Faith in action - Make this Advent count. Be different when it ends.
Today we begin the beautiful season of Advent – a season of preparation.
For what are we preparing? The celebration of the birth of our Savior, and the anticipation of His second coming. These are weighty tasks with eternal consequences. So, let us as Christian stewards make the words of the Prophet Isaiah our motto for the season: “Come, let us climb the Lord’s mountain to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways and we may walk in his paths.” In the weeks leading up to Christmas, it seems everywhere we turn we are pushed to spend more, do more, entertain more, and generally rush around at a frantic pace – all to create a “perfect” Christmas day. In contrast to this worldly pressure, the Church’s guidance to use these weeks as a time to focus on our spiritual lives can indeed seem like a mountain climb.
But the intentional and wise use of the gift of time is exactly what the Christian steward is called to do, and with even greater intensity during Advent. How can we use our time to prepare for a holy celebration of Jesus’ birth on Dec. 25th and for his second coming at a date we do not know?
We can push back against the world’s pressure to have the “perfect Christmas.”
Scale back on the material kind of gift-giving, the complicated menus, the unessential trappings of the season so that we have more time for the spiritual preparations: Confession, weekday Mass, adoration, family prayer time, lighting the Advent wreath, and acts of kindness. In the end, we will be prepared to celebrate a truly meaningful Christmas, we will have become more like our Savior, and we will be ready for Him to come again.
Parish Volunteer Opportunities
COVID-permitting, the Catholic Center would like to restore its full hours of operation, 11:00am – 8:00pm Monday through Friday, starting on October 1st. But for that to happen, we need to have enough VOLUNTEERS at the front desk to fill all the shifts! These shifts can be daytime or evening, for two or three hours depending on the person’s desires, generally once a week. The volunteers are the face of this wonderful ministry. You evangelize by your welcome, your smile and your conversations with people coming for Confessions, for Mass, for a visit to the chapel. Please call Karen Zecha, Volunteer Coordinator at the Mall, 719-573-7364, to volunteer or to seek more information.
St. Paul staffs the Soup Kitchen on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month (also the 4th when there are 5). If you can find time in your schedule to volunteer, please contact Nancy Daly at 719-635-7087.
Marian House Marketplace is a shopping format food pantry. Volunteers are needed to support the operation of the pantry and also warehouse duties.p
Shifts Mondays-Wednesday-Fridays, 1:15pm to 3:15pm or 3pm to 5pm. Assist with shopping, client intake, and checkout. Warehouse duties, sorting, stocking and stowing have flexible shift possibilities Mondays-Fridays.
For more information call the Volunteer Office Help Desk at 719-866-6559 or email: [email protected] or visit www.ccharitiescc.org/donate/volunteer