Preparing Him Room
My Dear Parish Family,
We have arrived at the most beautiful, yet often the busiest, time of the year.
The world around us has been playing Christmas music and putting up lights for weeks now. There is a rush to buy gifts, plan meals, and travel to see family. It is a joyful season, but if we are honest, it can also be an exhausting one. We often reach Christmas Day feeling more "spent" than "saved."
This is why the Church gives us the gift of Advent.
Before we celebrate the arrival of the King, we are invited to pause. Advent is not just a countdown to Christmas; it is a time of active preparation. But unlike the world’s preparation—which involves noise and crowds—our spiritual preparation requires silence.
I want to invite you, in the midst of the shopping and the parties, to carve out quiet moments this month. When you light the candles on your Advent wreath at home, take a deep breath. Remind yourself that we are waiting for a person, not just a day. We are waiting for Emmanuel, "God with us."
I am often struck by the humility of God. He did not come to Rome or Athens; He came to Bethlehem—a small, quiet village. He did not come in a palace; He came in a stable. Here in Elmendorf and Saspamco, we understand the beauty of small, close-knit communities. God loves small places. He loves to enter into the simple, ordinary spaces of our lives and fill them with His light.
My prayer for you this December is that you might "prepare Him room" in your heart. Let us make our hearts like that stable in Bethlehem: perhaps a little messy, perhaps simple, but open and ready to receive the Christ Child.
Whether you are here every Sunday or this is your first time back in a while, please know that you are home. The doors of Saint Anthony and Our Lady of Perpetual Help are open wide to you.
May the peace of the Christ Child be with you and your families this Advent and Christmas season.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Fidele
P.S. We would love to celebrate the Nativity of the Lord with you! Please check our Christmas Mass Schedule [Link Button] to find a time for you and your family to join us. Come early to enjoy the carols!
