Advent is one of those beautiful times in our Church that is often misunderstood. We clearly understand that we celebrate the birth of Christ, but what else? Yes, it is a celebration of that great event which united heaven and earth through the Incarnation of the Son over 2000 years ago, but it is also a preparation of our souls for the incarnation of the Son in our hearts, as well as a yearning for the coming of the Kingdom, as we pray in the Our Father. It has a great many facets, all of them very beautiful, and all of them requiring a period of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, a time of preparation.
In order that we may prepare ourselves for such a great event, in addition to the many ethnic customs which we have listed in the bulletin, we have invited Fr. Joe Kim to help us. Beginning immediately after the Mass in honor of the Immaculate Conception on the 8
th at 6:30pm, Fr. Joe will help us identify the “keys to spiritual freedom,” so that we may put behind us any anxieties, sadness, fears, or anger which keeps us from opening up to God. He will be with us for three evenings, and on the 10
th we will conclude with the opportunity to reconcile ourselves with Our Lord through the sacrament of Confession. We are truly blessed to have Fr. Joe Kim come to help us prepare, that this Advent may bear much fruit in our lives, and that the light of Christ may shine bright in our hearts!