St. Matthew Catholic Church

Weekly Message     

Advent: Preparing Our Hearts for Peace 

Dear brothers and sisters,   

      We are in the new Liturgical year of Grace and beginning of Advent. I wish you and your family a fruitful season of Advent that opens with a surprising tone, soft beginnings - candles, quiet hymns , gentle anticipation, etc.

     Jesus invites us "to stay awake" for his coming. This is not a warning of fear but an invitation to prepare our hearts for peace. Isaiah reminds us of God's dream for the world: swords turned into plowshares, nations walking in the light of the Lord. St. Paul urges us to "throw off the works of darkness" and "put on the armor of light."

     For us, believers, readiness is not anxiety; it is relation­ ship. We stay awake not by fearfully watching the sky, but by living each day in love-faithful in prayer, steady in charity, attentive to God's presence in the ordinary.

     A man kept a small porch light burning every night, even though his son had been away from home for years. When asked why he still bothered, he replied, "So he knows he can always come home." God keeps the light on for us. Preparing for peace means returning to Him-­ and keeping the light of welcome burning for others.

     True readiness for Christ's coming means allowing His peace to take root in us-quieting the noise, letting go of resentment, and choosing patience, forgiveness, and kindness each day.

     As we light the first candle of Advent, may it awaken in us the hope, a desire to welcome the Prince of Peace. Let us stay awake-not in fear, but in hope-preparing a space where Christ's peace can shine in our hearts and in our world. Let us light our candles and bring light of Hope to others around us. Even when one person decides to bring light of hope peace enters one's heart.

Blessings!

Msgr. Xavier Pappu
                                      Insert:  Giving to God/Dar a Dios.pdf

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