“It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11) This week, we continue to live the joy of Christmas within the Octave of the Lord’s Nativity. We also observe the Solemnity of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This weekend we reflect on what it means to be family- not just in our homes, but also as a Church, a people, and a global Christian body bound together in the mystery of Christ.

“It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11) This week we come to the final days of Advent. The fourth candle of the wreath, the Angel’s Candle, is lit, returning us to the purple hue of longing, repentance, and now love. This candle points us toward the Annunciation and the Blessed Virgin Mary’s response to God: “Let it be done unto me according to your word.” That radical yes, full of faith and love, ushers in the Incarnation. At the end of this week, as we move into the solemn celebration of the Nativity of the Lord, some wreaths add a fifth candle, the Christ Candle, glowing white to signify the sinless light that comes into the darkness of the world. This light shines not only to console, but to awaken hearts to the fullness and mission of love.

“It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11) As we come to the third week of Advent, often called Gaudete Sunday, this verse from Romans takes on a particularly joyful chord. The Church teaches that Christian joy flows from the nearness of the Lord. It is not rooted in fleeting feelings but in the deep awareness that Christ is with us and is coming again. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that the joy of the Christian is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1832) and an essential mark of the life of grace. Paul’s exhortation to “awake from sleep” is more than a personal nudge; it is a call to the whole Church to live in the radiant joy of salvation that is both already present and still unfolding.

“It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” (Romans 13:11) The early Christians treasured this verse, and the Church Fathers returned to it often as a summons to spiritual vigilance. St. John Chrysostom reflected on how St. Paul uses the imagery of waking because “sleep” is the state of those who have grown careless or sluggish in virtue. Chrysostom notes that Paul “stirs up their zeal” by reminding them that salvation is ever drawing near, urging believers to shake off the torpor of worldly living.

Rick Cote, the President of the Hallowell Food Bank, sent a thank-you to the parishioners of St. Michael's parish

Every third Saturday of the month St. Michael's parishioners, in cooperation with volunteers from Temple Beth-El in Augusta, sponsor a breakfast for the unhoused at the Unitarian Universalist Church.