From The Bishop

In the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist states, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth.” As we begin our preparations for Christmas, we should spend some time reflecting upon the words of John. What are some of the obstacles that may be preventing the Lord from coming to us? One of the greatest could simply be all of our activity “preparing”. When John tells us to prepare the way, he wants us to remove obstacles not to create more. Sometimes our seemingly practical and necessary preparations for Christmas can take so much of our time and energy that we forget about what we are celebrating. Are all of our activities leading us to Christ? St. John the Baptist is the voice that calls us to focus on the Word. In Jesus, the Word has become flesh and dwelt among us. This is the mystery we contemplate at Christmas. During the remaining weeks of Advent, let us listen to the Voice that calls us to remove all obstacles to receiving the Word. 2nd SUNDAY OF ADVENT Readings: 1st Reading: Baruch 5.1-9 2nd Reading: Philippians 1.3-6, 8-11 Gospel: Luke 3.1-6