Advent begins tomorrow…or, I suppose, this evening, at least so far as solemnities begin the prior evening.  (And remember that all Sundays are solemnities.)  Welcome to Year C. May you have a fruitful consideration of the Gospel of Luke.

This new liturgical year also brings us the Year of Mercy, though that does not start until December 8. I’m excited for the Year of Mercy, both because the Church has some good things planned and because it will be an opportunity to explore what God’s mercy is and how it manifests itself in the world.

On a personal note for this website, Advent means that my previously unobjectionable header might now appear to be a liturgical political statement. So I want to assure you that my blue background, which has been in place since roughly the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time, has nothing to do with Advent. Advent is purple. I do not have strong opinions on whether Advent should be purple, but I emphatically accept that it is purple. Meanwhile, the blue of my header image is based on a photo which my wife took in front of the painting  Monochrome Bleu by Yves Klein at the Pompidou Center in Paris. Enjoy your purple season. I hope that you are able to experience it as a time of blessed anticipation.