Come Lord Jesus Come

Peace be with you all.  Today, December 1, 2013 marks the beginning of a new year.  Maybe not of the calendar year, but of the liturgical year that our Catholic Church follows.  We begin the new season of Advent, a time to prepare our homes and our hearts to receive our Lord Jesus Christ when He comes as He comes always at Christmas.  It is also to help us prepare for the time when He comes again for the second coming, when all will be brought to salvation in His great glory.  It's nice to have all the wreaths, the candles, the cookies, and the festivities, but if we don't prepare for Christ during this season, what do we truly have?  This Sunday's readings remind us of this season of preparation.  "You know not the time nor day that He comes, so always be ready."  This phrase from the Gospel sums up these next three and a half weeks.  Preparation for the King of Kings.  As we prepare, it's not for our glory that all we do reflects upon.  It is for the Lord, and for the Lord alone that we focus our efforts so that we, though not knowing the time nor the day when He will come, we will always be ready for our Lord and our God.