The First Sunday of Advent is the first day of the Church year and marks the beginning of our journey toward Christmas. We prepare for everything we consider important… and how we prepare for Christmas says something about what our priorities are.

How will you prepare for Christmas this year? What will be most important? The gifts? The food? Avoiding family drama? The tree and decorations? The manger? Midnight Mass?

Here’s an idea: Make this Advent a life-changing time in your life. Allow God’s grace to touch you and your life in a new way, to transform you in ways you know you need and ways unexpected.

Make the most important part of this Christmas spiritual renewal.

I thought this was going to be one of the more sane years I have experienced since I started speaking 20 years ago. But it turned out to be one of the busiest years of my life. I need the Lord to lead me to peaceful waters and restore my soul this Advent and Christmas. Join me.

May God bless you and all those you love. Let us never lose sight of how blessed we are, and mindful of our blessings may gratitude be our constant state.

About half a trillion dollars is spent annually on advertising. Several companies spend over a billion dollars a year. And, we all know the best way to build a brand or promote a product is to get people talking about it. Word of mouth costs nothing for the company; it is free. It is the best method of promoting something because people will believe someone they know and trust more than a paid-for slick commercial. It is said that all big ideas start by word of mouth.

Jesus was possibly the best advertiser of all time. And Jesus did not spend a penny, or a denarius, on advertising. His Board of Directors and His marketing guys were trained as fishermen and tax agents; no social media degrees among them. But look how they changed the world, and it is still changing. It is still changing to the Way of Jesus because of people like you. You caught the captivating message from someone, or some event, and then, filled with the Spirit and zeal, you are constantly looking for new ways to pass along the message. You especially use word of mouth, and other dynamics to make Jesus better known and loved.

The Year of Faith will close shortly, but the New Evangelization will live on, person to person, voice to heart, hand to shoulder. Our new Holy Father, who even welcomes little children up on his stage, regularly gives eye to eye messages showing Jesus’ love and acceptance. The Catholic Church of Jesus Christ is being watched and listened to again by the expensive media. Let’s join the band of apostles and walk with Jesus and let the little, and the big, children come close to Jesus.

Look for an opportunity to use your voice in uttering the Good Word or use your life to serve God’s lost children. The time has come, and it won’t cost you a cent.

Let me know how you did. fr.bob@dynamiccatholic.com