1st Sunday of Advent

As we begin this new Church year we are reminded by Paul “to be blameless in holiness”.  What does holiness really mean?  What does holiness really look like?  Holiness is not something far out there or high up beyond our reach; I would argue that holiness is something close to us…too close…uncomfortably close.  Holiness is doing all of the normal things we do with and for the Lord, living in God’s kingdom and spreading God’s kingdom in and through the daily situations and interactions of our lives.  That’s our mission, that’s real holiness, and that can be attained by anyone — which is why it’s scary: because it means I no longer have an excuse!  

“God has created me to do him some definite service; he has committed some work to me which he has not committed to another. I have my mission.” ~ St. John Henry Newman

4th Sunday of Advent

On this 4th Sunday of Advent, Deacon Brian gives an incredible homily on Mary’s fiat to God (“may it be done to me according to your word”) which lays the groundwork of the vision for our parishes in the coming year.  In it he uses the analogy of a NASCAR race to portray God’s first call and primary challenge for all the lay faithful to be drivers for Christ in the great Christian race of missionary discipleship, with the clergy being your pit crew and the fans being the whole world!

As we, lay parishioners and ministers alike, discern in this coming year how to transform our parishes of St. Joseph and St. Ann into communities that welcome the Lord’s call to “go and make disciples of all nations,” we ask for your prayers and support, that together we all might echo back to God Mary’s fiat: “may it be done to me according to your word,” and that we might draw many more to echo those word along with us!

2nd Sunday of Advent

I had the privilege of spending this weekend with 50 inspiring high-school-aged young men and women from throughout our diocese!  This fulfilled no Confirmation requirements for them, neither were any of them forced to come to this retreat – they generously set aside this time to step away from their busy lives and focus on growing closer to Jesus Christ through prayer, learning, sacraments, and community.  They are making God a priority in their lives, and they inspire me to want to make God more of a priority in mine as well.  Please continue to pray for the incredible youth of our diocese and the good work that God is doing in their lives!

1st Sunday of Advent

We invest in the things that are important to us – we invest time, energy, emotions, intellect, mental space, money, resources.  The more we invest in something, the more important it is to us, and the more returns it will yield; the less we invest in something, the less important it is to us and the less returns it will yield.  As we begin this Advent season, we are preparing ourselves for the coming of Christ at Christmas, and the more we invest in that preparation the more of a return this experience will yield for us.  While we prepare in a general sense for Christ’s coming, I’d like us to focus this Advent specifically on the Mass: how invested are we in the Mass?  How much more could we bring to the table?  What are the ways that others invest themselves in the experience of the Mass?  What can I learn from them and how can I come back next week ready to invest a little more in the weekend Mass experience?  God comes to us at every Mass, He has a word to speak to each one of us that pertains to this exact moment in our life, and the the more I’m investing, the more I’ll experience God at work in my life at every weekend Mass!

4th Sunday of Advent

We’ve looked at the light of Christ in our thoughts and actions.  Now, in this final week of Advent, we look at the light of Christ in our words.  In my experience, people WANT to talk about God and faith in their lives…they’re just afraid of what others will think and uncertain where others stand on the issue — so they don’t say anything.  Our words have the power to give people that opportunity to speak about God’s presence in their life.  Our words have the power to invite God into a conversation.  Our words have the power to crack open the door to God’s presence.  Others don’t have to walk through that door; they can pass by our invitation.  But for those who want to go there and just don’t know how, we can give them that opportunity.  Something as simple as, “I’ll pray for you,” can be enough.  This week: use your words to invite God into a conversation!  (I think you’ll be surprised by how positive responses can be!)

3rd Sunday of Advent

Last week it was spending time at the manger, allowing the Light of Christ to settle in our thoughts and minds.  This week it’s allowing the Light of Christ into our actions.  Little kids are so good at giving presents: at first glance their artwork  might not be a Van Gogh or Monet, but their intention in making these various works as gifts turns them into masterpieces!  Intention and generosity can transform something mediocre into something truly beautiful.  As we prepare for Jesus’s Birthday, let’s make some presents for Him this week, let’s make some works of art for Him – an extra act of generosity, an extra prayer, a task of holiday preparation or an hour of ordinary work, intentionally offered up to God as a gift: these actions might not be perfect in themselves, but given as a gift to the Lord they are transformed into something that He sees as beautiful and worthy of going up on the heavenly frig.  Let the Light of Christ into your actions this week: “God, I made this for You!”

2nd Sunday of Advent

Have you ever put yourself in the manger scene?  Have you ever experienced the birth of Jesus or the time after His birth, with Mary and Joseph, or the shepherds, or the wise men?  Lectio Divina (Latin for “Divine Reading”) is a form of Christian prayer where we read a passage of Scripture and then use our imagination to place ourselves in the scene: then we see, hear, touch, taste and feel everything as if we were there!  We interact with others in the story.  We take on different roles.  And through this form of imaginative prayer the Scriptures come alive!  At Christmas we celebrate the coming of Christ into the world, the coming of clear Light into a sometimes foggy and murky world, into our sometimes foggy and murky lives.  This week, find some time to let the Light of Christ enter your mind – spend some time in that manger scene.  (Then next week we’ll talk about the Light of Christ shining in our actions, and the final week of Advent how the Light of Christ can shine in our words.)

4th Sunday of Advent

God made a promise to King David, that He would establish a house and kingdom for him that would last forever, and that an heir of his would rule in this kingdom.  1,000 years later, that promise came true in a little baby born on Christmas – Jesus.  God gave us, in Jesus, the greatest present of all: a savior to be present with us always, so that we would never be separated from God.  This Christmas our Father wants a special present from us (in fact, the only thing He ever wants from us) – our presence with Him!

3rd Sunday of Advent

Christ is Coming!  Amidst all the preparations for Christmas – food, shopping, cleaning, gifts, cards, travel plans – it’s all because Christ is coming!  The most important preparations we make, then, aren’t the externals of the beautifully cleaned and decorated house or the delicious food we’ve prepared, but the internals of how we’ve cleaned and made room in our heart for Jesus, how we’ve prepared a meal for Him in our souls – through prayers and actions – when He comes at Christmas.  All the preparations are necessary, but the most necessary ones are the preparations that no one else can see but God.