Today is the First Sunday of Advent and the beginning of the new liturgical year. The readings for Sundays now change to Year C, with the main theme being readiness for the coming of Our Lord. His First Coming, the greatest event in the whole of the universe, has already taken place at Bethlehem two thousand years ago, and while we prepare to celebrate this First Coming at Christmas, the beginning of Advent invites us to focus even more on His Second Coming at the end of time.

Therefore we hear in the Gospel reading today (Luke 25:25-28) that He will come on the clouds at a time we don’t expect with power and great glory. “But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the Son of Man.” These words of Our Lord should spark in us all a good and thorough examination of conscience, and if there are any habitual sins, particularly serious ones, Advent is the time to seek God’s grace and try to rid ourselves of them and make our peace with God. This is how we get ready for Our Lord’s Second Coming, which will be either at our own personal death or at the end of time, whichever comes first.

So it seems very appropriate that during this Advent season we should make a good, humble Confession. Don’t put it off any longer! Confessions at St Mary’s are on Fridays between 6 and 6.25pm and on Saturdays between 10.30 and 11.30am, or upon request. Receive absolution for those sins that weigh you down and ask for strength to overcome them. And then have a plan for your Advent preparations: take up some spiritual reading, the Scriptures or the life of a saint. Spend extra time in prayer with the aid of the “Walk with Me” booklet, and don’t forget the Rosary. Make a list of the good works you hope to engage in. But don’t be idle. As St Paul tells us, “Now is the time to wake from sleep” (Roman 13:11). So get ready! Life is short, and we know not the day or the hour.

Fr Paul Gillham, IC