The highlight of the week was Thanksgiving Day – it is truly a great holiday – and is becoming one of the better Holy days of the year. The morning Mass was great – the music group was here to add so much to our prayer – in my talk with the folks – I used the idea that when we thank someone – we are really telling them of their great value and importance – and when we are thanked for something we have done – it should remind us of how good and valuable our lives are – and important. I used a wonderful old story – quickly here it is:
Four salesmen take the train into the city – lets say Chicago – to a meeting – at the end of the meeting, they decided to rush to the station to catch the early train – as they were running through the station one of the fellows inadvertently knocked over a table – a young boy was using to see apples – they continued to run on – but one of them noticed that the boy was blind – he stopped and returned to help pick up the apples – when he noticed that some of the apples were bruised he gave him a few dollars – as he was leaving – the boy said to him – “Are you Jesus?”
How important is our gratitude – what a message we send when we say thank you – we not only tell someone how much we care for them – but we also tell them how valuable and important their lives are ----
This Sunday we begin again our Church year – we remember the centuries that preceded the birth of Jesus – during this wonderful season of Advent. We drape the Church in purple – and we begin our spiritual preparation for Christmas – that we may truly be ready to celebrate the Birth of Our Savior.
As I do every year – I will tell the people – that Advent is about escaping from Christmas - for the next few weeks – all we will see is Christmas – trees and decorations, cards and gifts, carols and other seasonal music – we are literally barraged with Christmas – and the shop keepers struggle to make a killing – but we need a little Advent – to change the popular song – we need some time – to quietly and peacefully – pray and remember how the world was changed by the Birth of Jesus.
We begin a new Church year on this First Sunday of Advent – this year (the C year) the gospel readings will usually be from the Gospel of St. Luke. As we begin this new Church year – we are presented in this Sunday’s Gospel with Luke’s apocalyptic imagery – concentrating on the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. As we are invited to prepare ourselves to again walk the Christian journey – it is good to know our goal – where we are headed.
The huge danger as we start this journey again – is that it can seem old and stale – we have been here before – nothing has changed – same old stuff – so I encourage you to realize that our goal – the goal to find happiness and peace and joy – has not been accomplished as yet. So we have a new and important opportunity to discover the joy of living in the happy experience of the Kingdom of Our Savior. This becomes possible when we stop being a spectator and become a participant in the journey. The danger when we join together with the parish community at Mass is that we become a spectator – listening to the songs and the prayers – and not putting ourselves into the prayers – putting ourselves on the altar with our gifts – uniting ourselves with the bread and wine that will be consecrated into the Body and Blood of Jesus through the prayers of the ordained priest – then we will discover the joy and peace and love of being united with Our Savior – a union that changes us – that gives us new life. We know the story – now we must get involved – we know the people – they should be our friends by now – we know Jesus – now Jesus should become our brother. He will lead us to God – not just the God of the past – but the God of the present and future – our future.
LET US PRAY
Almighty God, my Father – open my heart and mind to this wonderful time of Advent – help me to be excited with the prospect of again walking with Jesus – open my eyes to realize your presence in my prayers and Mass – give me the faith to know Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist. This is my prayer. Amen.
Please join me as we say together the Lord’s Prayer.
Four salesmen take the train into the city – lets say Chicago – to a meeting – at the end of the meeting, they decided to rush to the station to catch the early train – as they were running through the station one of the fellows inadvertently knocked over a table – a young boy was using to see apples – they continued to run on – but one of them noticed that the boy was blind – he stopped and returned to help pick up the apples – when he noticed that some of the apples were bruised he gave him a few dollars – as he was leaving – the boy said to him – “Are you Jesus?”
How important is our gratitude – what a message we send when we say thank you – we not only tell someone how much we care for them – but we also tell them how valuable and important their lives are ----
This Sunday we begin again our Church year – we remember the centuries that preceded the birth of Jesus – during this wonderful season of Advent. We drape the Church in purple – and we begin our spiritual preparation for Christmas – that we may truly be ready to celebrate the Birth of Our Savior.
As I do every year – I will tell the people – that Advent is about escaping from Christmas - for the next few weeks – all we will see is Christmas – trees and decorations, cards and gifts, carols and other seasonal music – we are literally barraged with Christmas – and the shop keepers struggle to make a killing – but we need a little Advent – to change the popular song – we need some time – to quietly and peacefully – pray and remember how the world was changed by the Birth of Jesus.
We begin a new Church year on this First Sunday of Advent – this year (the C year) the gospel readings will usually be from the Gospel of St. Luke. As we begin this new Church year – we are presented in this Sunday’s Gospel with Luke’s apocalyptic imagery – concentrating on the second coming of Christ and the end of the world. As we are invited to prepare ourselves to again walk the Christian journey – it is good to know our goal – where we are headed.
The huge danger as we start this journey again – is that it can seem old and stale – we have been here before – nothing has changed – same old stuff – so I encourage you to realize that our goal – the goal to find happiness and peace and joy – has not been accomplished as yet. So we have a new and important opportunity to discover the joy of living in the happy experience of the Kingdom of Our Savior. This becomes possible when we stop being a spectator and become a participant in the journey. The danger when we join together with the parish community at Mass is that we become a spectator – listening to the songs and the prayers – and not putting ourselves into the prayers – putting ourselves on the altar with our gifts – uniting ourselves with the bread and wine that will be consecrated into the Body and Blood of Jesus through the prayers of the ordained priest – then we will discover the joy and peace and love of being united with Our Savior – a union that changes us – that gives us new life. We know the story – now we must get involved – we know the people – they should be our friends by now – we know Jesus – now Jesus should become our brother. He will lead us to God – not just the God of the past – but the God of the present and future – our future.
LET US PRAY
Almighty God, my Father – open my heart and mind to this wonderful time of Advent – help me to be excited with the prospect of again walking with Jesus – open my eyes to realize your presence in my prayers and Mass – give me the faith to know Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist. This is my prayer. Amen.
Please join me as we say together the Lord’s Prayer.
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