In his message for
Advent, which begins Dec. 3,
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., suggests that even though the season occurs annually, there are ways to “make all things new” and focus on Christ in preparation for his birth.
“The hymns we sing and the orations we pray at Mass all fix our attention in faith upon the One who has come, the One who is coming and the One who is yet to come, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Bishop O’Connell writes. “It is all about Him: everything we are, everything we hope for and everything we do as Christians. We need to make every day of Advent an anticipation of yet another, more profound, more transforming revelation of
Emmanuel, ‘God among us.’
“Although we have read and sung and prayed the Advent message many times before, a pause, some quiet time for prayer, the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation all go a long way to “make all things new” again … not only for the people of God, but for those who minister to them in our parishes as well.”
Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M.’s, hour-long, monthly radio program, “
The Shepherd’s Voice,” will air on WFJS 1260 AM, WFJS 89.3 FM, WGYM 1580 AM and WSMJ 91.9 FM beginning at 3 p.m. Dec. 1. The program will be repeated at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2; 10 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 3; and 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 4. It also will be available to listeners at
domesticchurchmedia.org and on
Domestic Church Media’s Facebook and
YouTube pages.
Among the topics Bishop O’Connell will discuss are Advent, the Diocesan Guadalupe pilgrimage Dec. 2 and the Holy Father’s apostolic visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh.