Happy New Year!

My dear friends in Christ,

Happy New Year! Those attuned to Church liturgy know that the first Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new Church Liturgical Year. Advent is derived from the Latin word adventus which means “coming,” and it focuses not only on the past coming of Jesus on the first Christmas; but also on the present coming of Jesus in the gospels, the sacraments, other people, prayer, love, truth, and personal experience; and the future coming of Jesus at the Second or Final Coming at the end of the world, the “Parousia” or the Last Judgment. The Church Year is distinctive in that we now see a shift in the cycle of readings (B). The main saint of Advent is John the Baptist. His story is recounted on the Second and Third Sundays of Advent. The Baptist was the voice crying out in the desert, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths,” which is what we are called to do during this holy season. We are also called to be vigilant, watchful, and awake.

It is also a time to become more involved in our own faith community here at Corpus Christi through volunteering, joining one of the liturgical ministries, helping to clean the Church on Tuesday mornings or joining our hospitality and welcoming ministries. We need you! And finally, during this holy season of Advent, we should cut down on the noise and chatter before Mass and after communion to allow those who wish to pray the necessary silence. Instrumental music and cantor/choir voices are the only ones that should be heard. Church decorum is vitally important for maintaining the dignity of entering into the Eucharistic celebration.

May God bless you all!

Father John