Fr. Mark reminds us that Advent is not Christmas—it is a penitential season meant to awaken our souls, sharpen our spiritual vision, and prepare us to stand before the Lord. Across the 24 Churches that make up the Catholic Church, Advent (or its equivalent) is lived with deep seriousness: 40-day fasts, vegan disciplines, weeks of total abstinence, and long seasons of preparation. Their witness challenges us in the Roman Rite to rediscover what this season truly is: a call to repentance, renewal, and readiness.

Advent invites us to slow down the “ho-ho-ho” and lean into the holy *“woe”—*the humble acknowledgment that we are sinners destined for judgment, yet infinitely loved by a merciful God. Remember the season. Recognize your need. Renew your spiritual life. Prayer, fasting, almsgiving, confession, daily conversion—these are not optional extras but the heart of Advent itself.

Live this season with purpose. Let your preparation be real, intentional, and penitential, so that when Christ comes—at Christmas or at the hour of your death—you will be ready to stand before Him with a heart made new.