This Sunday we celebrate the second Sunday of the Season of Advent and we continue our liturgical and Scriptural focus on the preparation of our lives so that we may to come face-to-Face with God in an atmosphere of hope, not fear. 

Advent is a time to prepare our faith—as I mentioned last weekend—we need to keep working on our own Baptismal gown we wore at our baptism, perfect white like our Christian dignity, now perhaps stained or tarnished by sins, indifference and doubt—but there are plenty of “cleaning solutions” for us to restore that  Baptismal gown to its original beauty

Preparation means work. Work is motivated by belief. Belief is fed and nourished in faith-filled  families—the Church family and our family of origin.  

Advent gives us an opportunity to slow down from the rush of our hectic lives and reassess what is really important: another long week at work, time lost with family and friends, joy gained in serving God and His people—making the world better, whether locally at home or further away in Hartford, Boston or beyond, thus fulfilling the True purpose for our creation birth and life. 

Here at Saint Catherine of Siena the Advent Season, as does every weekend, offers us a time to  reconnect to Christ, to listen to His Word and be nourished by His Body and Blood; to engage our lives in His Will through our daily actions and choices. When we do that—in serving our brothers and sisters through ministries such as Pantry Partners, St.  Elizabeth House, our Advent Giving Tree program supporting the Knights of Malta or our Neighbors in Need, or in the ways we listen and respect someone in need, in forgiving a spouse or an in-law, and taking time to focus on what really matters most in life—then we are preparing ourselves for the day we shall see God and explain our existence as His adopted daughter or son. For Salvation has already been won and has been offered to us, we just have to act righteously and place ourselves on the path to Eternal Life. It is most  appropriate this Advent and Christmastime to quote a New England theological teacher, “Professor Oceaum Sprayum” who declares, “The good things we do today can help harvest a better tomorrow.