Fourth Sunday of Advent

Dear parish family and friends of St. Julia,
The Fourth Sunday of Advent has arrived.  We have journeyed together throughout this season of preparation for the coming of Christ this Christmas.  In many ways it is a journey and a calling home.
 
Advent is a joyful celebration of the condition we find ourselves in as Christians.  It announces that God is always moving towards us.  God is at work in the world and in our lives, ever creative and ever renewing.  God continues to create and to reveal his love for each of us.
 
The good news is that we are pilgrims on the move and are going home to God's house.  The only worthwhile baggage to carry on that journey is good works and acts of loving service performed for Christ.

As we light the fourth candle on our Advent wreath, we are reminded of the great love that God has for each and everyone of us.  Never forget this.  May we reflect this same love in our words, deeds, and actions, from the greatest to the least.  Remember, what seems like something small or insignificant to us just might mean the world to someone else.
 
The greatest preparation we just might make this upcoming week might be the one no one on earth will ever see.
 
O come, O come, Emmanuel.

May God bless each of you and those that you love, and I look forward to seeing you at mass this weekend as we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent together.

Fr. Greg