The word Advent comes from the Latin word adventus which means coming. During Advent we wait patiently for the coming of Jesus. According to the General Norms for the Liturgical Year and Calendar, Advent has a two-fold character. It is a season to prepare for Christmas when Christ’s first coming to us is remembered. It is also a season when that first remembrance directs our minds and hearts to remember Christ’s second coming at the end of time. Thus Advent is a season of devout and joyful expectation.
Mary is the model of Advent waiting for us because she joyfully, prayerfully, and patiently waited for the birth of Jesus whom she carried in her womb close to her heart.
Now begins the sending and receiving of greeting cards by the hundreds of thousands. May you enjoy both, especially the messages going and coming to and from your family and friends and all.
The Steering Committee (for Comprehensive Schools Planning) met for a second time on October 14 and assembled in four teams, each of which will lead one of the four areas of our study and planning.
I admit I have not always voted in the past. When I am tempted not to vote, however, I think back to a story I once heard about a certain Aunt Katherine who died a few years ago. She was blind during the last months of her life, but she had her daughter read the ballot to her and fill it out on her behalf. She was careful to sign the ballot and make sure it was mailed.