When we prioritize authentic relationship with God and neighbor, we open our lives to “magi moments,” those grace-filled times when we catch a glimpse of God’s plan and are drawn deeper into his mystery.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph were united in their unwavering commitment to God’s will. They loved one another deeply because their first love was God. This God-centered, divinely inspired, charity is the key to peace and harmony in every family.

May this sacred celebration renew our spirits and deepen our love for one another.

Lessons and Carols is a traditional Christian service that combines scripture readings and festive hymns to celebrate the story of Christ’s birth.

By preparing our hearts to receive Jesus as John did, we ready ourselves to become generation-changing saints too: where the world clamors for retribution, we show forgiveness; where there’s an appetite for darkness, we bear the light; and where there’s hatred, we love like John.

(But) Advent is a time for choosing. When Jesus comes to us, will our hearts be heavy and lethargic? Or will they be light and swift to respond? 

It would have boggled the Roman mind, and very often we don’t grasp it much better. But the simple fact is that in Jesus’s kingdom to reign is to love, even if it costs everything.

If we are to inherit the life of God himself, we can’t wait. We must live into his will right now, and every moment thereafter.

But as the story of the widow’s mite makes clear, generosity is not primarily about the size of the gift; rather, it’s about the disposition of heart with which the gift is given.

We’re desperate to get it right - to find the words that will unite us once and for all with God and each other. In true Jesus-fashion, he gives even more than was asked for: not just one, but two great commandments. And his answer is what it always is: love.

Perhaps above all, saints don’t wait. They understand that now is the time to serve, now is the time to love, now is the time for all on Earth to be as it is in Heaven.

Jesus makes very clear in today’s Gospel that service is his whole reason for being.

But before that makes us sad, and before we walk away from the whole thing, we should keep this in mind: the things that appear to be of absolute necessity from our vantage point are often nothing more than grains of sand from God’s vantage point.

Think about the people you struggle to love most, and then remember that Jesus has stopped at nothing to be one with them too. Are we called to anything less?

Whatever it is - wealth, pleasure, prestige, even a relationship - if we’re terrified of living without it, better to let it go altogether.

We all tend to prefer ourselves to God, and the bitter fruit of giving into that temptation is division - within the world, within the Church, and within ourselves.

Our plans might be full of all good things, but they’re still just that: our plans. God thinks bigger.

"Unfortunately, most of us don’t consistently practice the same listening skills with God....Whatever the reason, we’re often deaf to his word and oblivious to his will. "

Our Lady of Mount Carmel and Lumen Gentium Academy exist to plant the seed of God’s word in every student’s heart, and to help it grow into complete and vibrant abundance.

It’s been said that true love is a decisive act. It must be decisive, because the moment you choose, a million and more reasons not to follow through will seep into the slightest crevice of indecision.