The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120425.cfm

In this powerful Advent homily, Fr. Mark reveals why the Church gives us such seemingly “unrelated” readings during the early days of the season. Beneath the surface, he shows a single thread tying them together: Israel’s longing for a Messiah who would finally give humanity the power to live God’s will. From the failures of the Old Testament to the warnings of the prophets, the people discovered what we must rediscover—misery always follows when we trust ourselves more than God.

Israel’s exile, their suffering, and their longing formed the backdrop for Advent hope: a Messiah who would restore not only the kingdom, but the human heart. As Fr. Mark explains, God’s will is never arbitrary. Because “God is goodness itself” (CCC 199), His will can only be good, healing, and life-giving. When we surrender to that will, we stand on the unchanging rock of divine truth—immovable, stable, and at peace. “Order brings peace,” says St. Thomas Aquinas, and Advent invites us to let God reorder our desires so that our hearts may rest in Him.

Jesus warns us in today’s Gospel that salvation is inseparable from doing the Father’s will. Advent, then, becomes a season of holy realignment: turning from sin, renouncing self-reliance, and trusting in God’s providence with the same hopeful expectation Israel once knew. As we prepare for Christmas, Fr. Mark urges us to pray with conviction: “Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done.”

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