The First Advent: Preparing to be Parents

Lately I’ve been musing/ranting about Advent and Christmas prep. While I think it’s great to give to charities and help out with charitable projects, I also think it important to make sure that we have time to be charitable towards those closest to us and towards those whom we know. Again, I’m not dismissing any type of charitable projects; just thinking back on many cases of charity that I know which would never have attracted the attention of giving trees, food pantries, and other large scale operations.

So back to Advent. I also started thinking about the Marian feasts celebrated in December and the fact that they all point to preparation for the parents, especially the mother, of Jesus. At the same time fewer and fewer families are enjoying the gift of good parents.

Here’s my latest column building on this idea a bit.