Dear Parishioners and Friends.

The leaven of bakers and confectioners is a small portion of a special substance, and it is necessary to allow the dough prepared in producing baked goods. In our lives, shorter or longer periods that contribute to the growth of our faith, are our leavening. And we are approaching a special time that can be likened to leaven.

This is Advent – joyful waiting time for Christmas Day. Only God knows exactly how many Advents are left before us. Was every living moment a leaven of new life for us, resulting in the growth of faith, hope, love? Everyone needs to answer this question. Regardless of how the answer will be, we all get another chance of a good experience of Advent.

The prophet Isaiah tells us: “You, LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer you are named from ages past … LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay and you our potter: we are all the work of your hand ” (Isaiah 63,16c; 64.7). Since we have a Redeemer whose coming we celebrate in four weeks, we should use this time of anticipation to prepare wisely.

We are assisted in our preparations by the Liturgy of the Word heard during the entire period of Advent. What we’ll remember and what we’ll put into action depends on us. After all, St. Paul said to us, “I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in Him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. “(1 Cor 1,4 7). We are enriched in everything, but we need to work on ourselves, for the grace to bear visible fruit.

The words of the Gospel about keeping vigil are at the core of the problem of preparation. Hearing about the need for vigilance, we should realize that these words refer to our readiness for the Lord to come again, for the “Parousia”. “Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.” (Mk 13,35-36). We should always be ready, at every moment, so at the command “keep watch” we’ll answer truthfully saying, “we are awake, we are ready.”

Our readiness should not flow from a sense of duty, but above all from love, hope, longing, and waiting. We must answer the question personally: Are we already ready? I encourage everyone to purify their hearts through the sincere sacrament of Reconciliation. On Sunday and Tuesday before the celebration of Christmas, we will have many invited confessors speaking English and Polish, who will joyfully, lovingly, and kindly help us experience this important sacrament, regardless of whether the last confession was not too long ago or many years back. Have Courage! The Lord stands at your door and knocks, but it depends on you whether you open the door to Him.

God Bless!