Dear Friends,

We have entered the Advent season.  The time to be Awake, Aware and to Prepare.

God knows that if we want to celebrate something well, we need to prepare.  So, if we want to celebrate Christmas well, what is it going to take to prepare?  There are a lot of things that can prevent us from preparing well.  We live in a time of stress and turmoil.  Maybe we need to fast from watching all the news.  Maybe we need to say “No” to things that cause us stress and divert us from preparing well.

We begin a new liturgical year today.  I encourage you to pray, to plan and prepare well.  The Little Blue Books are a great way to pray.  In today’s entry, it suggests making a plan on where and when you will pray each day.  How does God want you spend your time?  Maybe it’s putting together a gift list, thinking of gifts that are meaningful.  Maybe it’s personal, touching base with someone you’ve not been on good terms with.  Maybe it’s charitable, doing something for the poor.

What is one thing God wants me to do this year to prepare well this Christmas?  Or what is one thing God does NOT want me to do?

Happy New Year,
Fr. Greg