Advent, which begins the first Sunday this issue covers, Dec. 2, is meaningful for a number of reasons.

We begin the process of preparing our souls for the arrival of the Christ Child on Christmas Day — and at the end of time. Some people still refer to Advent as the "little Lent," and opening our hearts to God’s call to conversion needs to be front and center this season.

In addition, these four weeks offer us a special time of outreach in which we can seek out and build up those who are struggling and without hope — in which we can show them the beauty of our Catholic faith. On page B1 of this issue, you will find the first two of our annual clip out, photocopy and pass-on guides to Advent: "How (and Why) to Return to Sunday Mass" and "How (and Why) to Return to Confession." These resources have never been more valuable.

All we have to do is look around us to know that souls are yearning for Christ. Sadly, fallen-away Catholics comprise the second-largest religious group — if it could be called that — in the United States. (Catholics are No. 1.) Let’s take on the challenge this year to help bring one person back to the sacraments.

So, if we haven’t started already, let’s clean out the clutter that’s keeping us from really knowing God and his will — and lead others to the banquet, as we all strive to prepare our souls for Christmas.

God bless you!