Advent Brings Christmas Into Focus

Advent brings Christmas into focus

As November transitions into December, we transition liturgically from Ordinary Time to Advent.  Green vestments will be exchanged for violet and rose (AKA pink), the music we sing in Church will take on a different hue, and our liturgical readings change to stories of waiting and preparing for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Advent brings Christmas into focus.  The season can help us prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of Jesus.  It comes at a perfect time of the year.  As we're pulled in twenty different directions (shopping, decorating, parties, gift exchanges, baking special treats, making sure everything is "perfect"), we need the still, quiet time to even out and focus on why we're running around and why we're so busy: celebrating the birth of Jesus.

To help you and your family prepare for Advent and Christmas you'll find a series of blog posts created this week and throughout the month of December.

May God be with all of us as we start the Advent season!

image credit: vandinglewop on flickr

Christmas Mass Schedule

As you may have noticed, things have slowed down a bit in the blog. We will pick it back up a few days after Christmas. Until then, here's the Christmas Mass schedule for St. Mark in Vienna,VA.

Saturday, December 24*:
• 8PM
• 10PM
Sunday, December 25:
• 9AM
• 11AM

* there is Mass at 3:45PM and 6PM, but you need a ticket to enter, by order of the fire marshall.

Merry Christmas!

What the Star in the Christmas story can teach us

Here is a beautiful musical reflection on the significance of one star in the Christmas story.



How are we chosen to shine the light and show the way to Jesus?