Archdiocese Of St. Louis

Advent is the season of hope. One of the ways we grow in hope is immersing ourselves in the Scriptures' testimony of God's faithfulness. The ornaments and symbols of the Jesse Tree remind us of this. Today, we remember the prophet Elijah and the symbol of a stone table. As recounted in Kings, Elijah defeats the prophets of the false God Baal, and ends the drought in Samaria at the altar of the Lord. In other words, he drives away evil and receives God's blessing from this sacred space of the altar. The Blessed Virgin Mary affirms this idea of a sacred space by asking Juan Diego to build a "house." She speaks of a "house of worship" or a church. In our churches, we see evil driven away, and our offerings given to God. During advent, we ask Our Lady, the lady of the house, the Mother of the Church, to give us to her Son, and to give her Son to us. Musical credit: "O Holy Night" · Christine Westhoff · Timothy Allen Hark ℗ 2014 Christine Westhoff