click here for full bulletin
Letter From Father John
I want to take this occasion to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. The Messiah has brought great joy! Let us allow this joy to grow within us during this Christmas season!
The readings from December 12 were a continuation of the Gospel from December 5 in which John the Baptist is presented as a traveling preacher who offered a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. In those readings, we see John acting as a mentor to those who would participate in the coming reign of God.
John’s main message is “prepare the way of the Lord; make straight his path.” What you will see and experience will be transformational, as is foretold and predicted in Isiah 9:1-2: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light, upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone, you have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing.”
The theme for the third week of Advent is the absence of darkness overwhelmed by the coming of Christ. Known as Gaudete Sunday, the name is taken from the entrance antiphon of the Mass which is: Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice. Indeed the Lord is near. On Gaudete Sunday, the season of Advent shifts its focus. For the first two weeks of Advent, the focus is the “Lord is coming,” but beginning on Gaudete Sunday, we shift to the “Lord is near.” There is a heightened sense of joyous anticipation. The colors lighten as well. The priest usually wears rose colored vestments. These vestments that are only worn twice a year appear on Gaudete and on Laetare Sunday (the middle point of Lent). We light the third candle of the Advent Wreath which is also rose colored. The theme, as I have said earlier, is “Rejoice!” In times when our focus and anticipation can be negative or fearful, this celebration is a reminder that God, who loves us, is still in charge and that we await his coming, not with fear, but with tremendous joy.
As Saint Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians: “Brothers and Sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: Rejoice. Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God”.
How do we participate in this joy? It is through our faith in a God who loves us, through our belief in a God we know through our prayer and experience. In the great words of Saint Paul “The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” It is the finding of this peace which is beyond understanding that transforms us from a day to day Catholic to a person deeply rooted in God’s desires for us. If we are to find this peace in our depths, we should pray for this gift unceasingly, trusting that what God has promised us, He will fulfill. What does it take on our part… a passion and hunger to know God more?
Finally, God is near. Always near. The Messiah is here – that’s the great news. God keeps knocking at our hearts. He wants to be a major part of our lives. Let us grow in the capacity to be amazed and surprised by God. Spend time in prayer; contemplate Christ’s presence all around us; seek Him daily; put Him first. We are entering a new year of Grace. Let it really count.
“What good is it to me if the Eternal Birth of the Divine Son takes place unceasingly but does not take place within myself? What good is it to me for the Creator to give birth to the Son of God if I do not also give birth to Him in my time and my culture?” (Meister Eckhart, c. 1260-1328)
Fr. John