Happy Fourth and last Sunday of Advent! Today’s readings remind us that Jesus is reborn every day in ordinary people living ordinary lives, who have the willingness to respond to God’s call and the openness to do God’s will. They suggest that Christmas should inspire us to carry out God’s word as Mary, in perfect, loving obedience to His will, with cheerful…

Welcome to the Third Sunday of Advent. Today is called “Gaudete” Sunday because today’s Mass begins with the Entrance Antiphon, “Gaudete in Domino semper” (“Rejoice in the Lord always”). Today we light the rose candle of the Advent wreath, and the priest may wear rose vestments to express our communal joy in the coming of Jesus as our Savior. The theme of…

Welcome to the Second Sunday of Advent!  The Advent season challenges us to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ first coming. We are also to prepare for Christ’s present “coming” to us in God’s Word, in the Eucharist, in our neighbors, in the Christian community, and in our souls. Finally, we are asked to be ready to meet Christ as our Judge…