Entering the Season of Advent: A Time for Joy, Love, and Peace

by Fr. John Granato  |  12/01/2024  |  Words from Fr. John

My Dear Friends,

Today we begin the season of Advent in preparation for the great feast of Christmas. I have also come to the realization that like so many other holidays and birthdays, I remember more previous Christmases than I will experience new Christmases. With that realization and the reality that life in general is short, it is important for us to enter into the season of Christmas with that joy and love and peace that comes through a life of faith.

I went through a stretch in my life where I would only listen to Christmas songs that were religious in nature, but over these last few years I have reintroduced some secular Christmas music back into my listening pleasure. Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Tony Bennett, and so many other male and female singers have some beautiful religious Christmas music as well as some beautiful secular Christmas music. These songs remind me of growing up, decorating the Christmas tree after we cut it down ourselves, and having my mom and dad and all my brothers and sisters and nieces gathered around the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. My parents allowed us to open one gift on Christmas Eve after we had our traditional seven fishes dinner.

When I got a little older, I then joined my siblings and my father at my cousin’s house in Waterbury for more festivities before going to midnight Mass (which I did only once; I preferred the 4:15 vigil Mass on Christmas Eve). Christmas morning was always spectacular with our living room filled with presents and our stockings overflowing on the staircase bannister. After the gifts were opened (which we opened to more Christmas music playing in the background), we had a delicious breakfast of pancakes (my favorite were the chocolate chip pancakes).

During the season of Advent, we still decorated our tree and our home with Christmas decorations. We had our manger scene out on the first Sunday of Advent. We also had an Advent wreath that we lit before dinner every day of Advent. We had a nice mixture of Advent and Christmas, preparing spiritually and experiencing joy and peace even before Christmas morning. We also enjoyed the Christmas cartoons and Christmas movies that I wrote about in a previous Advent bulletin letter.

As Advent begins, I am asking you to join me in allowing joy and peace to reign in our hearts and to stop focusing on the negativity and hate that is out there concerning politics. I would rather enjoy my beautiful and sentimental memories of Christmases past than be consumed by political punditry and negativity over the recent election.

May Jesus Christ reign in our hearts. God bless!