Dear St. Philip Neri Friends and Family,
We give praise and thanks to God for the graces and blessings He has given us! This Sunday we begin a new liturgical year with the season of Advent, a season of waiting and hope. Advent invites us to prepare our hearts to welcome Jesus Christ, both at Christmas in His humble birth and at the end of time when He will come again in glory. The Church reminds us that our lives are a journey toward Christ. Advent is a time to renew that journey with expectancy, prayer, and a deeper openness to God's presence.
In today's Gospel, Jesus speaks to His disciples about His second coming. He warns them not to be weighed down by fear or distraction, but to remain alert, and steadfast. "Stand erect and raise your heads", he says, "because your redemption is at hand". Jesus calls us to live each day with hopeful anticipation. Not anxiety. Not dread. But in confident trust that God is faithful and His Kingdom is near to us.
The first reading from the Prophet Jeremiah gives us a promise to hold onto during this season; God will fulfill His Word. He will raise us a just and righteous Savior. The world longs for justice, peace, and healing, and Jeremiah proclaims that God Himself will bring these gifts through the Messiah. We believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise. Advent reminds us that God's promises are real, and the greatest of all is He is with us and will return in glory.
St. Paul, in the second reading, urges us to grow in love. Advent is a time not only of waiting but of spiritual growth. We prepare for Jesus by allowing our hearts to expand in love for God and love for one another. When we love more generously, forgive more readily, and serve more faithfully, we make room for Christ to enter our lives in new ways.
This first week of Advent invites us to watchfulness. Not the anxious watching of someone fearful of the future, but the joyful watching of someone expecting a beloved guest. Think of a family preparing their home before the arrival of a loved one. They clean, decorate, and make sure everything is ready. Advent invites us to prepare our inner home. We ask: Is my heart ready to welcome Christ? Is there anything that needs to be swept away or put right? Advent is a season of holy housekeeping for the soul.
One of the most beautiful aspects of advent is that it blends remembrance with hope. We remember how Jesus came in the humility of Bethlehem. We look forward to His coming again in the splendor of heaven. And we also recognize that He comes to us right now in each moment of grace; in prayer, in Scripture, in the Eucharist, and in our acts of love.
The Advent wreath we bless and light today reminds us that Christ is the light of the world. Each candle, each flame, pushes the darkness and fills our hearts with renewed hope. We do not blindly walk through life. Christ guides us, and calls us forward with His light.
Brothers and sisters, let us embrace this sacred season. Let us stay awake to God's presence. Let us listen more attentively to His word and open our hearts more fully to His love. Let us wait with the joyful expectation of people who know that the Lord is near. May this Advent be for us a time of spiritual renewal, deep peace, and growing hope. And may our hearts be ready to welcome Jesus, the One who has come, who comes to us now, and who will come again in glory.
Please invite someone to Mass today.
St. Philip Neri, pray for us!
Have a blessed day,
Fr. Szparagowski
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