Strengthen your spiritual preparation for Christmas

This year we can experience the seamlessness of the Catholic life since the first Sunday of Advent is also the last day of the month of All Saints and All Souls, November 30. I say this since the month of November hopefully helped us understand better how much God truly loves us and longs for us to be with Him as members of the great and glorious communion of saints.
 
Just as we end that month-long celebration on the very same day we begin the celebration of the beginning of God’s loving mercy for us by the fact of the Incarnation of Him as a man, done so only because He loves us with an infinitely merciful love. The Advent season will take up most of this month of December. It is the beginning of our new year of grace and favor from the Lord, and it is meant to help us prepare for the marvelous feast of Christmas, the Nativity of the Lord.
 
With so much going on in the weeks of Advent, it is easy for us to become distracted and even unintentionally set aside what is most important, our spiritual preparation for Christmas. I urge you not to let that happen. Commit yourself, if at all possible, to daily Mass, receive the sacrament of penance during Advent, commit yourself to being faithful to daily prayer—pray for yourself, for loved ones and for all who are in need of God’s mercy.
 
If you make a point of doing these things to strengthen your spiritual preparation for Christmas, you will find great peace of mind and heart in participating in some of the nice customs and activities of December. If you commit to your Advent preparation, I assure you that as you come to Holy Mass on Christmas, you will receive and appreciate God’s greatest gift to you, His eternal Son Jesus, Whom He sent to you to redeem you and give you heaven. Now that is the priceless gift and that is definitely worth our celebration of praise and gratitude.
 
May all of you have a most blessed and Merry Christmas and a holy and Happy New Year!