Fr. Baer gives us another homily to walk away from guilty (his specialty... in a very good way!).

He reminded us throughout his visit here that we must never forget the meaning of Advent, as our culture has (or never knew in the first place). We who are here in Italy must ask ourselves why God has, in His Providence, chosen for us to be here in Rome for THIS Advent season. Rome, where we can feel the heartbeat of the Church so much more intensely, and breathe in the air of the saints who have gone before us.

We who now live for a time in Rome must not fall into being "familiar" with the marvels and history of the Eternal City, but we must always strive to remain true pilgrims, ever-deepening our wonder and awe at the glory of God. We must be pilgrims for our families and all those who are unable to be here with us (I guess that includes blog readers too!), and never take for granted the gift that God and our families have given us by allowing us this time.

We need to be deliberate about our Advent spirituality, to constantly immerse ourselves in the seasonal readings and traditions, in order to keep continually in mind the meaning of Christ's Incarnation and of His coming again. We must remain watchful, and we need a season like Advent to do this, to help us to anticipate Christ and not to sit idly by forgetting that the Master of the vineyard is returning soon.

Amen, Fr. Baer!