We are a hopeful people. We always hope for something to look forward to or something to live for. Some people hope for success, while some hope for security; some hope for the best for their children, while some hope for peace. Christians hope for the same things that most people hope for, but Christian hope is quite different because it has been confirmed and strengthened by faith in Jesus Christ; the Son of God who was born of a virgin, lived as a man and revealed to the world that God is present in our midst.
Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord: celebrating the First Coming of the Son of God to humanity at Christmas and looking forward to the Second Coming of Christ at the end of time. The distinctive celebration of the Church’s liturgies expresses the expectant joy of the season. The new Liturgical Year begins with the Season of Advent, which starts on the evening of December 2, 2023 with the Vigil of the First Sunday of Advent and ends on the morning of December 24, 2023, before the Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord. Let us welcome the holy Season of Advent with joyful expectation for the Lord’s coming, proclaiming as the early Christians did: Maranatha! which means “Come, Lord!”