Father Bill says...for First Sunday of Advent

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.

Father Bill says...for the Feast of Christ the King

for: the Feast of Christ the King


This past week Father Peter and I took one of our favorite rides down to Weston, Vermont – to visit the Benedictine Monastery and the Country Store. It was a gorgeous day – warm – just like the picture above. The Priory is such a peaceful place – perfect for some prayer time – God seems to be waiting everywhere – at the chapel, at the lake, in the fields – yes, even in the Book store. After visiting the priory – we headed down to the Country Store – filled with the magic of days gone by – many unique things – some rather old fashioned – some rather new – as usual, I end up buying something that I certainly don’t need but somehow it ends up in my shopping basket – and I don’t discover it until I get home. This time it was 50 clothes pins – you know, the ones with the little spring – the kind you can clamp on the clothes – or on a half filled bag of something. I am sure I will find some use for them.


This Sunday’s feast day – the Feast of Christ the King – the end of ordinary time – next Sunday, we being Advent and on to Christmas.

Today’s Gospel described Jesus before Pontius Pilate – arrested – scourged – a crown of thorns on his head – a purple cape tossed over his shoulders – Pilate asks Jesus if he is a king – Jesus answers, “You say I am a King – for this I was born and for this I came into the world.”

Jesus wants to be our king. But Jesus is not like any other king – no castle – no oppressive rule – our king comes to guide and lead us to peace and happiness. Our king walked with his people – the rich and the poor – our king teaches us with his beatitudes and parables – our king died for us on the cross – our king rose from the dead – our king continues to bring lie and spirit to his people, his kingdom – to us.

The Kingdom of God is the heart and center of Christianity – Jesus brought no new set of doctrines – rather, he came to put the Kingdom of God into practice. Our King came eating and drinking with his own – and with outcasts – he came to bring freedom and salvation to them. He taught them – but also gave them freedom and salvation. By his life, Jesus showed that it is possible to put the Kingdom into practice in this world, in our history. Jesus, as King, invites those whom he called to be his friends, brothers and sisters – to be transformed by his dominion.

So, shall we accept Jesus as our king – he leads us to peace and happiness – but are we willing to be transformed – being part of the Kingdom of God means to be transformed by his words, which are truthful – transformed by his mind – which is fully intent on God and goodness. Acceptance of Jesus as king means a transformation.

Our present world, with its wars, injustices and brutalities – demonstrates the gap between itself and the Kingdom of Christ. However, the Kingdom of God gives us hope and a vision of something better – transforming us by all that is Christ.

LET US PRAY

Almighty God, my Father – transform me today that I may be filled with the Spirit of the Kingdom – ready to bring the peace and love of Christ to my world. This is my prayer. Amen.

Please join me as we say the Lord’s Prayer together.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family

Father Bill says...for the Thirty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

This is the name plate of a huge rock face in a very narrow spot on the Rhine River – I put this up for my friend, Bob Vannier – who named his sailboat the Loreley – Bob, the hat that you see is Father Sturtz.

On Wednesday of this week, I drove up to Chasm Falls with my deacon, Elliott Shaw – to a prayer day for priests and deacons. The day was an excellent time of prayer and discussion – the discussion was truly interesting because there were young priests, old priests and deacons – so, we all heard from many different places and experiences. I was fascinated to hear the deacons speak of their experience – first of all as lay people – and now there hopes and dreams for the future of the Church. They were young in ordination – but old in experience. Their hope and confidence in the future of the Church was wonderful to hear. One of the deacons came over to me – and identified himself as someone who had been with me at Wadhams Hall – when we were students – it must have been 1953 – that was a while ago. He had studied for a couple of years and then went back to the world – now after marriage – time in the military – a long and successful career – eight children – and now decided to answer a call to be a deacon. We shared memories of those days so long ago – and also his readiness to be part of the challenges of the Church of the future as a deacon.


This Sunday is the last Sunday in ordinary time. Next Sunday will be the Feast of Christ the King – and then the next Sunday – Advent. As you may remember – the last Sunday of Ordinary Time is always dedicated to the Scriptures on the end of time – they are apocalyptic – there is the vision of Daniel in the Old Testament – and from the Gospel of Mark – Jesus speaks of the end of time.

Often the first question asked is when – when will it be – history has seen innumerable individuals who have come forward to declare – a certain day – a certain time – but we are still here, aren’t we. Jesus says – don’t worry – when the time comes, you will know.

Today, our understanding of the origin of the universe has grown immensely – they tell us that 15 billion years ago in a great explosion –things began to happen and be formed – the universe burst into life – from the center outward in creative, chaotic, unique patterns.

But the question continues to come up – what happens at the end? Daniel and Jesus in Mark’s Gospel – were speaking to people that were going through difficulties, trials and tribulations – and they wondered what the future would bring.

Let me consider only one interesting thing that Daniel mentions – Daniel writes that the good will shine brightly “like the splendor of the firmament – they shall be like the stars forever.” I was intrigued by this quote – since the present day cosmologists tell us that we are all made up of the stuff of stars – actually – there deductions lead them to say that we are truly made up of particles that were present in that first explosion – that went on to form all of the objects that populate our universe. Daniel’s image of righteous people becoming stars is sort of calling us to be true to what we are – to shine forth and radiate our goodness to others – that we all of the world to see the divine grace that is within us. – sort of a fascinating note for me.

LET US PRAY

Almighty God, my Father – fill my heart with your love – and my whole being with your faith – that I may stay hopeful and unafraid – as I race toward the end – the end of my life – I know that my turn is coming – but with your support and guidance I will use well each of the days that you give me. May I never forget that with your love I may shine forth with the spirit of your love. This is my prayer. Amen.

Please join me as we say together the Lord’s Prayer.