Tis’ the Season

Dear Faith Family, Happy Advent to you all!
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As our liturgical year begins anew, we set our sights on celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, the reason we have to celebrate the rest of the liturgical year.


Obviously, during this time of the year, it is easy to get caught up in the hubbub of the errands we need to run for our friends and family. All of these errands are necessary and do lead to something beautiful and necessary, but we do have to take a step back and truly celebrate the “reason for the season.”


Advent is very interesting to me, because it not only is a season of thanksgiving for our God who became man, but it is also a preparation for the same God to come again in the future. We put ourselves in the shoes of those who lived and died generations before Christ became man. The ones who eagerly anticipated a savior. We both learn to understand them and learn from them as we await our Lord to come again. We learn what true penance is and we are blessed with hindsight to complement our faith. We put ourselves in their shoes to help us yearn for our God more.


So what is the appropriate preparation and response to our Lord coming again? I would say it is anticipation with the absence of fear. If our God truly has conquered death by his life and Resurrection, what do we have to fear? I know it is a cliche we have heard throughout our faith lives, but it rings so true during this season. What does anticipation without fear look like? I would argue that it looks like our celebration in reaction to what is promised.


With death being conquered, we have nothing to fear and all the reason to celebrate. Eternal joy in the heavens is realistically in our reach. Because of this, our response realistically should be to worship. Again, not out of fear, but out of love/yearning. When we love and praise our God with no condition, we can’t help but to imitate that love for our family, neighbors, strangers, or even our enemies. If our God loves us so much to become one of us, it is most appropriate to be filled with joy.


As we prepare to celebrate Christmas this year, let’s remember to REALLY CELEBRATE. It is appropriate to take time off of work, to spend hours with family and to be joyous. It is also appropriate to celebrate at Mass and to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in preparation for our God. It is appropriate to decorate, give gifts and drink gross eggnog.

When we surround ourselves with a joy, it becomes easier to worship. When we realize that our God longs to be with us, it becomes easier to worship and love.

​Joy to the World!
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Brett Becker

Youth and Young Adult Minister 

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