Father Alfred Delp, SJ, was martyred by the Nazis in 1945. In his sermons and writings, he often referred to the spiritual significance of Advent, preparing for Our Lord's coming into our hearts.

"First in wartime Munich and later, from his Berlin prison cell, he preached the timeless spiritual message that we are truly human only when our lives are centered on God....He described the season of Advent as a journey into the holy place of encounter with the living God."

These words are taken from the introduction to Advent of the Heart: Seasonal Sermons and Prison Writings of Fr. Alfred Delp, SJ. 

Let us contemplate these simple thoughts today:

We are truly human only when our lives are centered on God.

Advent is a journey into the holy place of encounter with the living God.