The Season
of Advent20
O Mary, Mistress of the Advent,
unlock for us the still white way
of your surrender to Almightiness,
and bring to flower and fruit within us
the expectant hope,
the eager love of our longing.
Let the simplicity of our hidden, joyful giving
bring us in serenity and praise,
to the wonder of Christ’s Nativity. Amen.
Stay awake! Keep watch and wait. This is the message of Advent. Saint Paul taught, “It’s the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer.”
Today we enter the holy season of Advent. The Church invites us to prepare for the coming of Our Lord so that we recognize Him when He comes among us. Ancient Israel had long prophesied about Him. They had yearned and wailed for his coming like parched land longing for water, but they did not recognize Him when He was in their midst.
Dear Friend, the season of Advent awakens in us the memories of the Son of God as He became flesh and lodged among us. It reminds us to keep vigil for His coming again as King and Lord.
Let our hearts rise above all distress and anxiety of our troubled world to fix our faith in the Lord and to renew our hope in Him. He is coming to make all things new. Trust in His faithfulness and providence will bolster our faith amid our uncertainty today. God spoke through the prophet Jeremiah:
"I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord,
plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Let us keep watch and wait in prayer with our Blessed Mother. May our Advent Mother accompany us through this season and help us recognize Jesus in unexpected ways and under unexpected circumstances. His is God of the poor, Friend of the weak, and Comfort of the sorrowful. Let us open our arms to receive our Lord in the poor, the weak, and the sorrowful so that they too see the light of the Lord in us and come to share our joy at the celebration of Christmas.
We wish you and your loved ones a very blessed and grace-filled Advent!
Mother Mary Joseph and all the Sisters of Terre Haute Carmel
