From the Desk of Father Mark - Our Pastor
December 7, 2025 - Second Sunday of Advent

“A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.”

The season of Advent is indeed the opportunity for great anticipation and joy. As we await the celebration of Christmas, there is renewed hope about all God has in store for his people. But Advent can also be a counterintuitive experience. We are made aware of Isaiah the Prophet and John the Baptist proclaiming from a desert of the one to come. The reference to a desert is intended to draw our attention away from the world and toward the Messiah.

In the Garden of Eden, a moment occurs which leads to the original sin. The original sin is not about an apple but about humanity’s belief they can live apart from God. That belief leads them away from the garden and toward a life that will ultimately require a Messiah.

As many of you know, I also occasionally teach high school. I always desire students to receive good grades. Most teachers share this ideal. Sometimes, there are students who are not concerned about grades or are indifferent to instruction. It is important to emphasize to the students that they must care about their grades more than I care. I can prepare and help, but in the end, they must do the work! The same is true with God.

God offers us life, opportunity, love, forgiveness, and a future full of eternal blessings. If we are not concerned or indifferent to God, no matter how hard God tries, we cannot receive His fullness.

So, the prophets cry out, prepare, to motivate and encourage our entry in the plan of God for our lives. It isn’t what we want for Christmas, but what God wants for us at Christmas that is important.

I hope this Advent and Christmas you find what God so lovingly wants for your life, an eter nal life with Him.

Have a great week!

Fr. Mark Walter
Pastor of Our Lady of the Ridge - St.Linus Parish