A word from Pope Francis ~ “If Christ were not raised, Christianity would lose its very meaning; the whole mission of the Church would lose its impulse, for this is the point from which it first set out and continues to set out ever anew.”
On this final Sunday of November, we celebrate the First Sunday of Advent and a new Liturgical Year. We begin a new cycle in our celebrations of the Liturgy. This year our primary Sunday Gospel will be the Gospel of Luke. Week by week, season by season, Luke’s picture of the person of Jesus will unfold before us. We will be telling our family stories. Some are humorous. Some are tragic. Most deal with familiar, common everyday events. These stories are life-lessons about birth, coming of age, dealing with hardship, sickness, death and all of the joys and struggles of life. These stories tell us who we are and where we are headed. Just as we take the time to listen to the stories of those we love and grow in our relationships with them, we are called to listen to the stories of our church family and grow in our relationship with God and each other. This new beginning is a new opportunity. In spite of our struggles with the COVID-19 virus, let us be grateful for the year that has been and for the year ahead of us.
One of the major themes of Advent is an invitation to recognize the presence of the Lord in the darkness and stillness of December. Our difficulty is that December is one of our busiest months. Even with the COVID-19 restrictions, there is still all of the activity around us. It is easy to miss the simple “comings” of the Lord all around us. While we can’t change the pace of the month and the circumstances in which we live, we can try to build some quiet moments into our day where we can wait for the Lord in prayerful stillness. I have found that individual, daily quiet prayer is the key. Even a few minutes of daily personal prayer (especially silent, listening prayer) can change the tone of this season for us.
Advent is one of those ideal times to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Our regular times for the Sacrament of Reconciliation are on Saturdays, following the 8:15am Mass (8:45 until 10:00am). We have added additional Reconciliation times on the Fridays of Advent (December 3, 10 &17) following the 7:00am Mass (7:30-8:30am). Our Advent Reconciliation Service will be held on Monday, December 13th at 7:00pm. Additional priests will be with us. We will have additional reconciliation times during the Fourth Week of Advent following our daily Masses on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Looking ahead – the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary will be celebrated on Wednesday, December 8th. Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the United States of America and this day is a holy day of obligation in our country. Additional Masses will be celebrated on Tuesday evening and on the feast day. Since the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe falls on a Sunday this year (December 12th), it is replaced by the Third Sunday of Advent. In order to appropriately honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, we will celebrate her feast on Friday, December 10th with the traditional early morning Mass and the evening celebration at 7pm. The Filipino novena of Simbang Gabi will be celebrated at our parish on Friday, December 17th with an evening Mass at 7:00pm.
The 2021 Catholic Ministries Annual Appeal concludes at the end of the calendar year and we are moving into the final month of the Appeal. This Appeal is the major source of funding for most of our Diocesan ministries and charities. Since the COVID-19 restrictions at the time prevented us from conducting our usual in-pew Sign-Up Sunday appeal, the main push for the 2021 CMAA was done through the mail. Unfortunately, we have significantly less donors this year than in previous years. And even though our parish goal was reduced to $167,300, we are significantly short in meeting our goal in pledges, let alone in paid pledges. If you were not able to make a pledge this year, please join those who have and help us meet our parish obligations to our larger diocesan church.
Last December, Pope Francis proclaimed a “Year in Honor of St. Joseph,” extending from December 8, 2020 through December 8, 2021. As we near the end of that year, I am happy to offer the following:
Prayer for The Year of Saint Joseph
Holy Saint Joseph, guardian of Jesus Christ, husband of the Blessed Mother and patron of the Catholic Church, we pray to you for guidance this “Year of Saint Joseph.”
You have showed us by your loving ways, the value of work and the joys of fatherhood. By teaching God’s Son to do the will of His Father you have given us the path to do the same. By your example, you have encouraged us to accept others as they are, without exception.
To you, Saint Joseph, our Heavenly Father entrusted his only Son, Jesus Christ to your tender care and upbringing. In you, our Blessed Mother Mary placed love and trust. Through your mentoring, Jesus Christ became man.
We praise you and ask of you to defend us and our loved ones from every evil and guide us with your grace and mercy. Amen.
New beginnings are good. Advent is a very beautiful, though short season. Some of the most powerful readings in Scripture will be opened before us. Let’s take advantage of these opportunities, listen to our stories and enter the season as best as we can. I am certain that God is lurking in this new beginning and can readily be found. May God continue to bless us with all that we need, and more.
Fr. Jim Murphy