Today is a new beginning. It is the first Sunday of Advent, the first day of the Church’s year. So let me be the first to wish you a happy new year! The word "Advent" means "arrival" or "coming" because during these three to four weeks before Christmas we prepare for the coming of the Lord. But how does the Lord come to us?

There are three distinct ways in which the Lord comes to his people, and it is all three of these advents which we celebrate during this holy season. The first Advent of our Lord was, of course, his coming as a little baby boy in Bethlehem. This is the coming we celebrate on Christmas Day. The Lord’s second Advent is his coming at the end of time to judge the world. This is the theme of the Scripture readings on this first Sunday of Advent when we are called to be prepared for his second coming. The Lord’s third Advent however is much more complicated, because it happens in a variety of different ways. It is his coming to each of us individually.

Our blessed Lord comes to each of us in particular judgment when we die. The record of our lives will be laid open and our faithfulness to God’s commands will be examined. He comes to us in the people we meet every day. Our dealings with other people should be animated by the belief that we serve Christ in one another. And the Lord comes to each of us individually in the sacraments of his holy Church. He came to you and to me in Baptism when we received the grace of new life in Christ and adoption into his family. He came to us in the Sacrament of Confirmation when the grace of Baptism was strengthened and we received the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Jesus comes to us in the Sacrament of penance and reconciliation, extending to us his forgiveness of sins and the grace to live a new life. Most especially, he comes to us individually and as a community in the most Holy Eucharist. Here, he gives himself—his living Body and Blood—to be our food and drink. Through this sacrificial meal, he unites us to himself and to one another.

We must be prepared to receive Christ when he arrives in each one of these ways. The season of Advent is the liturgical preparation for the liturgical celebration of the Lord’s first coming—his Nativity on Christmas day. The best way to use this time of preparation is through faithful participation in the rites and ceremonies of the Church and through private and family prayer at home—table prayers centered around the Advent wreath, reading Sacred Scripture together, praying the Rosary or part of the liturgy of the hours.

Unfortunately, our preparation for Christmas is too often reduced to the necessary secular chores: sending cards, buying gifts, baking cookies, decorating the house. There is nothing wrong with any of these things, but we must never let them overshadow the true significance of the first few weeks of December. Remember that Advent is a penitential season, not unlike the season of Lent. Since Christmas joy often brings with it the pleasures of rich food and drink, why not make an Advent resolution to abstain from some permissible pleasure or to give alms to those who are in need. And don’t forget to make use of the Sacrament of penance during this season. In addition to the opportunities for private confession, whether at the regularly scheduled times or by appointment, there will be communal penance services in all of our area parishes during the next few weeks. The Church still teaches that if you are conscious of serious sin in your life, you must not receive Holy Communion until you go to confession. So, if you’ve been away from the Sacrament of reconciliation for a while, please come back and make things right with the Lord.

That’s how we can be prepared to remember Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. But being prepared for Christ’s second coming means being in a constant state of readiness all year long. In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us, "Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.... May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: Watch!" As Jesus says, no one knows the time of his return; likewise no one knows the time of his own death. This is why preparation for Christ’s coming to each of us personally is the most important preparation of all. There is a famous saying from the Rule of St. Benedict for his monks: "Keep death always before your eyes." This does not mean living in morbid fear, but in sober readiness. Remember that each one of us will be judged according to what we have done for others, how we have served Christ in others.

But since we encounter Christ each time we approach the Sacrament of his most Holy Body and Blood, it is supremely important to be prepared for this particular coming of Christ. And this is not least because faithful reception of the sacraments is itself the best way to prepare for our ultimate meeting with Christ either at the end of time or the end of our individual lives.

Faithful participation in the Holy sacrifice of the Mass with a clean conscience and a pure heart is certainly the best preparation we can make for Christmas. This includes Sunday Mass, which goes without saying. And if it’s not already part of your weekly schedule, why not consider attending daily Mass once or twice during the week? As we anticipate welcoming once again the infant Jesus, welcome him frequently into your hearts by participating at Mass and receiving Holy Communion.

These are just a few suggestions to help you make this Advent a holy and spiritually beneficial season. Make use of the Church’s means of grace, and you’ll find that when December 25^th arrives, you’ll be better prepared than ever to greet the baby Jesus. But most importantly, by following these suggestions, you will always be ready to meet the Lord, whenever he comes.