Happy Advent! Happy New Church Year! We have the shortest possible Advent season this year, so things are going to move fast. Christmas falls on a Monday, therefore the fourth week of Advent consists only of Sunday resulting in an Advent more like 3 weeks than 4 this year. Now, the idea of Advent is really to watch, wait, and prepare so we must make some intentional efforts to slow things down and pray to make this a good Advent.
First, plan to go to confession this first week of Advent. All the Johnson County parishes will be offering large penance services with lots of priests to hear confessions. Please, please take advantage of these instead of waiting for the last minute. Prince of Peace’s Penance Service is this week, Tuesday, December 5th at 7pm. We will have 15 priests here so let’s not waste this opportunity. If you’d like to go another day or to another church, here is the full schedule of local parish penance services:
Sun (Dec. 3) 3pm @Cure’ of Ars-Leawood; Queen of the Holy Rosary-Overland Park; St. Agnes-Roeland Park;
7pm @ St. Paul’s Olathe;
Mon (Dec. 4) 7pm @ Good Shepherd-Shawnee; Holy Trinity-Lenexa; Holy Spirit-OP; St. Michael’s-Leawood
Tues (Dec. 5) 7pm @ Holy Cross-Overland Park; Prince of Peace-Olathe; Ascension-Overland Park;
Wed (Dec. 6) 7pm @ Divine Mercy-Gardner; Sacred Heart-Shawnee; St. Pius X-Mission
Thur (Dec. 7) 7pm @ St. Joseph-Shawnee
Sun (Dec. 10) 3pm @ Queen of the Holy Rosary-Wea; St. Ann-Prairie Village; St. John Paul II-Olathe;
7pm @ Nativity-Leawood
Second, don’t miss these hidden gem feast days within Advent. December 6th is St. Nicholas’s feast day. December 8th is a Holy Day of Obligation, the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception of Mary (Masses 6:15am, 8:15am, 12noon, 6:30pm). And December 12th is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe (POP will have a special Mass at 7pm).
Third, do some Advent activities like having a home Advent wreath. Take time to light the candles and pray as family. Set out your manger scene. Maybe bring out the pieces one by one, or add straw for baby Jesus by one good deed at a time. Participate in an Advent calendar which gives a focus for each day, or have an Advent devotional book or online reflections. Pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. Join a Las Posadas celebration. Come to one or more of our Sunday 5pm Advent Candlelight Masses. Or simply take time to look at Christmas lights or God’s Christmas Lights (the stars) and remember that Jesus came into our dark world when we needed him most.
Finally, plan for Christmas Mass now, as it is rather tricky this year being on a Monday. You have to go to Mass for the 4th Sunday of Advent and then go to Mass again within 24 hours for Christmas. There are no “two-fors” where one Mass counts for both. For the 4th Sunday of Advent we have the normal Mass schedule. However, that Sunday evening shifts to Christmas Eve (so no Sunday 5pm Mass). On that Sunday, Christmas Eve Masses will be at 4pm (two locations in Church and gym), 6pm and 9pm. Then on Monday, Christmas day, we have an 8 and 10am.
Let’s make this a great Advent by being intentional! May the Lord grace us so.
Peace,
Fr. Greg