Here we are at the beginning of one of the most beautiful liturgical seasons, the season that anticipates the word becoming flesh and dwelling among us. This is typically  the start of a new season, where our goal is to try to give our spiritual life a little boost. We try to settle on one or two things that we will do to draw closer to the Lord. Then inevitably, after two or three days we are reminded of our weakness and failures. We all have moments like these in our lives. We want to do our best and become better people and we think we can do it all on our own. This is why even the secular world tries to get us to better ourselves with things like New Years resolutions.  What if the problem all along is that we were relying too much on ourselves and on our own strength? 

 Many people are not aware that Advent, like Lent, is a penitential season where we are supposed to sacrifice and do penance so that our hearts can be ready for the coming of Jesus. So here we are again. We sit down and make a list of how WE are going to make this Advent something truly special. How WE are going to rise above temptation and break bad habits. How WE are going to pray at least one rosary a day and not fall asleep half way through it.

 This Advent season, instead of relying on ourselves, let us try to take a page right out of the book of Isaiah where today’s first reading comes from. This entire passage is about realizing the utter weakness that we have to grapple with on a daily basis, confronting it, being honest about it, and falling to our knees with God and begging for him to be our light, our guide, our good shepherd. Then when the reality of your own weakness creeps in, you can pray the words of the prophet, “Yet, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.” God surely knows we are weak, but he is the one that makes us strong!