Homily for Tuesday of the 1st Week of Advent

All people receive gifts from the Holy Spirit. These gifts help us to live as children of God and enable us to be instruments of God's love and grace to people in our world. 

As a sacramental Church, we open ourselves up to the creative grace of God, our loving Father, the compassionate and loving grace of Jesus Christ, and the transforming grace of the Holy Spirit. 

In the Sacrament of Confirmation, we receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are described in our first reading from the prophet Isaiah: wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, holiness, knowledge, and fear of the LORD. If we are genuinely open to the Spirit, to God's love and grace, then we will be transformed by these gifts. Real transformation means that we must use these gifts for our good and for the good of all people. 

During the Advent season, we are reminded to take a step back and reflect on the gifts that we have received from the Holy Spirit. However, it is not enough to simply acknowledge these gifts; we must actively work to utilize them. By doing so, we allow God's love and peace to flow through us, and we fulfill our calling to bring ourselves and others closer to God's kingdom of love. 

And so, we pray...

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.

O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our LORD. Amen.