Monday, November 07, 2011

The End is Near!

Well, the end of the liturgical year is near. I noticed that when the first reading at Mass shifted the other day--from the letter to the Romans to the book of Wisdom, which we will be hearing from for a little while before we shift to Maccabees. Wisdom and Maccabees just happen to be among the latest-written books of the Old Testament; from the time closest to the actual coming of Christ in his first Advent.
So as Advent draws near, the liturgical year (in this "Year 1" set of readings) mimics or reproduces for us the time in salvation history that led directly to the Incarnation!
That means that now is also the time to begin preparing your spiritual "program" for Advent. How will you make this a season of real expectation of the coming of Jesus into your life in a new and more meaningful way? Is there something cluttering the entrance of your heart that might impede Jesus' moving in fully and making himself quite at home? Or an unanswered invitation from the Lord?
Don't let Advent sneak up on you: the liturgical year itself is telling you that's it's coming soon!


Shameless reminder: The Daughters of St. Paul published a book of Advent reflections on the Gospel for each day; I contributed a couple of the meditations. You're still on time to order a copy!

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