Dear Parishioners and Visitors:
Giving thanks to God for all His blessings and provisions at Thanksgiving time is a wonderful tradition, but continuing this posture throughout the year is spiritually beneficial. It evolves from being an annual tradition to a constant way of life, made possible by the love of God shown to us in Christ. This is how we can live in a state of praise and adoration for our Lord with true Christian thankfulness all year long.
Liturgically, we’ve arrived at the violet season of Advent. But everywhere else around us “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” Let’s not rush past these spiritually rich weeks of recollection and anticipation, pondering in review the fruits of the year and looking ahead to the hope of making Jesus incarnate in our words, decisions, and relationships. Advent includes rituals incorporated into home use, like the Advent wreath or the gradually assembled crèche.
Please take home with you a copy of “Advent & Christmas: Waiting in Joyful Hope,” available at the church’s doors this weekend. It is filled with “brief, down-to-earth reflections that bring prayer and Scripture into everyday life.” May it guide you to a deeper appreciation for God’s gift of Himself in the Christ Child.
Wishing you Happy Thanksgiving and a blessed Advent Season,
Fr. John Mahoney