The Beginning of Advent

Yesterday marked the beginning of our Liturgical year in the Catholic Church- the First Sunday of Advent. Advent is a beautiful season in the Church that reminds us to prepare for the coming of Christ. One of the verses we hear often during the season of Advent is "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come...Watch, therefore-for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning-lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" When I hear this I experience a few different emotions. I get excited and anxious at the same time. It is so important during this season of Advent to prepare ourselves in every way we can to be ready for the coming of Christ. By this I not only mean to be ready for when Christ calls us home, but also to be prepared at Christmastime when we celebrate the birth of our Lord. During these next 4 weeks we are to prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ. 

A few things to remember:
1.Examination of conscience- finding those things that are separating us and distancing us from God. We need to take the time to reflect on our daily struggles and habits. Advent is a time to reflect on our lives and form ourselves into the men and women that God has created us to be.
2.Prayer- we have to set aside time each day to pray; not only to pray for the things we need but to give praise and thanks to God for all of the many blessings he has given to each of us. As we go deeper into our spiritual lives, we begin to reflect more on who we are, and who we are called to be.
3.Confession- we need to be making sure we are receiving the Sacraments. Confession is a great way to start the season of Advent. A clean and fresh start as we prepare for the coming of our Lord-nothing better! 

There is so much joy and anticipation as we wait for the coming of our Lord. As we strive to grow in holiness and virtue each day, we need to be aware that we are going to struggle. We are not perfect. Our faith will be tested and we will be tempted by evil things, but our God is faithful and merciful. We have to pray for the strength and wisdom to keep our eyes fixed on the things of heaven, and not let little things of less importance interfere. As we look forward to Christmas and get excited about the shopping and decorating, let us also experience the joy and anticipation that comes from preparing for the coming of our Lord.