Watch! Wait! Happy First Sunday of Advent!

Happy New Year! Today we begin the Liturgical New Year in the Catholic Church. And how to we begin? By waiting! By being watchful! By preparing! We emphazize both the coming of Christmas day and the second coming. If you check out the Mass readings for today at the side of my blog, you'll see that the Old Testament reading (First Reading) is from the book of Isiah--clearly he is awaiting the birth of the Christ. In today's Gospel, we are reminded to keep watch and await faithfully the Second Coming of Christ. I love how we do both at this time of year.
Obviously it is difficult to keep a traditional advent in our culture, what with Christmas carols being played everywhere now, and the focus on buy buy buy. But the next time and every time I hear or read __ shopping days until Christmas, I am going to ask myself "If it is __ days until Jesus's second coming, is he going to find me ready for Him? What do I need to do so that He find me watching and waiting for Him? Am I preparing for His coming either in the Isaiah sense or the Second coming sense, or am solely I getting ready for red and green holiday?

I know that last year I was a bit of a Christmas curmudgeon because I thought that our culture sends out the wrong message, celebrating Christmas a month before the season is supposed to begin while ignoring Advent, then ending the celebration before the twelve days of Christmas actually are over (it is supposed to end on January 6, Epiphany). This year I decided that I too send the wrong message about Advent if I allow myself to get angry and be a curmudgeon! This year, I watch and I wait with a smile on my face, and a song in my heart!

Come Lord Jesus, Come! I'm getting ready! I look forward to you Coming! I love you!

In the words of Tiny Tim, God bless us, everyone.

Lovingly,

Not So Tiny Helen.