Happy Advent, happy New Year?

Advent is a beautiful gift offered to us by the Church. I have prepared new prayer books to help make the most of this season. The generosity of our Knights of Columbus Council has funded the professional printing of these books. Included in these books is a collection of traditional Catholic prayers for various occasions and situations; a small selection of psalms; a few passages from the Gospels; a couple of powerful litanies; instructions to pray both the Holy Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the Surrender Prayer written by Father Alex Valladares. Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, there are two pages dedicated to advice to pray to hear God’s voice, deepen the life of prayer, and discern the will of God. The design of this book allows it to fit inside your bible or prayer journal. I pray these books are a blessing in your personal spiritual lives.

I have also put together a good examination of conscience and a guide to Confession alongside the prayer books. As we pray, we often run into blocks to prayer or dry spells in prayer. A few different things can cause dryness in prayer. Prayer can be dry simply because I am out of the practice of prayer. If so, the response is to increase the frequency of prayer. Pray every day. Dryness can also be allowed in my prayer by God as an invitation to grow. The response is the same: I remain dedicated to my daily practice of prayer. However, dryness can also be caused by my state of sin. If this is the cause, my response should be two-fold. First, I need to go to Confession. Sin causes my intellect to be darkened; I cannot hear God if I am full of sin. Confession will ease that. Second, the habit of sin needs to be addressed. I must cooperate actively with God’s Grace to avoid my tendency to sin. Frequent Sacramental Confession is a powerful tool in advancing in the Spiritual Life.

There is a third thing to give you: the new Liturgical Calendars. As we live our lives, it is easier to hear God when He is the preoccupation of our hearts and minds. Instead of living according to what is happening in the world, I should live my life according to what is happening in the life of the Church. Celebrate the marvelous Feast Days of the Liturgical Calendar and the pattern of the Liturgical Seasons.

Please take advantage of these gifts and tools. Let us together grow in Holiness. Happy Advent!