Bulletins on Sunday Bulletins (Page 13)
December 11th – Third Sunday of Advent
Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of
the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious
fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives
the early and the late rains (Letter of Saint James
5:7).
Patience is a virtue that most of us encounter in its absence; we are
sometimes aware of how often we are impatient with others and even
with ourselves. Saint James hints at an impatience even with the Lord,
Whose return seemed to be delayed. Nearly 2000 years have passed
since the apostle wrote those words, and we are still urged to be
patient.
From its origins in Latin (patior), patience is a kind of suffering. It is
not easy; it does not come to us in an easy way. So we are called to the
hard work of patience, as we walk through Advent.
During Advent, is not as if we are playing a game of “make believe”
that the first Christmas never happened. Rather, we look forward to
the Lord’s return, even as we prepare to celebrate the anniversary of
His Birth in Bethlehem.
Advent is a time of “PPP:” Prayer, Preparation and Patience
December 4th – Second Sunday of Advent
The Old Testament prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist, “the greatest
and last of the prophets,” each in his own way, announced the coming
of Jesus.
Isaiah prophesied the peaceable kingdom that Jesus, in the power of the
spirit of the Lord, would usher in. It would be a time of justice: cow
and bear, wolf and lamb, calf and lion would live together in peace.
The Baptist, on the other hand, announced Jesus’ imminent presence,
encouraging his hearers to “prepare the way of the Lord, make straight
his paths.”
This Lord came to us 2000 years ago and God’s reign is among us; yet
we live in times that are far from the perfect peace that has been
promised. Ours is the task of building up peace and justice in every
moment, every act of our lives. Only then will our world have a
chance.
November 27th – First Sunday of Advent
The Season of Advent helps to prepare us so that we may prepare the
way of the Lord. This may sound odd, since Christmas celebrates His
Birth more than 2000 years ago.
The season invites us to look back to that coming in time, even as we
look forward to His return at the end of time. But it is even more
important for us to prepare His way into our daily lives. For just as
momentous as was the Incarnation when Jesus was born of Mary, so
are the many times Jesus breaks into our world and our lives today,
tomorrow and each day.
Advent invites us to be attentive to the Lord and to prepare by works of
charity and peace to be His living presence in our world today. God
knows how much this is needed.
Let this Advent greeting give us hope: “From Christ who is, who was
and who is to come, grace, light and peace be with you all!”
Advent Candles are still available for $5.50 per set, as are copies of
the 2023 Saint Joseph Missal for Sundays and Holy Days, for $5.00.
The Spanish Misal 2023 will also be here soon and for sale for $9.50
each.
November 11th – Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe
The Jews desperately hoped for a Messiah, the Savior who would rid
them of the interference of the Romans who occupied Israel. They
wanted an earthly king who brought stability and peace. On Palm
Sunday, they proclaimed the Lord with loud Hosannas: “Blessed is He
who comes in the name of the Lord!”
And what did they get?
A suffering Savior Who is nailed to the “throne” of the Cross, on
which were written the words, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”
The images of God’s royal reign are not of riches and power, but of
servant, shepherd, and, yes, crucifixion.
Saint Paul hands on the to Colossian Christian community a hymn,
which we hear in the second reading today. The last lines are these:
He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
He is the head of the body, the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he himself might be supreme.
For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,
and through him to reconcile all things for him,
making peace by the blood of his cross
through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven.
This is the Christ we proclaim today and in Whose reign we seek to
live. In proclaiming Jesus Christ as King of the Universe, we need to
allow Him to be King of our hopes and dreams and hearts.
Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. It is for us the only true American
feast, and it is good that we try to observe it by coming together to
celebrate as we give thanks to God for all that we are and all that we
have. I hope your schedule allows you to be with us for the 10:00 am
Mass, which will have elements in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
At that Mass, we invite you to bring non-perishable food to support the
work of our Saint Vincent de Paul Society – as part of the Procession
of Gifts. Also, the collection that day will go toward this work.
Next weekend, we enter into a new liturgical year as we celebrate the
First Sunday of Advent. During that season, we proclaim Jesus Christ,
the One who is, who was and who is to come. The past and future
meet in the present. We look not only to history or some unknown
future in search of the Lord. We look around, to welcome Him into
our daily lives, in and through the people we encounter each day. May
our Advent 2022 be an opportunity for us to discover the many ways
God is present to us.
November 13th – Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
We hear more about the “end times” in the readings this Sunday. I
repeat what I wrote last weekend: That time, “the Day of the Lord,” is
not to be feared by those who live their lives well. However, “all the
proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will
set them on fire” (Malachi 3:19).
The choice, though sometimes complicated, belongs to each of us.
Will we live according to the virtues of truth, justice, peace and
forgiveness, or will we choose another path, one that does not
incorporate the way of the Lord? Even if we have occasionally walked
this way, the Lord calls us to renewal and conversion.
The coming season of Advent gives us the opportunity to reflect on the
way we live in light of the coming of the Lord long ago and His
breaking into our lives each and every day.
November 6th – Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
The readings these last Sundays of the liturgical year (which ends
Saturday after Thanksgiving), leading up to the Feast of Christ the
King, are about “end things”. . .the end of our lives and the end of the
world. For the Christian, neither are to be feared, for these days usher
in our salvation and the salvation of the world.
For us, the “Day of the Lord” need not be feared, for it brings life and
healing:
“But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays” (Malachi 3:20a).
I repeat something that should be familiar to us: We will not be judged
by the way we die, but according to how we have lived. God’s grace,
God’s own life in us, continues to call us to live in humility, service
and love. While this is not always easy and sometimes we fail in our
attempts, God leads and guides us along the right path, offering us
hope and healing.
During November, we pray in a special way for our beloved dead and
for all who have gone before us. The Book of the Names of the Dead
will remain in the sanctuary, in front of the Easter Candle, for all to
write the names of those whom you would like to be included in the
prayers of the parish this month.
October 30th – Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector, wanted to see Jesus; he was curious,
so he climbed a tree for a good view. His story, from the nineteenth
chapter of the Gospel of Luke, could have ended there, but it was only
the beginning. Jesus saw him, called him by name and went to
Zacchaeus’ house for dinner. Jesus was more than curious about the
tax collector; He was looking for him; the Lord was intent on saving
him, despite the murmurings of the “good people.”
Our individual histories mirror – or echo – this. The Lord calls each of
us by name, for God wants nothing more than our sharing His life (“I
have come that they may have life and have it to the full” [John 10:10].)
In the end, the mission of the Church is the proclamation of this good
news and, through the sacraments, to guide us in the ways of God’s
life, even as we continue to share this message “to the ends of the
earth.” Each of us shares this mission, which begins at home. . .in each
of our homes. The Gospel is not a weapon, but an invitation. Faith
cannot be forced, but learned from the example of our lives and the joy
of the Good News. Just as He was looking for Zacchaeus, so the Lord
continues to look for us and, in a special way, for those who have
wandered from Him over the years.
This is true good news for us to share.
October 23rd – Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“Jesus addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own
righteousness and despised everyone else. “Two people went up to the
temple area to pray. . .”
The “righteous” Pharisee did not pray to God, but “to himself,” for he
was truly full of himself, his own goodness, religious observance, and
so much more.
The other person, a tax collector, really prayed to God: “Be merciful to
me, a sinner.” Because of his penitential attitude, he went home
justified, for “the one who exalts oneself will be humbled and the one
who humbles oneself will be exalted.”
Sometimes, good people fall into the frame of mind of the Pharisee, so
taken with their goodness, that it blinds them to the reality of their
faults and the need to seek pardon from the Lord. As Pope Francis
teaches, “the face of God is mercy,” but to experience this compassion,
we need to be humble – honest – before the Lord. If we judge
ourselves according to the perceived faults of others, we will be lost.
Rather, we should strive to be responsive to the call to holiness in the
best ways possible for each of us.