Brothers,

As Advent draws to its close, the Church invites us to stand at the threshold of a mystery both tender and demanding: the Word made flesh enters our world not merely to comfort, but to confront. The anticipation of Christ’s birth is like the expectancy surrounding the birth of a first child-joyful, faith-filled, and filled with hope. Yet this joy is never naïve. It flows from the unwavering love of the Father who sends His Son into a wounded world to reclaim it.

Isaiah reminds us that God Himself gives the sign: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” God-with-us is not poetic language, it is a declaration that God steps directly into the battlefield of human history. From the first moment of His enfleshment, Christ comes to undo the damage of the Fall and to destroy the works of the enemy.

The Catechism tells us that God prepared for this moment over centuries until all things converged in Christ. John the Baptist stands at that convergence and cries out, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Preparation, brothers, is not passive. It is lived fidelity amid struggle.

In this final week of Advent, we cannot ignore that several of our brothers are engaged in very real battles; spiritual, physical, and medical. Some are enduring serious suffering; others are accepting God’s will in the quiet heroism of limitation. Through prayer, fraternity, and tangible accompaniment, these brothers have remained true to their vocation, living their diaconal life with reverence even when ministry looks different than it once did. They remind us of a profound truth: even ministry lived within limits is still ministry.

Although not our Gospel this weekend, St. John is clear: “The Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil.” Christ’s victory is decisive, yet the battle continues in our daily choices. Advent trains us for this battle; through examination of conscience, immersion in the Word, fasting, abstinence, and the grace of reconciliation. These are not pious extras; they are weapons of light.

Christ will come again in glory. Advent teaches us to live now as men ready to stand before Him then. “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” Brothers, may we welcome Him not only into the manger, but into every struggle, limitation, and offering of our lives, leading others to do the same.

Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat

In Christ the Servant + Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam
Receive + Believe + Teach + Practice