Today’s feast calls to mind the reality of the Cross in the life of the Savior and in the lives of those who follow Christ.

Christmas means saying “Yes” to something beyond emotions and feelings. It is saying “Yes” to hope and the knowledge that salvation is God’s work.

We are being asked to trust that God has kept—and continues to keep—the promises made to our spiritual ancestors so many centuries ago.

We rejoice because God has kept his promises and has given us love and truth in Jesus.

God comes to us in the people and simple things of our lives, and this is all part of the recreation of the world that is an essential part of the promise of Advent.

As we continue our Advent watching, pray for the gifts of courage and perseverance.

“Am I not your mother? Are you not under the protection of my mantle?”

Even as the desert wastes become fertile and full of flowers, those suffering from illness and physical limitations will receive healing and wholeness.

John calls his desert-followers—and each of us—to Advent honesty and vulnerability. In his clarion call, Advent hope and the hard work of conversion come together.

At its best, our devotion to the Mother of God celebrates the part Mary played in the decisive moments of salvation history.

God’s disciples need to have firmly anchored in their souls the remembrance of their Master, Jesus Christ, and to think of him day and night.

The liturgy today reminds us that, in the fullness of time, we too will enjoy the abundance of God’s table.

The One for who's coming we continue to watch and wait for is the One who will bring about the full restoration and unity of creation.

Jesus uses their exchange as an opportunity to highlight the truth that, in the fullness of the Reign of God, all peoples—Jews and Gentiles—will have a place at God’s table.

While we look forward to celebrating the Incarnation at Christmas, we also spend these days looking toward the future, to the second Advent of Christ, when he will return in glory and the promises made to the prophets will be fulfilled.

Our Advent journey is one of lament and longing, a cry for that life which only God can give.

Inspired by Mary’s commitment and faith, each of us is invited to pray for the courage and faith to continue along the paths God has chosen for us.

These last days of the Church year call us to a certain sense of urgency because, as Paul reminded the Thessalonians, the Lord will return “as a thief in the night” (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6).

As we celebrate the memory of Saint Gertrude, let us pray for the grace to open our hearts to the consoling and transforming love of Christ’s own Heart that so indelibly shaped Gertrude’s life and teaching.

Darkness is not the end. The dawn will come and, with it, the Bridegroom who will invite us into eternal wedding banquet of the Reign of God.