My dear parishioners and visitors;
The word Advent means coming. St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), in his sermon God’s Word will come to us, explains the three comings of Jesus. Jesus, in his 1st coming, was born into our human history, lived, worked and died as Lord and Savior. He will come again (his 2nd coming) in glory as Lord and Judge. These two comings are visible. The 3rd or the middle coming is invisible, spiritual and lies between these 2 comings. He comes here and now into our world and our lives through the ministries of the Church, through the Sacraments and through the teachings of the Scriptures.
We all know what Advent is about. But how do we prepare ourselves not only to celebrate yearly his 1st coming in history, but also to welcome him coming to us personally in mystery here and now, then one day to meet Him joyfully when He will come in glory to judge both the living and the dead?
John the Baptist, in this Sunday’s Gospel, earnestly calls us to prepare a way for the Lord through repentance, “and all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6). Preparing the way for LORD is to change our crooked ways of life, our bad attitude and our sinful habits. It means to live rightly, to act justly, to deal mercifully and to walk humbly before God and others.
The Jubilee Year of Mercy will be celebrated both in Rome and in every diocese around the world on Dec. 8th. We will have our Jubilee Opening Mass at 7.00p.m. on Dec. 8th, Tuesday, on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I would like to invite all of you please come for this very special mass to honor Mary and to begin our Jubilee Year of Mercy.
To celebrate and to live the Jubilee Year of Mercy, We can do at least three things:
- To receive the sacrament of reconciliation. This is the sacrament of Mercy.
- To perform the works of mercy: the corporal works of mercy is to care for others’ physical well-being; the spiritual works of mercy is to care for others’ spiritual well-being.
- To read conversion-stories. We have been blessed with many great and beautiful stories of conversion. These stories challenge, encourage and call us to change and to live our lives as intended by God, our most loving and merciful Father.
Have a blessed Advent season. Fr. Peter Hoan Nguyen.