Advent Daily Dose - 2nd Tuesday

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Daily Readings.

Reflection by Father Craig

These readings are quite beautiful today.  The bold petition that opens our reading from the Prophet Isaiah strikes the core of the desire of every human heart: Comfort!

This is particularly applicable to me this week, and the previous 6 days.  Last Wednesday I had some surgery on my sinuses.  The discomfort with which I’ve lived for the last several years had become unbearable so I sought out a medical solution.  Somewhat unforeseen though, the repair, the fix, the surgery, has proven to be anything but comfortable. (I know it will improve, but hang in there with me for the purposes of this reflection.)

The surgery brought with it side-effects that were uncomfortable: swelling, bleeding, side effects from the medicine; lack of sleep and unable to concentrate; work, celebrate Mass, etc.  All of these things, at the time, seemed just as uncomfortable as the original problem.  And, as I said, I know the light is growing brighter at the end of the tunnel, I suppose that’s the purpose of this reflection. 

The petition to the Lord today, “Give comfort to my people,” is resonating with me in a particular way today.

The comfort the Lord brings is total, complete and eternal. In fact, the comfort He gives to His people is that comfort for which our souls yearn for until they are satisfied in Heaven. And so we make this petition: Comfort, O Lord!

Some questions for our prayer today: where do I need comfort from the Lord? Is there something that bothering me, weighing down my heart and prayer, or that is keeping me from giving and receiving Love and Forgiveness from the people in my life?

Secondly, is there a place where I can be an instrument of God’s comfort to His people? Can I give my time and solicitude to a charity who needs volunteers, or to a stranger, a coworker, or just about anyone who may need a smile, a kind word or a helping hand?  Let’s pray that we not miss an opportunity to be an instrument of God’s healing and comfort today even as we receive it for ourselves.

Today, the Lord speaks to all of us: “Give comfort to my people!” 

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Advent Daily Dose - 2nd Monday

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Daily Readings

Reflection by Becky Arendt, a parishioner

“Mahal Kita” means “I Love You” in my father’s native language.  (Tagalog)  It’s written on a wall in our bedroom.  It’s the first thing I see when I wake up every morning and it’s the last thing I see when I fall asleep.   It’s a visual reminder that God loves me more than I can possibly imagine.  In my dreams  I hear Him saying, “Becky, don’t forget how much I love you”.   My mom use to say it to me all the time and those were the last words she said to me before she passed away 13 years ago. 

I missed  her voice saying those words to me so much that I wanted my dad to take up her torch and begin saying them to me.  This wasn't easy for him.  While I’ve never heard him say “I love you”,   I know that he absolutely does but I still just wanted to hear it.  So I made the decision to hug him and tell him that I loved him whenever we were together.  It was awkward at first because that wasn’t something we did.  But after 13 years, I’ve noticed a softening.  What was once a handshake is now a hug.  He has openly expressed sadness in the death of a close friend and has shared more openly his experiences as a 9 year old boy living in the Philippines during WWII.  I was called to wrap my arms around and love this beautiful man and in return, he has shown me in many ways that he loves me.   And the time he spends with us, his kids and grand kids, is something he truly treasures.  

We are called to love.   Jesus said it to His disciples, “Love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13: 34)  He loves us so much that he took our sins, carried them and nailed them to His cross.  Just sit in His presence for a few minutes and soak up all the love that He has for you.  Even if it is just for 5 minutes, it is an awesome way to begin your day.   As a parent, I relish any time I get to spend with my growing teenagers. And I know Jesus treasures and relishes the time we spend with Him.

He loves His children.

And He loves you.  

Don’t forget how much He loves you.

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Advent Daily Dose - 2nd Sunday

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Daily Readings.

Reflection by Jim Dryden, a parishioner.

I’m not really all that fond of the first part of Advent. The readings at Mass aren’t about a cute little baby in a manger and a young family doing its best to find a place to stay. Those readings don't come until later. The early Advent readings aren’t even about the not-quite-married-yet young man and the woman who struggle with an unexpected pregnancy and make it through things only by the “grace of God,” who literally sends angels to Mary, at the Annunciation, and to Joseph, in a dream, telling them to trust that they’re going to come through the ordeal okay.

No, in early Advent, the readings tend to look forward to the end of the world. When I remember that the end times will be the full realization of the kingdom of God, that can sound comforting, you know when the “wolf is the guest of the lamb” and when we “beat our swords into plowshares.” But it also makes me nervous.

I wasn’t all that happy, for example, about trying to escape the “tribulations that are imminent” that Jesus mentioned last Sunday. And as much as it may sound good to raise the valleys and lower the mountains, as Baruch, Isaiah and John the Baptist prophesy in todays readings, I’ve got to presume all that mountain-leveling and valley-raising will be anything but painless.

“No pain, no gain,” as they say. But often during these December days of late sunrises and early sunsets, combined with lots more cookies and cocktails than normal, I find myself thinking less about gaining and more about hoping to “tread water.” When I take a personalinventory, it appears there’s a whole bunch of the valley-raising andmountain-leveling work I’ll need to do to get ready for Jesus. But for me, that prospect is something I look forward to about as much as a trip to the dentist, or climbing my ladder to hang Christmas lights.

I realize that Advent is about preparation. For some of us at this time of year, that may involve cleaning the house and spiking the egg nog, but it’s also universally true that most of us have some work to do to prepare our hearts for that day when we’ll see Christ not just in one another’s faces, not just in the Eucharist and not just in the nativity scene under the Christmas tree. The readings during this part of the season tell me that Advent is about getting ready for that day when I hope to hear the words, “good and faithful servant, come and share your master’s joy.”

Last Friday, Dec. 7 would have been my youngest sister’s 45^th birthday. But on an autumn afternoon in 1994 at the age of 26, Jenny developed a severe headache. A blood vessel in her brain had ruptured. She felt fine at lunchtime, but by dinner, she couldn’t breathe without help from a machine. She never woke up.

So I’ve witnessed the kingdom of God, indeed, arriving like a thief in the night. But I believe that in the 18 years since her death, Jenny has spent a lot of time with God, maybe even helping a bit with the work required to raise my valleys and lower my mountains. And I guess that’s a good thing. I need all the help I can get.

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Advent Daily Dose - 1st Saturday

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Daily Readings

Reflection by Tom Cummins, a parishioner

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

It has been a couple of weeks since Thanksgiving and a few more weeks to go before Christmas. Both of these holidays are special times calling for a dinner with table cloths, real cloth napkins, candles, and the “good dishes.” Festive dishes for those foods to be enjoyed in community with family and friends.

As a child, I thought we were eating as a king would eat. The candles were magical, and a great roasted turkey filled with dressing rested on a large well-and-tree platter (retrieved each year from a shelf in the basement). There was even a gravy boat and matching containers for sugar and cream. Fancy! Unique! Extraordinary!

Don’t we also do the same thing for Mass? We gather in community for a most wonderful meal, the Eucharistic Banquet. On the altar – spread with a cloth – we see our parish’s “good dishes,” gold chalices and gold bowls to hold the source of our spiritual nourishment:  the Body and Blood of Christ. Pure and spotless vessels holding the meal Jesus has prepared for us.

It seems a dogma of our Catholic faith, The Immaculate Conception celebrated today, reflects our belief that God the Father had a similar thing in mind in preparation for the Word made flesh. That divine intrusion into human history would call for a very special vessel, pure and spotless, to hold and present for us the body and blood of the Son of God, Jesus. God chose Mary.

Mary, immaculately conceived, free from sin, and ready to be called. And when her call came to bear the Son of God, Mary responded, “May it be done unto me according to your word.” [Luke 1:38] But bearing a child was not all Mary was called to do. She was also called to provide a family filled with the love, support, and encouragement Jesus would need to be prepared for his mission here on earth.

Our own baptism cleansed us from sin. In that sacrament we are prepared for receiving the Body and Blood of Christ along with the grace to hear and understand our call. This Advent let us take the time to find those silent moments when the Holy Spirit moves our hearts and calls us forth to be a loving presence in our own lives and the lives of others.

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Advent Daily Dose - 1st Friday

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Daily Readings.

Reflection by Sheila Burton, a parishioner.

I love Christmas. Love love love it. As a kid, I loved it for all the regular reasons. Santa Claus, decorations, Christmas cookies, and of course presents. Now, as an adult, I still love all those things, but my focus is different.

It is the first week of Advent, a time to begin to ponder what is to come: the Incarnation.

I may be thinking a little contrary to teaching here, but for me, Christmas, the Incarnation, has been the holiday that has truly wowed me and brought me to my knees. I know Easter is suppose to be the holiday to do that, but for me, when I contemplate the Incarnation, it makes me want to cry.  God loved us so much. He knew we didn’t get it. He knew we didn’t understand the immensity of His love, or the fact that He was really with us. He wanted us to know, to understand. He wanted us to know that His love was bigger than everything. But how could He get us to understand??

Imagine if you will the thought processes of God. First, generation after generation of his beloved children cluelessly misunderstanding who He is and how much He loves them, getting it all wrong as they strive for power and trample on each other, not understanding that God is in their midst. Imagine His anguish, sadness and frustration as He tries to figure out a way to make human-kind understand this, to understand Him and what His love and presence mean for the world.

Imagine a love so great that He who is strong is willing to become weak. Imagine a love so huge that He who is all powerful is willing to be the servant of all. Our God is so compassionate that He is willing to be born in a barn to a couple of teenagers, just so we will understand that the world is not as it seems, that God is truly present, with us and loves us more than we can possibly imagine. Just who is this God of ours?  It is hard to comprehend love of such depth, let alone realize its focus is us. It is so humbling and beautiful it makes me want to cry.

The Incarnation. The first Christmas. The gift that beats all others.

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Advent Daily Dose - 1st Thursday

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Daily Readings.

Reflection by Tom Albus, a parishioner.

            "The past is never dead.  It's not even past."  -  William Faulkner

            I have often wondered what it would have been like to be one of those shepherds tending their flocks near Bethlehem on the night of Christ's birth.  Wouldn't it be so awesome to see and hear the angels and then arrive at the stable to see the baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph that first Christmas?  Remember, though, the birth of Christ is not just a historical event.  When he hope for it during Advent 2012 and celebrate it on December 25th we give continued vitality to the eternal truth of Christmas.                              

            This is what Henri Nouwen’s Yale colleague Brevard Childs had to say about memory and living our faith:

The act of remembering serves to actualize the past for a generation removed in time from those former events in order that they themselves can have an intimate encounter with the great acts of redemption....Although separated in time and space from the sphere of God’s revelation in the past, through memory the gulf is spanned, and the exiled people share again in redemptive history.

            Isn't it cool to think that Jesus came into the world to give light to darkness two thousand years ago but, even more than that, He comes into our lives and our hearts every day and every moments when we remember and accept that truth?

            I know the Incarnation happened.  I am grateful for it and I can welcome Christ into my heart at Christmas and always just by remembering.

National Night of Prayer for the Protection of Human Life

All are invited to join us in Church for this special prayer service.

Beginning at 9pm on Saturday, Dec 8 and concluding with Benediction at 1am on Sunday, Dec 9, we will celebrate Eucharistic Adoration in church for the protection of Human Life, a renewal and deepened respect for the Human Person, and an end to crimes against the Human Person, those unborn and living.

Please call the rectory if you have any questions.

Please join us for an hour or just a few moments in prayer.

Peace to you.

Advent Daily Dose - 1st Wednesday

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Daily Readings

Reflection by Steve Schaefer, a parishioner.

Advent for me overflows with a feeling of hopeful anticipation.  As an adult, it’s just like my childhood waiting for the Santa delivered BB gun. Now, that God given gift comes to me in the form of peace and joy . . . what I need more than any “thing”.   

God’s people have been asking, waiting and receiving His gifts throughout history.  He doesn’t disappoint as evidenced in two examples from today’s readings.  In Isaiah 25:6 “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines. From the new testament in the story of the loaves and fishes: Matthew 15:37 “They all ate and were satisfied.” Through these stories, He’s telling us that the gift is His Kingdom and shows us this by giving us a little taste of heaven on Earth. 

As a father, I have hopeful anticipation of what my children will think of my presents.  During Advent, I also wonder about God’s anticipation.  As He asks Mary to be the Mother of His only Son, would she say “yes”?  As Jesus was in her womb, was He soothing Mary’s fears?  Would His people love and accept his Son?  Would they listen to His teachings?  Would they hear the invitation and feel the welcome to the His kingdom?   

I feel God’s anticipation, Jesus’ yearning, encouraging, pleading, Mary’s fear, anxiety, and the Holy Spirit’s calm soothing through this song by Jason Gray called “I Will Find A Way”.  Enjoy it through this link:  http://youtu.be/XOlVheWcfhA

The last words of the Bible are “Come Lord, Jesus”.  What if God is calling us to an eternal Advent of anticipation?  With every moment of our lives filled with childish, giddy hope, knowing the promise will come true. My prayer is that you have a wonderful Advent full of peace and joy. In your heart.  Overflowing.  Always.  

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.    

Advent Daily Dose - 1st Tuesday

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Daily Readings

Am I being present? (A Reflection by parishioner Tim Brown)

Present - A good word to pray with this time of year as we go out in search of that perfect gift.  

I had the opportunity to spend some time with my two-year-old son this weekend, and I realized something about how to give a perfect gift.  After playing in the yard for a while, it hit me that it wasn’t any sort of material object my son desires, but rather, all he really wants from me is my undivided attention. He wants me to be present.

As long as I was willing to stay with him, my son threw this old tennis ball that he found up and down a hill chasing after it and calling, “Come on Daddy, Come on!”  We both got lost in the moment and genuinely enjoyed each other's company on a beautiful day.

My guess is that he has an easier time than I do getting lost in the moment.  I frequently allow the pressures of life to take me away from the moment, and I begin to dwell on all the things I haven’t gotten done or wished I would have done differently.  When I’m not present I’m more likely to get upset about a mess that didn’t get cleaned up or pick on my wife about something that she did or didn’t do.  Staying present is my ticket to avoiding these trappings.

When I’m present, I’m more fully connected to God.  I’m able to follow his direction.  I accept it, appreciate it, and reflect it back to others.  Christ becomes present to us through the gift of the Eucharist.  The simple forms of bread and wine are transformed into His body and blood.  We take and eat them to remain in Him and Him in us.  And the only way His presence can be discerned or detected is through faith.  “On the authority of God who reveals to himself to us, by faith we believe what cannot be grasped by our human faculties.” (cf. Catechism, no 1381)  I am able to experience His presence the most when I am able to remain in the moment.  

The Eucharist is gift that helps me to remain present.  My daily prayer routine helps me to connect with God on a regular basis so I keep my priorities in check.  This time allows me to refocus on what's truly important when things seem to get out of whack.  Seeing God in the simple things of life is one of the great gifts He offers me, and I can receive and give it multiple times a day if I just remain present.  

During this Advent season, please join me in trying to be more present.  It's the gift that will surely be everyone's favorite!

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Bible Reference from Sunday's Homily

Many have asked about the Bible verse I made reference to in the homily past weekend.

It's from the Book of Revelations, chapter 3, verse 20-21 (Rev 3:20-21). The passage is Jesus speaking through John, the writer of the Book of Revelations.

"'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat with him, and he with me. He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne'".

That's a great image isn't it: knocking, entering, eating, conquering and sitting!?!

Peace and prayers for you today.

Advent Daily Dose - 1st Monday

+In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Daily Readings.

Reflection (By parishioner Steve Arendt)

Today we reflect on St. François Xavier.  He was a student of St Ignatius of Loyola, who founded the Jesuits. 

Everything I have read about the early days of the Jesuit order are amazing.  These guys knew no bounds.  When a member had a vision about spreading the Gospel of Christ they prayed to ensure it was the voice of God and then gained the support of their peers and simply started to work.  Can you imagine being in Portugal and wanting to spread the word of God in Japan or India?  Well this is the type of grand visions they had.  They simply set out for the destination and figured out what God had in store for them once they got there.  Today their work has impacted the world. 

The last parish mission was organized in the same exact way.  In hindsight most would agree that the results were amazing.  Often we will not even talk to our neighbors about our faith or our parish, but those who stepped up at the mission changed that.  They truly listened to what God put on their hearts, consulted their peers and leaders then did something about it. 

I am curious.  If there were an opportunity for you to proclaim your faith to your community, would you do it?  Or perhaps, would you support  fellow parishioners confident in their call to proclaim Gods word in some way? 

P.S.  This note is not the start of an  attempt to overthrow or supersede our parish priest.  We must honor the role they play in our parish and follow their guidance in this area.  We must also be extremely sensitive never to impede on their duty to act as the sacramental bridges between God and ourselves.  Yet, we must not get so complacent in our own faith that we simply wait for our priest to spoon feed us our daily spirituality. 

+In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Advent Daily Dose - 1st Sunday of Advent

Once again, to assist in our prayer this Advent season, we'll be offering, once again, the Daily Dose on this blog. The format will be similar to previous Advents and Lents: a link to the daily Scripture readings, followed by a brief reflection (no longer than 5 minutes of reading time). The daily dose should be posted on the blog by mid-morning each day.

I hope this provides a place and time of prayer for you during this Advent season.

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Click here for Daily Readings

Reflection
Today begins the Advent season. This entails quite a bit: it's the beginning of a new 'church year'; it marks the beginning of the Year of Faith pronounced by Pope Benedict XVI (more on this later); and it marks the beginning of a preparation process that, for many, culminates with the celebration of Christmas, the Nativity of our Lord, Our Savior, Jesus Christ.

As we begin, I would like to offer some points for prayer. If you came to one of the Masses this weekend, at which I preached the homily, you may find some of this familiar.
1. Advent is indeed a period of preparation to welcome our Lord, born once again, into our world, our hearts, our homes and our relationships.  It is a time to prepare a place for him to be born by looking inside and recommitting ourselves to our interior life with God and to striving for holiness in our relationship with Him, and with the people in our life.
2. Advent is also a period of recognition and preparation for the Second Coming of our Lord. Advent is a time to reflect upon the reality of the Lord's Coming in Glory, when, as the Gospel describes today, will be full of Glory, Power, and Judgment.  Another place for reflection then is what kind of place will the Lord finds when He does Come again?  What will he find in our hearts, our homes and our relationships.
3. I would like to offer for our reflection this image from the Book of Revelations (3:20): it's Jesus speaking through John, the writer of the Book of Revelations. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and I knock."

For our reflection and prayer: in what ways can we open, once again, the door of our hearts, homes and relationships to Jesus? And when we do open, what will He find there?

Advent is an invitation to put "our house in order." He does indeed stand there and knock- let us open up to Him and let Him nourish, strengthen and heal us!

Amen.

+In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.