ADVENT IS OPPORTUNITY TO GET OFF PEDESTAL OF SUPERIORITY

Pope Francis challenges all Christians to embrace the Season of Advent as a time of Grace to help believers stop being presumptuous and pretending to be self-sufficient. There is only one way to begin a new life: “the way of humility—to be purified from the sense of superiority, from formalism and hypocrisy.”

People need to see themselves “as sinners, and to see Jesus as the Savior who comes for us, not for the others, for us, just as we are, with our poverty, misery and failings, above all with our need to be raised up, forgiven and saved.”

St. John the Baptist gives a sharp rebuke to those who are known for their duplicity and presumption, and his urgent appeal to repent. John tells us to “produce good fruit as evidence of our repentance.” This is the cry of love, like the cry of a father who sees his son ruining himself and says to him, “Don’t throw your life away.”

If people presume they always are right, they will fail to welcome the loving invitation and miss an opportunity to begin a new life. In essence, hypocrisy is the greatest danger, because it can even ruin the most sacred realities. Hypocrisy is a serious danger!

It is important to welcome God with humility, not bravura: “We’re strong; we are great people.” Each of us needs to confess our own sins, our own failings, our own hypocrisy. It requires getting off the pedestal and being immersed in the water of repentance.

Advent is a moment of grace to take off our masks—every one of us has them—and line up with those who are humble, to be liberated from the presumption of the belief of being self-sufficient, to go to confess our sins, the hidden ones, and to welcome God’s pardon, to ask forgiveness from those whom we have offended. This is how to begin a new life!

CONFESSIONS DURING ADVENT

The Sacrament of God’s Great Love and Forgiveness is offered on:

Saturdays, December 10th, 17th, (not the 24th) from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m.

Sundays, December 11th, 18th after all the Masses.

and

Monday, December 19th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

when Msgrs Ramacciotti and Leykam will be available.