Dear Parishioners,

Today is the first day of Advent. It is a time where we remember what it is like to long for Christ and His presence. When Adam and Eve sinned, all of humanity waited for their Savior to come. They waited for thousands of years and even after God made covenants with human beings, it still took thousands of years for the Son of God to come to earth to save us. God does not always work in the blink of an eye but instead takes His time. He knows the perfect time to act and, though this can be mysterious to us, He has a plan.

I can understand why this season is not popular: no one likes to wait for things. However, we know that good things are worth waiting for. If we immediately received whatever we wanted, we would take it for granted and even grow bored with it. Many of us know what it is like to train hard to accomplish a life-long goal. It takes effort and very often it feels like one is not doing much of anything to get there. Yet, it’s by persevering through these tough and sometimes boring times that one can accomplish great things. If one receives the reward without the waiting, how much lighter would the reward be.

This waiting is even more meaningful during this time of pandemic. Many people are purposefully isolating themselves in order to stop this disease from spreading. Many people are away from the sacraments and from people that they love. There is a great sadness that occurs because of that. However, we have to remind ourselves that just as there was a long wait for Our Lord to come as a child, there will be a wait for this pandemic to be over. But, just as Our Lord finally came (and will come again at the end of time), we can be sure that it will definitely come. In the meantime, we all should do what is right: stay away from large groups and take proper precautions. No one is immune to this disease and until we are, we need to all help keep each other safe.

So, in this season of Advent, I hope that each of you takes to heart this season of waiting. Once one learns to wait and takes to heart the yearning each of us has for Christ, we will be able to appreciate Christmas all the more. When we finally meet our Lord, we will know then all the good things God wishes to give us and that our waiting was worth it.

God bless!

Fr. Carter