Reading to Approach the Week

1 Peter 1:13

This is the time of year when we have to prepare ourselves to stand in the full grace of God. Advent is a season of intentional readiness and becoming more worthy of God's grace by casting off temptation, vanity, and distraction so we can be fully present before the Lord. And when our nation pushes Christmas as a season of sales, consumerism, and pressure, it becomes incredibly easy to forget its true meaning.

Family, gifts, and celebration aren’t things to reject, but they cannot be the center. We have to strive to become the person God has given us the potential to be, so that we may be worthy of His grace. And during this season, we are called to show love because God is love. We do this not out of vanity, trying to outdo others with gifts or anticipating about what we’ll receive, but out of service to God Himself. Advent invites gratitude for the grace we are about to receive, and a renewed desire to be worthy of it.

Peter also emphasizes the hope of God’s grace. This time of year is hard for many without family, those in financial distress, and those who feel far from the Church or far from God. Advent isn’t just a time of interior preparation; it’s a time to extend love into the darkest places, both in others and in ourselves.

Bishop Barron often says that one of the best ways to begin breaking out of yourself and others out of dark time is to perform a small act of love. When you express love in even the simplest form, you pass on the grace of God and in doing so, you yourself are strengthened by that same grace.

As I often quote from Paul in 2 Corinthians 1:3–4:
​“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”

This is the time of year to lean into that truth. To let God use us fully, freely, and joyfully in order to bring His comfort and His love into the world.

Sunday Mass Reflection

Reading I – Isiah 2:1–5

Walk in the Light of the Lord

Isaiah gives a prophetic vision of the future Kingdom where all nations will stream toward the mountain of the Lord. God Himself will teach His ways, and humanity will turn from violence, beating swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. The passage ends with a call: “House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” It’s an invitation to conversion, peace, and readiness for God’s coming reign.

Reading II – Romans 13:11–14

Awake From Sleep; Put On Christ

Paul urges believers to recognize the urgency of the moment: salvation is near, and the “night is advanced.” He calls the Church to cast off works of darkness and put on the armor of light by rejecting impurity, jealousy, and sinful desires. The reading ends with the central Advent command: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”, summoning us to spiritual wakefulness and holiness.

Gospel – Matthew 24:37–44

Stay Awake; Be Ready

Jesus compares His coming to the days of Noah, when people were living ordinary lives and were caught unprepared. He warns that the Son of Man will come at an hour we do not expect. The message is simple and direct: stay awake, be vigilant, and live each day as though the Lord could return at any moment. Advent readiness is not fear-based; it’s about living faithfully in the present.

Homily Reflection

The Season of Sacred Waiting

Advent is the season of Sacred Waiting. The word itself adventus means “the coming,” the arrival of the Savior. For four weeks, the Church looks, watches, and hopes in joyful anticipation. But Advent doesn’t just describe a liturgical season; it names something true about all of life. Every one of us knows there is a happiness we long for but do not yet possess. Not that we live in constant despair, but deep down we know we are hungry for something this world cannot fully give. Even at the highest moments of life, we feel that ache. And so a spirituality of waiting marks the whole Christian journey.

Bishop Barron admits he’s not naturally patient and hates waiting. He remembers standing outside school as a kid, irritated and anxious as he waited for his mom to pick him up. That tension sits in all of us. F. Scott Fitzgerald once said the three worst things in life are: to try to please and not be able, to lie in bed unable to sleep, and to wait for someone who does not come. Waiting tests us.

And waiting fills the Scriptures. Israel waited centuries for the Messiah. They waited 400 years in slavery for a deliverer. Abraham waited for the promised son who would make him father of many nations. Noah waited for the waters to subside. Even in Dante’s Divine Comedy, as Virgil guides him, they are sometimes blocked and forced simply to wait for divine help. At the opening of the Purgatorio, there’s a whole crowd waiting before they can ascend the mountain.

So what is God teaching us through all this waiting?

Bishop Barron puts it simply: waiting is the painful process of decentering the ego.​
The ego says: “I want.” “I have a plan.” “I’m on my timetable.” “I’m in control.”
That’s most of us. But the spiritual life requires letting go of the ego and allowing God to be Lord. It means not always running your project, but learning to wait on the Lord. Yes, it’s painful, annoying, and uncomfortable, but that’s precisely the point. It reminds us we are not in control.

We love control. It’s not always a bad thing, but in the deepest meaning of life, God is the one in control. Can you learn to live with that truth? Can you let go of the need to manipulate every outcome and allow God to set the tone?

Bishop Barron says your life is yours to live, but it is not about you.
It is about what God wants to do through you. And that means sometimes you must wait. You have to de-center the ego so God can act.

Bishop Barron points to Jonah. God calls him, and Jonah says, “No way.” He runs, trying to regain control, sailing in the opposite direction. So what does God do? He sends the great fish. Jonah is forced to wait in the belly of the whale. But that’s where the deep prayer de profundis, “out of the depths” rises. And even there, God is moving Jonah exactly where He wants him to be. That is waiting in the eyes of faith: not dumb suffering, but turning your life, sometimes painfully, over to the purposes of God and accepting His timetable, which is always right.

Bishop Barron also reflects on his own priestly promises. People often focus on celibacy, but the promise that challenges him most is obedience: “I promise obedience to you and your successors.” That vow meant surrendering his career, his plans, his timing. It meant waiting on what God wanted to do with his life. And in that surrender, he’s found deep spiritual life.

He leaves us with one final biblical image to prepare us for Christmas: the Magi. What were they doing during Advent? They were watching, waiting, and seeking a sign. They did not move on their own terms. They waited for God’s indication. And when it came, they acted.

Nothing about waiting is passive. True waiting means letting go of the ego and turning your life over to God, so that when His sign comes, when He speaks, when He calls, you’re ready to move.

That is the spiritual attitude of Advent.

St. Andrew the Apostle

Feast Day: November 30th

I wanted to call on St. Andrew this week since November 30th was his feast day and from reading more about him, his quiet but dedicated mission to bring those to Christ is what he is known for. St. Andrew has always stood out as a quiet giant of the faith. Not the loudest voice, not the one demanding attention, but the disciple who understood the grace of God so deeply that his first instinct was to bring others into it. Scripture shows Andrew encountering Jesus and then immediately going to get his brother Peter, saying, “We have found the Messiah.” And because of Andrew’s simple, faithful act, Peter,the rock on whom the Church would be built, comes to Christ.

That’s who Andrew is: the one who brings people to Jesus.

In a world that often rewards noise, spotlight, and self-promotion, Andrew embodies something different. He shows us what it means to live Advent from the inside out. He doesn’t push himself forward but points others toward the Lord. He recognizes the moment of grace, and he moves into action, not for his own benefit, but to open the door for others.

That quiet readiness is exactly what Advent calls us to. Andrew lived with a heart that was awake, attentive, and willing to respond to God’s presence the moment it appeared. He understood that faith isn’t something you hoard, but something you share freely and joyfully.

As we prepare for the coming of Christ, St. Andrew reminds us that one of the greatest gifts we can offer this season is to help someone else encounter Jesus. Not through arguments or grand speeches, but through authentic witness, daily faithfulness, and the simple, humble act of pointing others to the One who gives life.

Closing Thoughts

Stepping Into the Season of Waiting

As we step into Advent, we step into a season of quiet strength. Watching, waiting, and allowing God to prepare our hearts. This is a time to slow down, to detach from the noise, and to let the Lord reorder our priorities. Advent invites us to hold ourselves open, to release control, and to make space for Christ to come more fully into our lives.

Moving forward, let this season be marked by small acts of love, intentional prayer, and a renewed willingness to listen. Advent isn’t about rushing; it’s about readiness. If we stay faithful, stay awake, and stay humble, the grace of this season will do its work in us.