Watch! Emanuel is Coming!
 
Today, Jesus will give us a word we can put on our fridges, post on our Facebook pages, or use as a screen saver to keep us focused on December 25: “Watch!” Advent—which begins today—is the spiritual journey that comes with looking for Christ and to realize that he can be found, just like the Magi discovered after their long journey to the manger in Bethlehem.
 
When we realize that God wants to be with every single one of us, we begin to understand Christmas.  The longing for it, the anticipation of it, the comfort it can bring us, is to understand Advent.  It’s a short season, especially this year, but it helps get us ready to experience Christ in our world and in our lives.
 
And that’s what we hope will happen during these next few weeks as we experience our time together at St. Hubert—that the spiritual longing for Christ and realizing his presence can be felt and experienced, not only during our time of prayer, but also in our charitable works, and the opportunities we have for spiritual growth.
 
In a world that seems so chaotic, harsh and uncertain—especially in all that’s happened during the last six months—it’s comforting to be together in our house of prayer where we can find peace, stillness and the hope that comes from believing in goodness and being with our God who cares. 
 
There is a simple elegance to Advent that’s captured so beautifully in our art and environment.  It hints of the season to come, but also focuses us on the ambo and altar.  Those are the two places we watch for Christ to make himself known to us.
 
To keep us attentive during these next few weeks, we’ll bless our Advent Wreath, which is a great Catholic tradition.  Each Sunday we light a new candle as we grow closer to Christmas, but also as we grow in insight.  When we experience Advent well, we’ll become more attune to seeing Christ active among us the closer we get to Christmas. 
 
With this in mind, as you go through the bulletin you’ll see that there are several opportunities for spiritual development, to help give us insight.  Fr. Fred will return on Wednesday for a special presentation on practicing the art of contemplative prayer.  Later in the month, our seminarian, Ryan Brady, is offering a session on how to experience the birth of Christ through scripture. 
 
Our website will feature daily inspirational messages along with video messages from Bishop Barron, one of the country’s leading evangelists.  We are also working with St. Marceline on a joint Advent Reconciliation Service.
 
This week is also the week to take a tag from the Giving Tree if you would like to buy a gift for someone who is struggling right now to make ends meet.  As we heard last week, when we help someone in need, we can find Christ among us.
 
We watch for Christ in many ways, to discover in the end that he’s with us waiting to be found. I pray this time of Advent will help you prepare your heart for the great feast that we’re watching and waiting for.  May God bless us on our journey!