Advent retreat at Saints Peter and Paul Parish

WEST VALLEY CITY — "Strengthen Our Faith, Hope and Charity with Our Eyes on Jesus" was the title of an Advent retreat given in Spanish at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Parish in West Valley City on Dec. 10.

Mario Alberto from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles was the speaker.

Inviting people to acknowledge which type of journey they were at in their lives, Mario Alberto spoke about three main topics: belief, trust and waiting.

"This is the perfect time to think of Mary – she waited with trust and belief," said Mario Alberto.

Referring to the passage of Luke 7:11, where Jesus raises the widow’s son from the dead, Mario Alberto reminded people that Jesus talks about two types of journeys.

"One for the ones who don’t have any hope, for the ones who don’t dream anymore, for the ones who don’t wait for anything anymore," said Mario Alberto.

The other journey, he said, is that of people whose hearts are open to God.

The center of the Gospel story, "is Jesus’ authority, which in his compassion he said, ‘Don’t cry’ and ‘Young man, I say to you, get up!’ This woman had lost everything – her willingness to live, her joy – and Jesus told her to stop and start believing," said Mario Alberto.

He then suggested those at the retreat should ask themselves if they were waiting for Jesus with hope or totally without it, and invited all to join Jesus in his journey.

"Even if it seems narrow and uncertain, he is there waiting for us as we have to wait for him," said Mario Alberto.

With the sound of his guitar and the words "He the one who is capable of stopping the storms, of beating them," Mario Alberto welcomed Father Omar Ontiveros and the Blessed Sacrament to a Holy Hour of reflection.

F. Ontiveros, the parish’s pastor, holding the monstrance with the Blessed Sacrament, said, "Look, here is the one who has the authority. I want to invite you to come to him and make a decision of telling Jesus, ‘Today I want to join you in your journey this Advent.’"

Mario Alberto suggested that people close their eyes and look inside themselves to see if their journey is without hope, and they are buying many things in order to feel loved or accepted. "We need to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and filling our lives with material things" and instead open a space in their hearts for Jesus to be reborn in them, he said. "We need to take this new opportunity and renew ourselves," said Mario Alberto.