12/27/2023 Christmas InnocenceDo you remember your childhood enthusiasm for Christmas? I hope so. Yes, of course, there may well have been a healthy interest in presents and hoped-for toys, and lists for Santa Claus. How could children resist wrapped presents under the Christmas tree with their names on it? Who could blame you at the time? I certainly hope you don’t blame yourself for childhood materialism. You were a child, after all. Still, didn’t the magic of the Christmas tree itself, the lights and bulbs, catch your attention? Maybe there were homemade ornaments, perhaps even made by you, and brought out each year, even though, maybe, they weren’t the most beautiful items. They were still beloved because of the effort and memories. I hope that as a child you had a chance to bake and eat Christmas treats! Angel cookies! Nut squares! Fudge! Chocolate mints! Well, anything chocolate! Perhaps you managed to ruin a meal or two with your childhood indulgence? And, I bet all the figures in the nativity scene charmed you: animals and angels, shepherds and kings, a mom and a dad with a baby. Perhaps you arranged them, setting the sheep to chat with the donkey, the shepherds to converse with kneeling wise men? That’s what my younger siblings did. There was so much room for Christmas enthusiasm as a child, when we were innocent. If you’re like me, though, looking back over decades of Christmases, you might not want any more “stuff.” Presents may have lost their charm. And you may have to be the one putting up the tree, aware that only weeks from now you’ll be taking it down again, too. And if your doctor is as fiercely determined to save you from yourself as mine is to keep me healthy, then a lot of the treats are temptations best kept at a distance. And then, there is the world around us, with fierce politics coming our way in a looming election year, and our own need to make choices, budget, keep informed and engaged. The press will provide us a relentless stream of struggle, pain and violence. It’s how they sell what they have. Do we know too much, doubt and grieve too much? Is innocence even available to us anymore? I hope so. God still breaks into the world to love us, and tell us that our lives have purpose and meaning. We need never be alone – He’ll always be with us, teaching us the way to share our lives with one another, nourishing our human longing. There can be peace for those on whom God’s favor rests. So, I encourage you. Sneak a piece of fudge when your doctor’s not looking, and go play with the figures in the nativity scene. The donkey still has interesting things to share with the sheep. And there’s a baby, whose arms are wide open, hoping you’ll pick Him up, make a place for Him in your heart, and find some real joy. I wish you and yours the best, most innocent and hopeful Christmas of your lives! Fr. Patrick Pastor 12/8/2023 Ready the way, the LORD is coming Dear Parish Family, It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas ... beautiful Christmas music and decorations everywhere, long-awaited warm drinks, and sweets. Busy making plans for gatherings with friends and family, and making sure we did not leave anyone out of our gift list. Oh what a busy season ... In our daily reminders everywhere of the season we have entered, it can be hard not to get lost in all the consumer portions of the season. Which can fill us with the stress of it all, which can lead us to frustration. Fortunately for us, we have the Advent season which helps focus us and reminds us of God’s incredible love for us. It invites us to renew our lives in preparation for the coming of Jesus. Our readings this Sunday are filled with the Good News. In our first reading, the prophet Isaiah's message to the people of Israel is that the LORD will come and lead them back to the Promised Land since the people have repented of their sins. Our psalm speaks of the attributes that accompany the LORD’s coming: peace, kindness, truth and justice. In our second reading, Saint Peter explains that the Lord Jesus is not delaying His Second Coming, but giving time to as many people as possible to reorient their lives and prepare themselves for His coming. In our Gospel, Mark makes John the Baptist’s role clear; to prepare the way for Jesus and the salvation that he would bring to us. John the Baptist did not get lost in the attention of his followers. He did this not on his own accord but to prepare the people for the coming of our Savior. This should fill us with hope and comfort! Through our Baptism we are commissioned to prepare the way of the Lord. The gift of the Holy Spirit leads us to continually renew our lives so that we might lead others to Jesus. I invite you this Advent season as you gather with family and friends, talk about ways in which the example of others has called you to be a follower of Jesus. Identify at least one action that you will take this week to try to be a more faithful follower of Jesus. Just like John the Baptist, how can you make straight the path for the Lord Jesus to come? Perhaps inviting back to church this Christmas, a friend or family member. Even if it’s just ONE. Blessings, Tere Delgado Faith Formation Minister 12/2/2023 Advent and AnticipationHappy Advent! One of the good things about Advent is that you know the day that the countdown ends. You can ask my children as they beam counting down on their Advent Calendars to the best day of their lives. They long for Christmas, all while having certainty that the day will come and they are giddy about it. Christmas is an event that is worth the anticipation. To count the days down until Christmas is a good thing and we are blessed to have a Church assist us in that anticipation. No one should argue that Christmas is not worth waiting for. One of the other things about Advent though, is that it not only prepares us for celebrating the birth of our Lord on December 25 each year, but it also helps us to anticipate our Lord’s second coming. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus is pretty direct about this when he tells the disciples to “Be watchful! Be Alert!” This is also true for us. We are called to live our lives in anticipation for Jesus coming again and contrary to popular belief, Jesus coming again is a really good thing. We hear stories and watch movies about the end times. They make us fearful and anxious. The unknown is scary to us and our imaginations can run astray when we think about the end times. Let me tell you, though, that Jesus is not advocating anticipation out of fear, but rather, he is teaching us how to live peacefully as we await Him. Throughout all of scripture there are themes of anticipation and the peace of when that anticipation is resolved. When the bride finally encounters her bridegroom, it is a moment of celebration. It is no different for us. Advent (whether it is in celebration of the past Incarnation, or the reminder of our current anticipation of our Lord) will always be a season of peace. You cannot separate peace from Advent. So yes, be watchful and alert. Not out of fear of your lives, but out of joy that you Savior is coming again to be with you. This Advent, let us practice this. Let’s celebrate the fact that we have a God that loves us so much, that He was willing to become man. But let’s also use this Advent to learn to anticipate the glorious and peaceful return of our Lord and Savior. God Bless, Brett Becker Youth and Young Adult Minister 12/1/2023 John Papillon
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