We are reminded on this First Sunday of Advent that this grace-filled season is a time of preparation for Christmas and for Christ’s return on the Last Day. This year I would like to suggest some Saints that can walk with us in Advent. Their lives can inspire us to get ready for welcoming Christ on Christmas and assist us as we live out our discipleship every day. Each week I’ll feature a different Saint; some have feast days in December, and that provides an opportunity to enter into prayer with them in a special way.
To get things started, I will invite you to embrace Mary, the Mother of God, this Advent. She stands as a shining example of obedience to God’s will, something for which all Christians strive. As we celebrate her Immaculate Conception on December 8, we are reminded of her sinless nature, and how – in our sinfulness – we can ask her to intercede for us. When we hear the story of the Annunciation, perhaps we will be inspired by Mary’s humble “yes” doing something extraordinary for God and pray that we may say “yes” when God asks us to do small things with great love.
Maybe our imagination can take us to that moment when, for the first time, Mary held in her arms the Savior of the World. What will it be like when Jesus holds us in His arms? Do we sense God holding us now? Advent might prompt us to ask who in our lives needs to be embraced. Is it someone who is lonely, poor, forgotten, or in need of our forgiveness? Is it someone who has been away from church and the Sacraments to whom we can extend a personal invitation to feel the embrace of Christ in our parish family?
Mary’s powerful intercession brings us closer to her Son. As we begin our Advent journey, may we invite her along to learn how to open our hearts to the overwhelming love of God-with-us: Emmanuel!
Welcome to the Saint Aloysius! Our parish was founded in 1896 to serve the Catholic families that were settling in the greater New Canaan area.