First Sunday of Advent (Year C)

Keep your heart awake and vigilant! Don’t let the anxieties of daily living put your heart to sleep. The holiday season can be full of anxiety and tribulations. How can we avoid the stress, frustration, lack of joy and loneliness of the holidays? Two pieces of advice:

* Gratitude. Stretch the Thanksgiving spirit throughout the holidays. Start a Gratitude Journal, or instead of a wish-list to Santa write a Thank You letter to God.

* A Decade A Day. Pray a decade of the Rosary as a family each day. God wants to bless us, but we have to be open to receive the blessings. Mary knows best how to receive God’s blessings; she will help you.

We look back with gratitude and thank God for His blessings. We look forward and expect more blessings from God. The joy of the holiday season comes, not from a finished list, but from a heart awake and open to receive God’s presence. Jesus comes to meet us in the little moments of daily life. Let us wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior each day of Advent.

(29 Nov 2015)

Point to Ponder: Try making a list of 5 things you are grateful for. What do you learn?

Point to Discuss: A Decade A Day Keeps the Devil Away! Pray a decade of the Rosary each day this Advent. Here’s a handy guide: How to Pray the Rosary