The Parish Mission

This Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening (December 16-18^th) from 7:00pm-8:30pm, our parish is having its Advent Retreat, hosted by Magnificat Ministries. The theme is ‘Jesus, our Hope and our Joy.’ What is a parish mission? A parish mission is aimed at deepening our understanding and love for our faith, to convert sinners, and to reawaken those who are spiritually lukewarm. A mission consists of a series of short talks delivered over a few evenings, with the purpose of revitalizing parish life and to strengthen our personal relationship with God.

During this season of Advent, St. John the Baptist calls us to turn away from sin and make room for Jesus in our lives. Some of us have heard the saying: “if nothing changes, nothing changes.” The same thing applies to our faith life. We can learn much ABOUT God by reading the scriptures, coming to mass and reciting the creed. At the same time, we will never truly KNOW the Lord unless we humble ourselves before God and give Jesus permission to move freely in those areas of our lives that we feel most vulnerable. The bottom line is that Jesus wants to be our friend, and this can only happen if we make time for Him. Participating in this Advent’s parish mission is about stretching the limits of our trust, knowing that God is not calling us to a life of slavish fear and mediocrity. Jesus wants us to be joyful and fired up about our faith, and to pass on the gift of our friendship with Jesus to others! Advent is the season of joy and hope! The Jesus who was born amongst us on Christmas day is the same Jesus who is with us every day, and will never abandon us! This year’s Advent mission will focus on the themes of ‘joy’ and ‘hope’ that the Messiah wants to bestow upon us, beginning this Advent, and extending for the rest of our lives.