My Dearest Brothers and Sisters, Today we begin the NEW Liturgical Year of Grace 2017 with the First Sunday of Advent. In recent years I have spoken to you about the Advent Season as a time of waiting in joyful hope. The Liturgical year begins with the same theme as the last year ended, pointing to the end of time and the second coming of Jesus Christ. The Advent Season has two distinct parts. The first part begins as the last liturgical year concluded; inviting us to be prepared and ready for the Lord's second and final coming. The second part is a preparation for the incarnation of Jesus known as Christmas, where we recall Christ being born among us the first time and in which we allow Christ to be born in our hearts today; to take up residence in us so that we might live as true servants of the Lord and our brothers and sisters as we seek to do the will of the Father. In this Year of Grace we remember that when Christ took flesh and made His dwelling among us, He changed the course of human history. His mission taught us how to live and love in order that we might spend eternity with Him in glory. That means that the way we live our lives must be in direct relationship with the law of God and the values of the Gospel. It means by our words and our deed we must evangelize and inspire all those we encounter by the values we hold to be true. As we prepare for His coming, we need to use the sacramental life of the Church to help us grow in holiness and mercy. We need God's grace to fully enter into a life worthy of the Kingdom to come. Let us take that first step by welcoming HIM into our hearts and readying ourselves for HIS coming. The blessings that await us are many. Our faith has shown us we can accomplish whatever God asks if we do it with love and we do it together.God's peace and my love and prayers,Father Michael
