Pastor’s Pen
St. Augustine Catholic Church
Sunday, December 6, 2020
Second Sunday of Advent
Prepare the Way of the Lord, make straight his paths (Mark 1:8)
My Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The holy season of Advent is here with us. As we know, it’s the season that ushers us into the joy of the Christmas celebration that Our Lord Christ was born and became man like us. At the same time, the Church calls on us to prepare ourselves for His second coming where He will lead us to glory.
Advent has its special characteristics: the priests’ robe and the altar are of purple or violet color instead of the usual green. The Advent wreath of four candles are seen. Each one is lit every Sunday of Advent symbolizing that our hearts are to dispel the darkness of ignorance and sin. They also remind us of the love, joy, hope, and peace Christ offered to us. The round wreath on which they stand symbolizes the eternity of God. Lastly, the Gloria-the hymn of praise sung every Sunday, is omitted during this season. Thus, Advent calls for proper preparation, external as well as spiritual.
External preparation centers on the usual things we do to keep our Churches looking nice and beautiful with decorations of many kinds, like the Crib, buntings, Christmas lights, and the Christmas tree. Public places, institutions, and homes are seen with similar decorations. People are seen doing Christmas shopping to celebrate the feast of Christmas with joy
The spiritual preparation takes us to the reading of today’s gospel where St. John the Baptist calls us to the renewal of our spiritual life by the Word, “Prepare you the way of the Lord and make His paths straight”. That is to say, we are called to prayer and repentance by confessing our sins and being in grace so that when the Lord comes, He will find us shining in grace which He has won for us. Amen.
Fr. Chris
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