This Second Sunday of Advent is a moment of great gratitude for me. I am thinking back to the Thanksgiving Dinner served and celebrated in our Parish Center just before the actual holiday. It was wonderful to experience the sense of “home” to which many were returning on this great day, and the sense of open commitment and service on the part of volunteers who were returning for this event and on the part of many first-timers. It was great! Thank you to all!
Next I am thinking of the young people and their families who will have gathered in St. Peter’s Church by the time you will be reading this, to celebrate First Reconciliation. This always is a great moment in itself, but also the promise of the celebration of First Eucharist this spring. Please keep them in your prayers.
During this Second Week of Advent our special Advent Series continues with a Celebration of Organ and Voice on Tuesday evening, beginning at 6:30pm. I was encouraged by the group who gathered for Evening Prayer this past Monday. I am hoping that the format of holiday music for organ and voice as well as a different evening of the week will make it possible for even more of us to take a breather from busy schedules in advance of more holiday celebrations and their necessary “work” to come and enjoy this gift.
As laid out for us in the Scriptures this weekend, we are called to be renewed by the proclamation of what God has done for us. We are called also to live lives conformed to that choice and action of God. We are called to acts of service and mercy because we choose to be grateful and compassionate as God has been with us. We are called to choose and act in ways that are more meaningful and effective than just reacting to what is around us, slipping into the path of least resistance. “Prepare the way of the Lord... !”
Fr. Tom