A Word from Your Pastor - November 30 First Sunday of Advent

Dear Parishioners:

As Advent begins, we hear the heart-felt cry of Isaiah 63: “O that You would rend the heavens and come down!”  This cry of the People of Israel that God should come close to them is answered through the Incarnation.  In the Person of Jesus Christ, God has become one with us in our humanity.

Advent reminds us that we are a people who wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises and the longings of our hearts.  As we enter into a new Liturgical Year, we are invited by the Church to prepare for the Coming of Christ at Christmas by acknowledging our need for Him.  We are reminded that He will come in glory at the end of time and that He comes to us in Mystery through the Sacraments.  At this time, the Church also invites us to celebrate the gift of the Consecrated Life and the life of the Family.

How do you practice your Faith as a Family?  Do you pray together at home?  What devotions do you and your children share?  How do you respond to the invitation to be holy?  Are others around you aware that you belong to Christ and are a member of His Church?  What difference does that make in your life?

The cry of the human heart is a cry that God hears.  He responds by accepting our invitation to be a part of our world in very concrete and practical ways.  How are you invited God to enter your world?

Hayes Family Thanksgiving 2014