St. Luke's Thornhill - November 27, 2022

Welcome to St. Luke's Parish and the 1st Sunday of Advent! To some observers, the season of Advent never gets the proper attention it deserves. Most people connect Advent to Christmas and may even use Advent as a way to countdown to Christmas instead of recognizing how much Advent is about preparation. In today's Gospel, Jesus shared stories of being prepared. Perhaps, like all of His messages, He wants us to "be ready", "stay awake", or "prepare for..." what is to come. In other words, Jesus always wants us to be on the lookout for things that might lead us astray or distract us from doing good. This becomes more relevant when examining the world's approach to Christmas and seemingly diminishing focus on the birth of Christ during the Christmas season. Take a moment to examine how you view Advent and Christmas. In most cases, it wouldn't be hard to believe that people imagine a calendar and circle Christmas Day and, almost without choice, jump to New Year's Eve and the get togethers and festivities that accompany the holiday season. Don't feel bad if that is the case because the holiday season from early December to early January is constructed that way very purposefully from a calendar and consumer-friendly perspective. Spiritually, are you making the time to dwell on what Advent and Christmas means to you and examining if you are satisfied? The gospel today reminds us to be ready. Let us be observant and look out for anything, like lighthouses do, so that we too can be ready ourselves spiritually during Advent and prepare the way of the Lord. God Bless, everyone!