Dear parishioners and friends,

This weekend, the Second reading and the Gospel remind us of the importance of understanding and using our spiritual inheritance – more specifically, of understanding that Scripture is an integral part of our lives as Christians, and using our faith and hope to fuel our missionary work of spreading the message of Christ.

St Paul tells us: “Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”  Our spiritual health and strength are reliant upon God's Word, as well as our understanding that the promises of the Old Testament were fulfilled by what is written in the New Testament. The Gospel of Matthew this weekend even demonstrates this when we are introduced to John the Baptist: “This is the one of whom the Prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:  prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’”

Today, part of preparing the way of the Lord is our mission to make new disciples.  “As it is written,” St Paul reminds us, “‘Therefore I will confess your name among the Gentiles, and sing praises to your name.’” While it was John the Baptist of whom Isaiah spoke, Paul knew that the mission to prepare the way of the Lord was not the sole responsibility of John the Baptist.  It is the responsibility of everyone who inherits salvation through the waters of Baptism and through the sacrifice of the Cross.

With that in mind, what can we do this Advent to prepare our hearts, our homes, and our community for Christ’s coming? How can we invest our spiritual inheritance of the Word of God along with our time, talent, and treasure so that our parish fulfils its purpose as a way for the Lord to come into Verdun?

Fr. Robert Assaly