Longfellow understood Advent’s promise: Jesus will be on the scene every time, in every circumstance. He is coming into our grief, pain, bewilderment, and even despair, so as to set things right.
The prophet Jeremiah tells us that God knew and “dedicated” each of us before he even formed us. In other words, he has staked out a unique and unrepeatable calling for each and every human being.
Advent is a time of self-reckoning. It is a season of intense intellectual and spiritual honesty, so that we may come to realize that, without Jesus, we are hungry, homeless, and cold.
Charity is not a mere abstract ideal at Our Lady of Mount Carmel; rather, it is a lived reality, made manifest in your countless acts of service.
On Monday we observe the Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed. It’s especially important, given that we celebrate All Saints the day prior, to keep in mind the souls in purgatory - the people who have gone before us in faith, who are supported by our prayers as they undergo their final purification.
