Matthew 9: 27-31

There is so much to do.  There is not enough time.  It is all so overwhelming.

For many of us, this month of December and the build-up to Christmas can be exhausting.  Between the many commitments of family, friends, church, school, and work, we can hardly seem to catch our breath.

When life feels suffocating, we need to find some time to give ourselves over to Advent. These holy days can help us breathe.  Through finding moments of silence, stillness, and prayer, we can keep ourselves centered and calm amid all the Christmas chaos that surrounds us.

Breathe deep.  Focus on taking into your lungs the breath of God, filling you with renewed life and strength.

Breathe out.  Release the stress, the worries, and the weariness that seek to sap your strength.

Breathe deep.  Take into yourself the Holy Presence of God, experiencing the quiet peace of Holy Mary.

Breathe out. Surrender all uncertainties, experiencing the profound trust of Holy Joseph.

Advent Reflection for December 6 – Saturday of the First Week of Advent
Memorial of Saint Nicholas, Bishop
Readings: Isaiah 30:19-21, 23-26, Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, Matthew 9:35–10:1, 5a, 6-8

Advent comes from a Latin word that means “coming” or “arrival.” As we listen to songs like “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” and “Here Comes Santa Claus,” we prepare ourselves to welcome Christ and Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.

In this season, however, we not only prepare for their arrival, we prepare to welcome many others as well. Friends and neighbors will stop by with their greetings.  Cookies will be exchanged.  And we will find ourselves invited to various parties, pageants, and candlelit processions.

How do we become a welcoming people?  Will others come to know us through our hospitality? We need God’s inspiration to help us, that we may be sincere in our welcomes and generous in our hospitality.

There will surely be days ahead when our Christmas cheer is in short supply and our smiles and greetings don’t come so easily. First and foremost, let us give welcome to the Holy Spirit.  With the Holy Spirit’s assistance to direct our thoughts and actions, we can find our way to living more like the jolly, old saint whose feast day we celebrate today.

May Saint Nicholas intercede for us, helping us to follow his example and live our lives in a spirit of generous giving, and reveale to the world around us the presence of our good and gracious God.

Advent Reflection for December 7 – The Second Sunday of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 11:1-10, Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17, Romans 15:4-9, Matthew 3:1-12

In this Sunday’s Scripture we find the hope-filled prophecy of Isaiah:

“Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. The baby shall play by the cobra’s den, and the child lay his hand on the adder’s lair. There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea.” (Is 11:1-10)

How beautiful it is to imagine a world where peace rules the day, especially at a time when so many places are overwhelmed by violence, war, and injustice, and when so many people have surrendered their hearts to hatred, prejudice, and self-promotion.  We hope that with the coming of Christ, our world may experience a transformation and come to know renewed peace.

This Advent season asks us to begin that transformation with our own hearts, spending time in these days softening our hardened hearts so that we may become instruments of peace.

As each of us individually becomes an instrument of peace, we will find ourselves more able to reach out across that which divides us, and one by one join together in peace-filled harmony. And, with God as our conductor and all of us as an orchestra of peacemakers, consider how we might transform the world around us note by note.

Advent Reflection for December 8 – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Readings: Genesis 3:9-15, 20, Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12, Luke 1:26-38

God creates us with intentionality.  We are children given the gift of life from a God who forms us in our mother’s womb with a purpose and a plan.  We are not mistakes.

Yet many of us wonder, what was God thinking?  We have too many days when we cannot see the plan or understand the purpose of our life.  On those days, we are asked to trust and to know that God understands that which confounds and confuses us.

Today we turn to the mother of Jesus to assist us in our confusion and our wondering.  Mary did not know that God had chosen her from the moment of her conception.  She was not given a life map that revealed a clear path to motherhood and marriage with Joseph. Yet, Mary came to trust and to believe.

The faith Mary learned to embrace in her life would become that which sustained her as she embraced the body of her crucified son.  As a young woman, visited by the Angel Gabriel and invited to participate in God’s plan of salvation, Mary could not fully comprehend the joys and the sorrows that God had in store for her.  While Mary might not have fully grasped the fullness of God’s plan, from the moment she was first blessed with life, God knew Mary’s potential.  And, God knows each one of us.   God knows us better than we know ourselves.

When we find ourselves wondering, asking those “why me?” and “why this?” questions, we need Mary’s saintly intercession.  We pray in these Advent days that Mary might help us to trust in God’s plan and believe that we have been given life with a purpose.   Help us to be strong in faith, Mary, and to be confident as you are, in commending ourselves into God’s hands, the same hands that formed us and gave us life.

Advent Reflection for December 9 – Memorial of Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin
Readings: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31, Psalm 131:1bcde, 2, 3, Matthew 11:25-30

Today we celebrate the feast day of Saint Juan Diego. In 1531, the mother of Jesus appeared to Juan Diego on a hill outside of what is now Mexico City. She appeared as a pregnant woman, anxiously awaiting the birth of her son, the Savior of the World. She appeared after the conquest, at a time when God’s creation had been wounded, when people needed to know that God was near and to be reassured that all would be well.

As Juan Diego looked up at Holy Mary, she had the tender gaze, the comforting voice, and the warm touch of a mother. With her fiat, that first “yes” she offered to God’s invitation to bear the child of God, Mary had said yes to becoming the mother of all creation. People of every land and nation would come to know her tender love and care. And, just like the best of mothers, with deep love to guide her, Mary knows when to challenge and when to comfort her children.

Our Lady of Guadalupe continues to speak to us today, so many years after those conversations with Juan Diego.  Just as she spoke to him in “flor y canto,” flower and song, she calls us to be attentive to the signs and symbols that reveal that God is near.

Listen to this song today, inspired by the words of St. Teresa of Avila.  Hear your mother’s voice. Close your eyes and center yourself on the voice of the singer, Sister Glenda, who captures so well the gentle tones of a loving mother. Hear the voice of Mary and allow yourself to believe, just like St. Juan Diego, that God is near and that all will be well.

*Let nothing trouble you… Let nothing frighten you… All things are passing… God never changes.*

*Patience obtains all things… Whoever has God lacks nothing… God alone suffices.*

Advent Reflection for December 10 – Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 40:25-31, Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10, Matthew 11:28-30

Have you set up your crèche yet? Looking at the figures in our manger scene, most of us will notice the way that Mary looks upon the Child Jesus. The babe may be newly born, but the deep love that Mary feels for the child that she carried in her womb taps into ancient roots.

When God first created the world and all its beauty, we can imagine a divine exclamation of “Sweet!” as God looked upon creation for the first time with such deep and abiding love.

We see that divine love reflected in the gaze of a mother and a father upon their sweet child. God joins in the prayer of every mother and father, praying that the love first bestowed on us at birth might be preserved and protected for the length of our days.

Yet we all grow up.  We may grow distant from our parents. We may grow distant from God. However, no matter where the years of our life may take us, the sweet love we knew as babies remains.  No matter where the path we choose might lead, the prayers first offered for us and our well-being will remain constant.

Where will we go now, in these Advent days?  We hope to make a return to those first days, when love was fresh and life was new. We pray that we might rediscover how to look upon the world and upon one another with sweetness, gratitude, and grace.

Advent Reflection for December 11 – Thursday of the Second Week of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 41:13-20, Psalm 145:1 and 9, 10-11, 12-13ab, Matthew 11:11-15

In these busy days leading up to Christmas, how do we find time for some quiet?

As the world around us gets more and more crowded and noisy with the sights and sounds of Christmas, are we able to make room in our day to tap into the peaceful presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

Like the shepherds who gathered at the manger, we are challenged to step aside from our daily work and worry that leave us weary.  Hopefully, we can find our strength renewed and our souls recharged by the One who calls us to be still and know that God is in our midst.

When we abide with that Divine Presence that is within and around us, we allow peace to take hold in the midst of all that is hectic and harried in our lives and in the world around us.

May we take to heart the invitation that comes in today’s so:

*Come and still your soul… Like a child at rest on its daddy’s knee… Come and still your soul completely*

Advent Reflection for December 12 – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Readings: Zechariah 2:14-17, Judith 13:18bcde, 19, Luke 1:26-38

In 1999, during a pastoral visit to Mexico, Pope John Paul II officially named Our Lady of Guadalupe the Patroness of the Americas and made December 12 a solemn feast day in the Americas. St. John Paul II referred to Our Lady as the “Star of the New Evangelization” and the “Evangelizer and Mother of the Americas,” finding Mary’s visit to St. Juan Diego in 1531 to be symbolic of her desire to bring the Good News of her son, Jesus, to every heart and every home in the Americas and throughout the world.

What is significant in Our Lady’s appearance to Juan Diego is the fact that she appeared to him dressed in the clothing of his people.  She was comfortable meeting Juan Diego in a manner that would make him feel comfortable.  She appeared in a manner that allowed Juan Diego to be open and to receive her and the message she sought to share with him.

Throughout the Americas today, we need Our Lady’s assistance with our own ministry to proclaim the Good News and share the joy of the Gospel.  When we step out of our churches and walk the streets of our cities, towns, and villages, are we willing to meet people in a manner that makes them feel comfortable and unthreatened?

Whether in her appearance to St. Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac, or to St. Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes, or to the three children in Fátima, Mary teaches us how to evangelize.  We are to heed the call of Jesus and be unafraid to go and make disciples of all nations.  Meeting our brothers and sisters where they are, we are to come before them in all our humility to generously share with them the gifts of faith, hope, and love.

Advent Reflection for December 13 – Saturday of the Second Week of Advent
Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr
Readings: Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11, Psalm 80:2ac and 3b, 15-16, 18-19, Matthew 17:9a, 10-13

As the Magi followed the light of the star, they discovered more than the path that would lead them to Bethlehem.  Their travels also revealed to them a pathway into their hearts and their personal truths.

They had left home with a caravan of camels, burdened by heavy loads that slowed their steps.  However, as the journey drew on, perhaps they began to abandon some of the stuff that they had at first thought was essential.

As the days passed, they might have begun thinking, also, about the weight of their emotional baggage.  Perhaps they began to let go of it as well. Each morning, they and their caravan might have started the day renewed, moving more freely, leaving behind all that had kept them weighed down.

By the time they reached Bethlehem, it would have been not only a moment of joy and discovery for the Magi as they stood before the Holy Family, but also a moment of joy and discovery for the Divine Child, who must have looked at them with such a smile when he saw that his visitors possessed not only gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but also a wisdom that they had picked up along the way—the wisdom of lightening our loads and letting go of all that is unnecessary.

As we make our journey to Bethlehem this year, will we grow in wisdom?

Are we willing to let go of all that has us feeling burdened, weighed down, and slow in our steps?

Can we leave behind that which we know is not essential for the road ahead?

Advent Reflection for December 14 – The Third Sunday of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10, Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10, James 5:7-10, Matthew 11:2-11

Advent is a journey to holiness, not only to come and adore the Holy Child Jesus, but also to discover that holiness within ourselves and within our world.  Jesus came into the world to save us and to restore the grace and goodness of all God’s creation.  The birth of Christ, then, challenges us to change our perspective on the world around us.  Practically speaking, we do not spend these Advent days seeking to escape the world, but rather to embrace our life in the world.  Jesus shows us the way. He chose to come and be one with us here.

Our holiness, therefore, is joyful. Rather than depressing us with the thought that God is in some far-off heaven and we are stuck here on earth, the birth of Christ lifts our spirits and causes us to rejoice.  As St. Paul reminds us in the his letter to the Philippians, “Rejoice… the Lord is near!”

Advent Reflection for December 15 – Monday of the Third Week of Advent
Readings: Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17a, Psalm 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9, Matthew 21:23-27

Nobody said it was easy.  Life can be difficult.  Challenges seem to multiply with each passing decade of life. There are moments in life when we may wish we could start all over, hit the re-set button and get a fresh start.

Fortunately for us, God sent Jesus into our humanity to offer us that opportunity for renewal and redemption. Mary’s little baby comes into the world with such innocence, yet is ready to take on all of the sin and sadness that befalls creation.  This precious little one is born to bring forgiveness, new life, and a fresh start to all who come to adore Him and all who will come to follow Him.

While we may not be able to journey to Bethlehem like the shepherds and magi of ancient days, we can make our way to Jesus this Advent.  We can use these days to enter into a deeper conversation, humbly placing ourselves in God’s presence and revealing our deepest longings to the Lord.

Listen to The Petersen’s cover version of Coldplay’s “The Scientist” and imagine this song as a conversation between you and your Creator.

Advent Reflection for December 16 – Tuesday of the Third Week of Advent
Readings: Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13, Psalm 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 and 23, Matthew 21:28-32

God’s voice will find us, breaking through the noise of our lives.  We may try to soundproof ourselves, surrounding ourselves with so much noise that we think God’s word can never reach us.

But God will never tire in trying to tell us something. And the Christmas stories that fill these days will teach us this.  Angels visit, dreams are disturbed, and even the starlight is used to communicate. If in ancient days God could find a way to speak to Mary and Joseph, shepherds and kings, how can we believe that God will not find a way to speak to us?

Watch this scene from the 1985 movie The Color Purple and notice all those who are getting a message. At first watch, the scene seems to be centered on Shug, the bar singer estranged from her pastor father. Watch more closely, however, and you see that others are also being told something.

God touches the heart of the pastor of the church and he is told to reach out and embrace his daughter, who had previously been considered untouchable, too sinful, and unredeemable. “Even sinners have soul,” she reminds him. Witnessing that redeeming embrace of Shug and her father, and noticing the many others who were receiving messages in the movie, invites us to consider: might God be trying to tell us something as well?

Advent Reflection for December 17 – Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
Readings: Genesis 49:2, 8-10, Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17, Matthew 1:1-17

Once again, we begin the final journey to Christmas with the “O” Antiphons, one for each day from now until Christmas Eve. The tradition of these antiphons dates back to the fourth century.  From then until now, they have spoken to our deepest Advent longing. We are a people who have walked in darkness, yet long for the Light. We are a people who have been wounded by sin, yet long for a healing Savior. We are a people who have gotten lost on the way, yet long for a Good Shepherd to guide us. So we sing out once again:

*O come, O come… Wisdom… Lord and Ruler… Root of Jesse… Key of David…*

*Radiant Dawn… King of the Gentiles… God with Us.*

Today, we pray for wisdom, which is far more significant than ordinary knowledge. Plenty of people know things but still cannot seem to make the right choices each day. May God come to us and make us wise, in mind and heart, that we may consider the path we choose to walk this day and be wise in all that we say and do.

Advent Reflection for December 18 – Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
Readings: Jeremiah 23:5-8, Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19, Matthew 1:18-25

The prophet Isaiah speaks about the coming of the Messiah when he says, “No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher. While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears: ‘This is the way; walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:20-21).

The Messiah, the One who comes to save and redeem us, teaches us how to walk the Way.

Imagine a mother or father walking behind their little one, whose tiny hands reach up to grip their fingers as they take those first steps. Like that toddler, after taking those first steps it doesn’t take long before we learn to run, to dance, and to pick ourselves up when we fall.

As we walk the Way to Christmas, let us reach out to the One who seeks to steady us in our steps. Hand in hand, heart to heart, may we be guided along the Way.

Advent Reflection for December 19 – Friday of the Third Week of Advent
Readings: Judges 13:2-7, 24-25a, Psalm 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17, Luke 1:5-25

These days of Advent lead us to the Christmas season and a celebration of Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Always.

Yet, we know the difficult truth of life: we cannot return to yesterday, nor can we peek around the corner to see into tomorrow. Now is where we live, move, and have our being.

There may be a pile of regrets in our past. There may be a pile of laundry, dirty dishes, or bills to pay that await our attention today.  There may be a pile of hopes and dreams that have gone unrealized and are meant for tomorrow.

Regardless of what was, what is, or what may be, we are challenged to live in this present moment with peace of mind and heart. Saint John of the Cross said,

“The soul that is attached to anything, however much good there may be in it, will not arrive at the liberty of divine union. For whether it be a strong wire rope or a slender and delicate thread that holds the bird, it matters not, if it really holds it fast; for, until the cord be broken the bird cannot fly.”

May these days of Advent teach us detachment. When we release ourselves from past regrets and future worries and fly free in the here and now, we will allow our souls to soar with the angels and sing a song of thanks to God for the gift of today.

Advent Reflection for December 20 – Saturday of the Third Week of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14, Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6, Luke 1:26-38

It begins with a simple greeting: “Hail, Mary!”  From that first hello, we make our way to the first Noel.  The Angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary would lead to her “hello” to her cousin, Elizabeth, and culminate in the choirs of angels singing “Gloria!” at the birth of Jesus.

Each day God says “hello” to us with the arrival of the dawn.  Watching the sunrise, we experience God’s greeting and the promise that the dark of night will surrender itself to the glorious light of a new day.  As we come to the Winter Solstice, nature will remind us of God’s desire to seek us out and save us.

I hold fond memories of my mother coming into my brother’s and my room at the start of each day.  She would open the shades and sing out, “Good morning! It’s time to rise and shine!”  While on some days I wished for more time asleep in the dark, most often her entry was very welcome and a great start to the day.

Are we paying attention to God’s daily greeting to us?  Are we ready and willing to assist God in offering a “hello” to those around us so that they might also feel the warmth of welcome and the promise of a new day?

May our greetings of “Merry Christmas!” or “Happy Holidays!” offer a ray of sunshine to others in these dark winter days.  May all people come to experience the Holy Light of Jesus Christ brought to birth by Mary and shining brightly upon us at Christmas and throughout the New Year.

Advent Reflection for December 21 – The Third Sunday of Advent
Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14, Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6., Romans 1:1-7, Matthew 1:18-24

“Maranatha,” an Aramaic phrase that means “Our Lord, come!” has been our prayer this Advent.  Throughout these past weeks, we have prayed and dreamed our way toward Christmas. In early Christianity, “Maranatha” was a common greeting among believers.  For the people of the early Church, facing persecution, this greeting buoyed those weighed down, providing them comfort and hope.

As we pray for the coming of Christ today,  we might also consider those whose hearts are heavy and whose drooping spirits are most in need of an uplifting declaration of “Maranatha!”

Come, Lord Jesus, to accompany us in our many needs and awaken us to new hope!

Please turn on the closed captioning in today’s video in order to read the English translation of the song’s lyrics and take them more closely to heart.

Advent Reflection for December 22 – Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Readings: 1 Samuel 1:24-28, 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd, Luke 1:46-56

Having celebrated the Winter Solstice, we greet today with more daylight. From now until June 20, the days will lengthen, reminding us that the sun’s light cannot be extinguished.

If we have been faithful in our Advent journey, we will also be more aware of the Divine Light that shines brightly within and around us; we shall have no fear of the darkness today or at any time of the year.

We recall the poetic words of Rabindranath Tagore: “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings while the dawn is still dark.”

Our world continues to struggle with so much darkness.  People all over the world live in the shadow of poverty, grapple with the gloom of injustice, and await the dawn of peace.  We pray that with Christmas days fast approaching, we may come to feel the Light of Christ, promising to break through the darkness of our world and make our hearts sing.