November 30, 2025
First Sunday of Advent
Dear Parish Family:
Happy New Year! No, it’s not January 1 yet. But today is the start of the new Christian Year. Today, we celebrate the beginning of a new Liturgical Year with this First Sunday of Advent.
Advent (from the Latin ad venio, “to come”) is the liturgical season anticipating the coming of the Lord. While the days grow shorter and colder, we prepare for the Savior who comes to kindle our hearts with His light and His love. The Advent season is filled with preparation and expectation. Everyone is getting ready for Christmas — shopping and decorating, baking and cleaning. Sometimes we can become so busy with these preparations that we might lose sight of the real reason for all this activity: the Word Made Flesh coming to dwell among us. So this Advent, let’s try to preserve the spiritual focus of this special season of preparation amid the hustle and bustle of the countdown to Christmas.
Every January 1, millions of people make resolutions for the coming year—and, before the month is out, most will have broken them. Still, the impulse is a good one: As disciples, we know that we are far from perfect, and anything that helps us become a better person is worthwhile. So on this First Sunday of Advent, why not make some spiritual resolutions for our lives of Faith, Hope, and Love?
Perhaps our new church year or Advent resolutions might take the form of developing our relationship with God as we would with other loved ones by dedicating more time to being alone with God. We might set a little time aside each day to pray, meditate, or do some other spiritual practice. We might dedicate some of our energy and resources to serve others in doing good works, volunteering, mentoring, or some other form of expressing our love of neighbor. How about seeking peace, forgiveness, and reconciliation in our relationships? Let’s challenge and support each other to make this a GOOD ADVENT.
Just as Santa is making a list and checking it twice, maybe we can do the same for our relationship with God this Advent. God came to help us grow closer to Him. So how will we get closer to Him this Advent?
This Friday evening, we will have A Night In Bethlehem. Families with kids from Pre-K to Fifth Grade are invited to travel back in history to a bustling Bethlehem marketplace and experience life as it was at the time of Jesus’ birth! After checking in at the city gates, families will wander through Bethlehem and immerse themselves in crafts, activities, and interactive learning, and end up in the stable with Joseph and Mary. There is no charge to attend, but we need to know you are coming to prepare for your journey. See registration details on page 7 of this week’s bulletin.
Have a GOOD ADVENT, everyone!
Father Neil Sullivan