Dearest Friends in Christ,

Advent is a time of waiting, a time of preparation. Unfortunately, for many of us Advent is often characterized by the busyness of preparing for all the various holiday celebrations we take part in, at work, at our children’s schools, the homes of extended relatives and friends and in our own home. We have dishes or dinners to make, decorations to put up, and of course, presents to buy.

None of this is bad in and of itself, but as we are carried along by our frantic holiday schedules, Advent quickly slips by, and the preparations that we have made have had little to do with waiting eagerly for Christ’s birth, and everything to do with, well, everything else. If we are not careful, this wonderful opportunity of a Season spent growing in holiness offered to us by the Church to place Christ at the very center of our lives in a renewed and profound way, finds something else at its center, consumerism and materialism.

It is imperative that we do not allow this to happen to us this Advent Season. Instead, we ought to live the Advent of Our Lord as it was intended, a waiting, a preparing for His coming, remembering that what we await now is the most intensely hoped for arrival in all of human history, of God visiting His people. St. Charles Borromeo puts this wonderfully, and gives us some practical advice on what this Season is all about:

Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent. This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced at last to see. This is the season that the Church has always celebrated with special solemnity. We too should always observe it with faith and love, offering praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the mercy and love he has shown us in this mystery. In his infinite love for us, though we were sinners, he sent his only Son to free us from the tyranny of Satan, to summon us to heaven, to welcome us into its innermost recesses, to show us truth itself, to train us in right conduct, to plant within us the seeds of virtue, to enrich us with the treasures of his grace, and to make us children of God and heirs of eternal life (St. Charles Borromeo, Pastoral Letter on Advent).

We are awaiting the arrival of our God and we must make ourselves busy in making appropriate accommodations for Him within our very selves, through increased time in prayer and dedication to growth in virtue.

FRESHImage wants to join you as you journey through Advent 2023. Check our Advent homepage often throughout this Season for free resources that help you:

• Explore the meaning of Advent
• Participate in timeless Catholic traditions of the Advent season 
• Discover the Light of Christ in the Christmas Tree as a Catholic sacramental 
• Journey with Mary and the Saints throughout Advent 

And, God willing…

• Fall in love again with the Word Incarnate, Jesus Christ 

And, please, invite your friends and family to join us by signing up for our email list on our website home page, or following us on their preferred social media platform: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 

Don’t let this moment pass by. Advent 2024 begins Sunday, December, 1st. 

Your servants in Christ,

The FRESHImage Team