DECEMBER 10, 2022

Each Sunday of Advent, a holy hour is held at Saints Peter and Paul, north of Ellinwood.  We use this location because it is central to all parishioners in our cluster.  

What is a Holy Hour?  Several generations ago, that question would not have been asked, as they were a common occurrence in many parishes every Sunday evening.  It is an hour spent in prayer in front of the exposed Blessed Sacrament, and it concludes with Benediction.

Our holy hours also offer an opportunity for confession, during the quiet time, and they include what would not have been familiar to previous generations, except in the largest of parishes, the celebration of the Church's Evening Prayer.  This is a collection of hymns, psalms, and readings which are offered daily by priests and those in religious life.  It is prayed in common just before benediction and the close of the hour.  The Second Vatican Council asked that it be reintroduced as a daily form of prayer in the lives of the faithful, a hope largely unrealized.

So often, we enter Advent, promising ourselves that this will be a season of peace, grace, and hope, but this can only happen if we enter the silence of the season and let the Lord come to us.  

Yes, it is a bit of a sacrifice to be back in church again on Sunday evening, though Christians have done so for centuries, when faith played a more central role in their lives.  But like any other good resolution, marking the time off in your calendar is a way of making the good intention into a reality.  And the spot is so lovely, so conducive to prayer!