This third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, calls us to rejoice—not with shallow cheer, but with the deep gladness that comes from knowing Christ is near. The rose candle flickers with hope, reminding us that joy is not a passing feeling but a gift born of His presence.
Continue reading “Opening the Door of Our Hearts”
John the Baptist’s cry echoes through Advent: “Make straight his paths.” It is a summons not only to prepare for the Lord’s coming but to reform our lives so that nothing hinders His presence.
Continue reading “Making Straight the Path”
Pause with me for a moment, can you imagine what it would be like to see nine million people turn to Christ in just ten years? To watch an entire culture shift from darkness to light, from human sacrifice to the worship of the God of love?
Continue reading “What Would It Be Like?”
This second week of Advent invites us to pause and breathe in the promise of peace. In a season often marked by hurry and noise, the Church gently calls us to remember that true peace is not the absence of struggle but the presence of God.
Continue reading “Peace in the Second Week of Advent”
This second week of Advent moves us from hope into peace. The candles we light on our Advent wreath remind us that peace is not simply the absence of conflict, but the deep assurance that flows from trusting God. Without hope prepared in our hearts, peace cannot take root. Hope steadies us; peace settles us.
Continue reading “Are You Anchored in Peace?”
Advent is a season of waiting, but not of uncertainty. We wait anchored in hope—the hope that is not wishful thinking or fragile optimism, but the steady promise of God. Hope is the anchor that holds us fast when the waters of life grow restless, when shadows lengthen and the night feels long.
Continue reading “Anchored in Hope: A Gift for Advent”
Advent begins with hope—the quiet, steady light that faith ignites in the darkness. Hope is not wishful thinking; it is the assurance that God’s word is enough. In this season, we remember that Christ came as a child, vulnerable yet victorious, and we wait with confidence that He will come again. Faith gives birth to hope, and hope sustains us in prayer, even when the world feels uncertain.
Continue reading “Advent Hope Rooted in Faith”
On this second Sunday of Advent we see repentance as our hope. John’s cry in the wilderness is not meant to frighten us into obedience. His call to repentance is an invitation to prepare our hearts for the One who heals and perfects our humanity. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And as the Catechism reminds us, “the Kingdom of God means Christ himself” (CCC 2816).
Continue reading “Turning Towards Hope”
“In those days before the flood, the people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark.” (Mt 24:38)
We can almost picture it, Noah building a massive ark on dry land, while everyone around him carried on with ordinary routines—eating, drinking, marrying—indifferent to the strange sign rising before their eyes. Their vision was flat, one-dimensional, absorbed only in the present moment.
Continue reading “Advent Calls Us To More”
“Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope.”
—Pope Benedict XVI
Hope begins not in our striving but in remembering. As we light the first candle on our Advent wreath this week. We are called back to the tender truth that God entered our world as a child, fragile, dependent, and utterly human. This memory heals because it reminds us that God is not distant from our daily lives but has chosen to dwell within us.
Continue reading “Awaken the Memory of Hope”
Smitten With Goodness 