In this e-weekly:
- For Your Marriage - US Bishops website (Catholic Website of the week-by the laptop computer)
- How One Diocese is Inviting People Back to Church This Christmas (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- Visit Nursing Homes During This Time of Year; Reflection for Second Week of Advent (Helpful Hints for Life)
***NEW***Sunday Readings and Reflections at end of e-weekly***
- For Your Marriage - US Bishops website (Catholic Website of the week-by the laptop computer)
- How One Diocese is Inviting People Back to Church This Christmas (Diocesan News and BEYOND)
- Visit Nursing Homes During This Time of Year; Reflection for Second Week of Advent (Helpful Hints for Life)
***NEW***Sunday Readings and Reflections at end of e-weekly***
Jesus’ Second Coming in Judgment in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C.
Roman Catholic Good News
Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
The Second Coming
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Matthew 25:13
Receiving the Gospel, Serving God and Neighbor
The Second Coming
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Matthew 25:13
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
During the weeks of Advent we prepare for Christ coming as the word made flesh beginning December 25. But we also prepare for His final coming at the end of time called His Second Coming, we prepare for this especially during the first two weeks of Advent.
While much is said about Christ’s Second Coming in the Holy Bible and elsewhere, the most important thing to remember is that when He comes, time and the world as we know it, ends. It does not mean Christ reigning on earth as we know it. The Second Coming means the end of time, the Final Judgment, Heaven or Hell forever. The Church puts it this way:
On Judgment Day at the end of the world, Christ will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over evil which, like the wheat and the tares, have grown up together in the course of history. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #681)
Today and everyday of our lives, but especially during Advent, we give thanks for His first coming and prepare for His Second Coming!
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
P.S. This Sunday is the Second Sunday of Advent, the second week of the new Church liturgical year! >>> Readings
During the weeks of Advent we prepare for Christ coming as the word made flesh beginning December 25. But we also prepare for His final coming at the end of time called His Second Coming, we prepare for this especially during the first two weeks of Advent.
While much is said about Christ’s Second Coming in the Holy Bible and elsewhere, the most important thing to remember is that when He comes, time and the world as we know it, ends. It does not mean Christ reigning on earth as we know it. The Second Coming means the end of time, the Final Judgment, Heaven or Hell forever. The Church puts it this way:
On Judgment Day at the end of the world, Christ will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over evil which, like the wheat and the tares, have grown up together in the course of history. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #681)
Today and everyday of our lives, but especially during Advent, we give thanks for His first coming and prepare for His Second Coming!
Peace and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by Saint Joseph,
Father Robert
P.S. This Sunday is the Second Sunday of Advent, the second week of the new Church liturgical year! >>> Readings
SACRED SCRIPTURE CORNER
Catholic Term
Second Coming (also called the Parousia)
- the glorious return and appearance of Christ Jesus as judge at the end of time
[At the second coming, Christ will judge the living and the dead. History and all creation will achieve their fulfillment. References to it are frequent in the New Testament, as the writers describe the ultimate triumph of Jesus and the establishment of his kingdom (I Thessalonians 4:15-17; Matthew 24:3-14; II Peter 1:16).]
Second Coming (also called the Parousia)
- the glorious return and appearance of Christ Jesus as judge at the end of time
[At the second coming, Christ will judge the living and the dead. History and all creation will achieve their fulfillment. References to it are frequent in the New Testament, as the writers describe the ultimate triumph of Jesus and the establishment of his kingdom (I Thessalonians 4:15-17; Matthew 24:3-14; II Peter 1:16).]
“Helpful Hints of Life”
Reflections For The Second Week of Advent
And With Your Spirit
In the United States, we mark both the second week of Advent and our third week of our sixth year with a new English translation of the Roman Missal. Every day while traveling this week, I have found myself at a different parish fumbling with both the pages and the words on the page. Though excited and (seemingly) prepared for these changes, I have been jolted a bit by the communal experience of proclaiming two of the new responses.
Four times now in the liturgy, we respond to the priest with "And with your spirit." I've joked for years with my audiences how the response "And also with you" is so imbedded in us that we would start it reflexively from a dead sleep or in a crowded supermarket if provoked by, "The Lord be with you!" That is going to take a while to undo.
The second is the Communion response formed from the Scriptural response of the Roman Centurion to Our Lord: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." Beautiful.
I find both of these responses simply beautiful to hear and proclaim together in the English even with a familiarity with "Et cum spiritu tuo" and "Domine, non sum dignus..." from the Latin.
I do harbor a mild fear, I suppose, that these distinctive appeals to "spirit" and "soul" risk affirming, in some, that ever-present false dualism regarding our human personhood. One that claims an "either/or" separation instead of a "both/and" integration of our spiritual and bodily natures.
What these changes invite is a deeper participation in the true mystery of God, His Bride the Church, and our own likeness to Him. Paradoxes, tensions, and apparent contradictions are old friends to believers: fully God and fully Man; Unity and Trinity; faith and reason; body and soul. The list goes on.
Entertaining such a dualism during this season of Advent is ironic, of course, since this is when we prepare to encounter once more "the fact that the Word of God became flesh" and "the body entered theology...through the main door" (TOB 23:4). Amen. Alleluia!
Damon Owens is a speaker with the Theology of the Body Institute. Damon and his wife Melanie have been teaching and promoting Natural Family Planning (NFP) from Seton Hall University and throughout New Jersey since 1993. They serve as NFP Program Coordinators for the Archdiocese of Newark (N.J.), and are founders of the
New Jersey Natural Family Planning Association. Damon keeps a full speaking schedule at national conferences, marriage seminars, high schools, seminaries, and youth groups on the good news of sexuality, chastity, Theology of the Body, Theology of the Family, and NFP. Damon currently lives in New Jersey with his wife Melanie, and their seven children.
In the United States, we mark both the second week of Advent and our third week of our sixth year with a new English translation of the Roman Missal. Every day while traveling this week, I have found myself at a different parish fumbling with both the pages and the words on the page. Though excited and (seemingly) prepared for these changes, I have been jolted a bit by the communal experience of proclaiming two of the new responses.
Four times now in the liturgy, we respond to the priest with "And with your spirit." I've joked for years with my audiences how the response "And also with you" is so imbedded in us that we would start it reflexively from a dead sleep or in a crowded supermarket if provoked by, "The Lord be with you!" That is going to take a while to undo.
The second is the Communion response formed from the Scriptural response of the Roman Centurion to Our Lord: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." Beautiful.
I find both of these responses simply beautiful to hear and proclaim together in the English even with a familiarity with "Et cum spiritu tuo" and "Domine, non sum dignus..." from the Latin.
I do harbor a mild fear, I suppose, that these distinctive appeals to "spirit" and "soul" risk affirming, in some, that ever-present false dualism regarding our human personhood. One that claims an "either/or" separation instead of a "both/and" integration of our spiritual and bodily natures.
What these changes invite is a deeper participation in the true mystery of God, His Bride the Church, and our own likeness to Him. Paradoxes, tensions, and apparent contradictions are old friends to believers: fully God and fully Man; Unity and Trinity; faith and reason; body and soul. The list goes on.
Entertaining such a dualism during this season of Advent is ironic, of course, since this is when we prepare to encounter once more "the fact that the Word of God became flesh" and "the body entered theology...through the main door" (TOB 23:4). Amen. Alleluia!
Damon Owens is a speaker with the Theology of the Body Institute. Damon and his wife Melanie have been teaching and promoting Natural Family Planning (NFP) from Seton Hall University and throughout New Jersey since 1993. They serve as NFP Program Coordinators for the Archdiocese of Newark (N.J.), and are founders of the
New Jersey Natural Family Planning Association. Damon keeps a full speaking schedule at national conferences, marriage seminars, high schools, seminaries, and youth groups on the good news of sexuality, chastity, Theology of the Body, Theology of the Family, and NFP. Damon currently lives in New Jersey with his wife Melanie, and their seven children.
Catholic Website of the Week
For Your Marriage
The U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has created a Website with suggestions preparing for Marriage, those who live in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and general information about it. Check it out.
Couldn't your Marriage use some special time and attention?
For Your Marriage
The U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has created a Website with suggestions preparing for Marriage, those who live in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony and general information about it. Check it out.
Couldn't your Marriage use some special time and attention?
Diocesan News AND BEYOND
How One Diocese is Inviting People Back to the Church This Christmas
By Perry West
By Perry West
As part of a recent evangelization outreach, the Archdiocese of Detroit is launching a Christmas campaign to welcome Catholics who may have been away from the Church.
“This is the way that we are responding to the invitation to share the Gospel with others. This is part of the transformation of being a mission-oriented diocese,” Edmundo Reyes, the archdiocese’s communication director, told EWTN News.
The campaign is called “Part of the Family.” Its goal is to create a welcoming environment at Mass and encourage evangelization among the parishioners through virtual tools.
Reyes said these efforts are an extension of the pastoral letter “Unleash the Gospel” released at Pentecost last year. The letter followed several years of preparation, including a year of prayer in 2014 and a synod meeting in 2016.
He said the campaign includes three parts: evangelization training, videos, and a newly published website, specifically focused on Christmas Mass times.
“Our hope is that, with these combined efforts, people that attend Mass once a year or are there for the first time, they experience what we are calling radical hospitality,” he said.
“We target at Christmas knowing there are people who come there for the first time or they haven’t been with us for a while,” he said. “One of the things is we want to be unusually gracious and hospitable for people that come to our churches.”
The first component of the campaign was a day-long evangelization event that included discussions, training, and resource material. More than 800 people from over 120 parishes in the archdiocese attended.
According to the Detroit Catholic, one of the speakers broke down the Gospel into four essential parts. Fr. John Riccardo, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth, said the Gospel’s message is on the goodness of God found in his creation, sin and its repercussions, God’s response to sin, and mankind’s response to God.
Hospitality was another major focus of the event, which was held Nov. 16. Regular Mass-goers were presented with simple steps to make people feel welcome, like greeting strangers and sitting in the middle of the pews to allow room on the outsides.
The second element of the campaign is a series of Christmas videos, focusing on the universal Catholic family and God’s incarnation, Reyes said.
“We are all part of the same family, and it’s hard to imagine, but we are celebrating God becoming part of our family. So let’s do it together,” says the narrator in the video. “This Christmas, we are thankful that you are one of us, a Catholic, part of the family.”
The first video was released on Saturday, Reyes said, and it has already received roughly 30,000 views. He said more videos will be released weekly.
In addition, paid ads will be run on spotify, youtube, and social media, inviting people to attend Christmas Mass and bring their friends and family. The ads will use geoparameters to reach people in areas near churches in the archdiocese.
The third aspect of the campaign, Reyes said, is a new website, massfinder.org, to help people navigate Christmas Mass times in the Archdiocese of Detroit. He said the website is accessible, giving people an easy way to discover Mass times and invite friends and family.
“If we want to be truly hospitable, the first encounter the people have with us is going to be trying to find out what time Christmas Mass happens.”
The website includes “share buttons” for people to send links of a specific Mass time via social media, email, or text. When it is shared, the user has access to a virtual reminder of that Mass and a map to the parish.
Especially during this season of giving, Reyes said, the most important gift that can be given is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the love of the Father.
“This is a time we celebrate the Nativity of the Lord, God becoming part of the family. And that's the theme - Part of the Family. We want make sure that people feel welcome and invited in the celebration of Jesus' birth.”
“This is the way that we are responding to the invitation to share the Gospel with others. This is part of the transformation of being a mission-oriented diocese,” Edmundo Reyes, the archdiocese’s communication director, told EWTN News.
The campaign is called “Part of the Family.” Its goal is to create a welcoming environment at Mass and encourage evangelization among the parishioners through virtual tools.
Reyes said these efforts are an extension of the pastoral letter “Unleash the Gospel” released at Pentecost last year. The letter followed several years of preparation, including a year of prayer in 2014 and a synod meeting in 2016.
He said the campaign includes three parts: evangelization training, videos, and a newly published website, specifically focused on Christmas Mass times.
“Our hope is that, with these combined efforts, people that attend Mass once a year or are there for the first time, they experience what we are calling radical hospitality,” he said.
“We target at Christmas knowing there are people who come there for the first time or they haven’t been with us for a while,” he said. “One of the things is we want to be unusually gracious and hospitable for people that come to our churches.”
The first component of the campaign was a day-long evangelization event that included discussions, training, and resource material. More than 800 people from over 120 parishes in the archdiocese attended.
According to the Detroit Catholic, one of the speakers broke down the Gospel into four essential parts. Fr. John Riccardo, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Plymouth, said the Gospel’s message is on the goodness of God found in his creation, sin and its repercussions, God’s response to sin, and mankind’s response to God.
Hospitality was another major focus of the event, which was held Nov. 16. Regular Mass-goers were presented with simple steps to make people feel welcome, like greeting strangers and sitting in the middle of the pews to allow room on the outsides.
The second element of the campaign is a series of Christmas videos, focusing on the universal Catholic family and God’s incarnation, Reyes said.
“We are all part of the same family, and it’s hard to imagine, but we are celebrating God becoming part of our family. So let’s do it together,” says the narrator in the video. “This Christmas, we are thankful that you are one of us, a Catholic, part of the family.”
The first video was released on Saturday, Reyes said, and it has already received roughly 30,000 views. He said more videos will be released weekly.
In addition, paid ads will be run on spotify, youtube, and social media, inviting people to attend Christmas Mass and bring their friends and family. The ads will use geoparameters to reach people in areas near churches in the archdiocese.
The third aspect of the campaign, Reyes said, is a new website, massfinder.org, to help people navigate Christmas Mass times in the Archdiocese of Detroit. He said the website is accessible, giving people an easy way to discover Mass times and invite friends and family.
“If we want to be truly hospitable, the first encounter the people have with us is going to be trying to find out what time Christmas Mass happens.”
The website includes “share buttons” for people to send links of a specific Mass time via social media, email, or text. When it is shared, the user has access to a virtual reminder of that Mass and a map to the parish.
Especially during this season of giving, Reyes said, the most important gift that can be given is the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the love of the Father.
“This is a time we celebrate the Nativity of the Lord, God becoming part of the family. And that's the theme - Part of the Family. We want make sure that people feel welcome and invited in the celebration of Jesus' birth.”
Pope Francis Praises the 'hidden holiness' of Everyday Saints
Vatican City, Dec 4 / 11:57 am (EWTN News/CNA) - Pope Francis cautioned against the false appearances of those who are proud or vain, saying that true holiness is found in the silent, everyday witness of the poor and humble.
“We should think about so much hidden holiness there is in the Church; Christians who remain in Jesus,” the Pope told those present in the Vatican's Saint Martha guesthouse for his Dec. 4 Daily Mass.
While there are there are some Christians who put on appearances, many others are true saints, he said, noting that they are not necessarily “canonized saints, but saints (who) put the love of Jesus into practice.”
The Pope centered his reflections on the day's first reading from the prophet Isaiah, who speaks of the importance of founding oneself on the rock of the Lord, and foretells the destruction of the high and “lofty” cities, who will be trampled by the poor and needy.
When it comes to being a true Christian, the Pope said, we should not be “Christians in appearance,” whose make-up comes off as soon as the rain begins.
“So many 'apparent Christians,' collapse at the first temptation (because) there is no substance there,” so it's not enough to simply belong to a Catholic family, an association or to be a benefactor if we don’t follow God’s will.
However, there are also many who do follow God’s will and put his love into practice every day, Pope Francis noted, pointing to those who are considered small but who offer their daily suffering to the Lord.
“Let us consider the sick who offer their sufferings for the Church, for others. Let us consider so many of the elderly who are alone, who pray and make offerings,” he said, also recognizing the many families who work hard to raise children and who don’t “strut about,” but bear their problems with hope.
These people are “the saints of daily life,” the Pope said. He also lauded the witness of the many parish priests who carry out their work with love, and without being seen.
Priests who work hard catechizing children, caring for the elderly and the sick, and preparing couples for marriage do the same thing every day, he said, but never get bored “because their foundation is the rock. It is Jesus, it this that gives holiness to the Church, it is this that gives hope!”
Even these hidden saints are still sinners, because we all are, he observed, saying that when a good Christian sometimes falls and commits a grave sin but is penitent and asks forgiveness, it is a good thing.
“Not confuse sin with virtue,” the Pope said, explaining that it’s good to “know well where virtue is, and where sin is, (but) these (people) are founded on rock, and the rock is Christ.”
The proud and the vain are those who have built their house on sand, the Pope said, noting that as the prophet Isaiah said in the first reading, they will be “demolished” while the poor and those who consider themselves nothing in the sight of God will triumph.
He concluded his reflections by encouraging all present to use the time of Advent, in which we prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas, to place our foundation on the Lord, who is our rock and our hope.
“We are all sinners, we are weak, but if we place our hope in Him we can go forward. And this is the joy of a Christian: knowing that in Him there is hope, there is pardon, there is peace (and) there is joy.”
“We should think about so much hidden holiness there is in the Church; Christians who remain in Jesus,” the Pope told those present in the Vatican's Saint Martha guesthouse for his Dec. 4 Daily Mass.
While there are there are some Christians who put on appearances, many others are true saints, he said, noting that they are not necessarily “canonized saints, but saints (who) put the love of Jesus into practice.”
The Pope centered his reflections on the day's first reading from the prophet Isaiah, who speaks of the importance of founding oneself on the rock of the Lord, and foretells the destruction of the high and “lofty” cities, who will be trampled by the poor and needy.
When it comes to being a true Christian, the Pope said, we should not be “Christians in appearance,” whose make-up comes off as soon as the rain begins.
“So many 'apparent Christians,' collapse at the first temptation (because) there is no substance there,” so it's not enough to simply belong to a Catholic family, an association or to be a benefactor if we don’t follow God’s will.
However, there are also many who do follow God’s will and put his love into practice every day, Pope Francis noted, pointing to those who are considered small but who offer their daily suffering to the Lord.
“Let us consider the sick who offer their sufferings for the Church, for others. Let us consider so many of the elderly who are alone, who pray and make offerings,” he said, also recognizing the many families who work hard to raise children and who don’t “strut about,” but bear their problems with hope.
These people are “the saints of daily life,” the Pope said. He also lauded the witness of the many parish priests who carry out their work with love, and without being seen.
Priests who work hard catechizing children, caring for the elderly and the sick, and preparing couples for marriage do the same thing every day, he said, but never get bored “because their foundation is the rock. It is Jesus, it this that gives holiness to the Church, it is this that gives hope!”
Even these hidden saints are still sinners, because we all are, he observed, saying that when a good Christian sometimes falls and commits a grave sin but is penitent and asks forgiveness, it is a good thing.
“Not confuse sin with virtue,” the Pope said, explaining that it’s good to “know well where virtue is, and where sin is, (but) these (people) are founded on rock, and the rock is Christ.”
The proud and the vain are those who have built their house on sand, the Pope said, noting that as the prophet Isaiah said in the first reading, they will be “demolished” while the poor and those who consider themselves nothing in the sight of God will triumph.
He concluded his reflections by encouraging all present to use the time of Advent, in which we prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas, to place our foundation on the Lord, who is our rock and our hope.
“We are all sinners, we are weak, but if we place our hope in Him we can go forward. And this is the joy of a Christian: knowing that in Him there is hope, there is pardon, there is peace (and) there is joy.”
A bit of humor…
Some Thoughts:
-Isn’t it odd the way everyone automatically assumes that the goo in soap dispensers is always soap? I like to fill mine with mustard, just to teach people a lesson in trust.
-The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.
-Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give their vacuum one more chance? -Only in America… do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
Confessions of a Store Santa
While I was working as a store Santa, a boy asked me for an electric train set. “If you get your train,” I told him, “your dad is going to want to play with it too. Is that all right?”
The boy became very quiet. So, moving the conversation along, I asked, “What else would you like Santa to bring you?”
He promptly replied, “Another train.”
4-Year Old
A 4-year-old boy was asked to return thanks before a big dinner. The family members bowed their heads in expectation. He began his prayer, thanking God for all his friends, naming them one by one. Then he thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all his aunts and uncles. Then he began to thank God for the food. He gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes, even the Cool Whip.
Then he paused, and everyone waited--and waited. After a long silence, the young fellow looked up at his mother and asked, "If I thank God for the broccoli, won't he know that I'm lying?"
I Don't Want to Go
Thanksgiving day was approaching and the family had received a Thanksgiving card with a painting of a pilgrim family on their way to church.
Grandma showed the card to her small grandchildren, observing: "The Pilgrim children liked to go to church with their mothers and fathers."
"Oh yeah?" her young grandson replied, "So why is their dad carrying that rifle?"
The Sunday School Teacher asks, "Now, Johnny, tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating?"
"No sir," little Johnny replies, I don't have to. My mom is a good cook."
Sign on a church bulletin board: "Merry Christmas to our Christian friends. Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends. And to our atheist friends, good luck.
“St. Chromatius reminds us that Advent is a time of prayer, in which we must enter into contact with God. God knows us, He knows me, He knows each of us. He loves me, He does not abandon me. Thus trustingly, let us proceed into the liturgical time that has just begun."
-Pope Benedict XVI
-Isn’t it odd the way everyone automatically assumes that the goo in soap dispensers is always soap? I like to fill mine with mustard, just to teach people a lesson in trust.
-The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.
-Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give their vacuum one more chance? -Only in America… do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
Confessions of a Store Santa
While I was working as a store Santa, a boy asked me for an electric train set. “If you get your train,” I told him, “your dad is going to want to play with it too. Is that all right?”
The boy became very quiet. So, moving the conversation along, I asked, “What else would you like Santa to bring you?”
He promptly replied, “Another train.”
4-Year Old
A 4-year-old boy was asked to return thanks before a big dinner. The family members bowed their heads in expectation. He began his prayer, thanking God for all his friends, naming them one by one. Then he thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all his aunts and uncles. Then he began to thank God for the food. He gave thanks for the turkey, the dressing, the fruit salad, the cranberry sauce, the pies, the cakes, even the Cool Whip.
Then he paused, and everyone waited--and waited. After a long silence, the young fellow looked up at his mother and asked, "If I thank God for the broccoli, won't he know that I'm lying?"
I Don't Want to Go
Thanksgiving day was approaching and the family had received a Thanksgiving card with a painting of a pilgrim family on their way to church.
Grandma showed the card to her small grandchildren, observing: "The Pilgrim children liked to go to church with their mothers and fathers."
"Oh yeah?" her young grandson replied, "So why is their dad carrying that rifle?"
The Sunday School Teacher asks, "Now, Johnny, tell me frankly do you say prayers before eating?"
"No sir," little Johnny replies, I don't have to. My mom is a good cook."
Sign on a church bulletin board: "Merry Christmas to our Christian friends. Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends. And to our atheist friends, good luck.
“St. Chromatius reminds us that Advent is a time of prayer, in which we must enter into contact with God. God knows us, He knows me, He knows each of us. He loves me, He does not abandon me. Thus trustingly, let us proceed into the liturgical time that has just begun."
-Pope Benedict XVI
Collects (Opening Prayers) for Advent
These prayers, faithful translations of the Latin Collects, or opening prayers, may be said every evening when the Advent wreath is lit.
First Week
Stir up your power, O Lord, and come, that by your protection we may be rescued from the dangers that beset us through our sins; and be a Redeemer to deliver us; Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
[In English-speaking countries, this Sunday was called "Stirrup Sunday", because the "stir-up" of the Collect was the signal to begin to "stir-up" the fruits for the baking of Christmas cakes and puddings.]
Second Week
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the paths of your Only-begotten Son: that we may worthily serve you with hearts purified by His coming: Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Third Week
We beseech you to listen to our prayers, O Lord, and by the grace of your coming enlighten our darkened minds: You who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
[On the third Sunday in Advent, Gaudete Sunday, the Church can no longer contain her joyful longing for the coming of the Savior. We light the rose candle and rejoice that our redemption is so close at hand. Gaudete comes from the Latin Antiphon, which begins, "Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete.." [Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice...]. On this day, rose-colored vestments may be worn, and flowers may decorate the church. ]
Fourth Week
Pour forth your power, O Lord, and come: Assist us by that mighty power, so that by your grace and merciful kindness we may swiftly receive the salvation that our sins impede: Who live and reign with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
These prayers, faithful translations of the Latin Collects, or opening prayers, may be said every evening when the Advent wreath is lit.
First Week
Stir up your power, O Lord, and come, that by your protection we may be rescued from the dangers that beset us through our sins; and be a Redeemer to deliver us; Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
[In English-speaking countries, this Sunday was called "Stirrup Sunday", because the "stir-up" of the Collect was the signal to begin to "stir-up" the fruits for the baking of Christmas cakes and puddings.]
Second Week
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the paths of your Only-begotten Son: that we may worthily serve you with hearts purified by His coming: Who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Third Week
We beseech you to listen to our prayers, O Lord, and by the grace of your coming enlighten our darkened minds: You who live and reign with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen.
[On the third Sunday in Advent, Gaudete Sunday, the Church can no longer contain her joyful longing for the coming of the Savior. We light the rose candle and rejoice that our redemption is so close at hand. Gaudete comes from the Latin Antiphon, which begins, "Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete.." [Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice...]. On this day, rose-colored vestments may be worn, and flowers may decorate the church. ]
Fourth Week
Pour forth your power, O Lord, and come: Assist us by that mighty power, so that by your grace and merciful kindness we may swiftly receive the salvation that our sins impede: Who live and reign with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
+JMJ+
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couple or Family Discussion
The Second Sunday of Advent - December 9th, 2018
The First Reading- Baruch 5:1-9
Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever: wrapped in the cloak of justice from God, bear on your head the mitre that displays the glory of the eternal name. For God will show all the earth your splendor: you will be named by God forever the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship. Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children gathered from the east and the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God. Led away on foot by their enemies they left you: but God will bring them back to you borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones. For God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God. The forests and every fragrant kind of tree have overshadowed Israel at God’s command; for God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company.
Reflection
Today’s first reading from the prophet Baruch offers the image of Israel who had been led off in slavery being returned to their homeland in security, making the path easier for us “… God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company.”
Adults - Have you ever wondered off the path to God? How did you find your way back? Who or what helped you?
Teens - Do you ever think about your faith as a heritage? One that has been, or will be passed down through many generations of your family?
Kids - How does God show mercy?
Responsorial- Psalm 126: 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Reflection
-Reflect on the great things God has done for you.
The Second Reading- 1 Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
Brothers and sisters: I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Reflection
In the second reading, Paul prays for us that our “… love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value.”
What good work might God being trying to start in you?
The Holy Gospel according to Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Reflection
In the Gospel, Luke recalls a passage from the prophet Isaiah, similar to Baruch, which invites us to prepare the way of the Lord. In our preparation, God will remove the obstacles that would prevent us from being with God. “Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Here is the point: When we make an effort to invite Jesus into our hearts, God begins to remove anything that would stand between us and God. God wants to be close with every one of us. He is always there, waiting for us to turn to him. When we do — when we seek to become what God dreams for us to be —God helps us in every way to get there.
Adults - The key to having God remove our obstacles is shown to us in these readings— that we would “discern what is of value.” How can knowing what is really of value, and making those things a priority help you to prepare your heart for receiving Jesus as you prepare for Christmas?
Teens -Are there any obstacles in your relationship with God? What about in your other relationships? God is not a provider of obstacles — God is a provider of restoration. What needs to be restored in your relationships, and how can God help you with that?
Kids -Did you ever try to do something that was just too big for you, that you couldn’t do on your own? Who helped you to accomplish it? Why do you think they helped you? How did it make you feel to know that you didn’t have to do it all by yourself?
SUNDAY MASS READINGS AND QUESTIONS
for Self-Reflection, Couple or Family Discussion
The Second Sunday of Advent - December 9th, 2018
The First Reading- Baruch 5:1-9
Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever: wrapped in the cloak of justice from God, bear on your head the mitre that displays the glory of the eternal name. For God will show all the earth your splendor: you will be named by God forever the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship. Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children gathered from the east and the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God. Led away on foot by their enemies they left you: but God will bring them back to you borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones. For God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God. The forests and every fragrant kind of tree have overshadowed Israel at God’s command; for God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company.
Reflection
Today’s first reading from the prophet Baruch offers the image of Israel who had been led off in slavery being returned to their homeland in security, making the path easier for us “… God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company.”
Adults - Have you ever wondered off the path to God? How did you find your way back? Who or what helped you?
Teens - Do you ever think about your faith as a heritage? One that has been, or will be passed down through many generations of your family?
Kids - How does God show mercy?
Responsorial- Psalm 126: 1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.
Reflection
-Reflect on the great things God has done for you.
The Second Reading- 1 Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
Brothers and sisters: I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.
Reflection
In the second reading, Paul prays for us that our “… love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value.”
What good work might God being trying to start in you?
The Holy Gospel according to Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Reflection
In the Gospel, Luke recalls a passage from the prophet Isaiah, similar to Baruch, which invites us to prepare the way of the Lord. In our preparation, God will remove the obstacles that would prevent us from being with God. “Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Here is the point: When we make an effort to invite Jesus into our hearts, God begins to remove anything that would stand between us and God. God wants to be close with every one of us. He is always there, waiting for us to turn to him. When we do — when we seek to become what God dreams for us to be —God helps us in every way to get there.
Adults - The key to having God remove our obstacles is shown to us in these readings— that we would “discern what is of value.” How can knowing what is really of value, and making those things a priority help you to prepare your heart for receiving Jesus as you prepare for Christmas?
Teens -Are there any obstacles in your relationship with God? What about in your other relationships? God is not a provider of obstacles — God is a provider of restoration. What needs to be restored in your relationships, and how can God help you with that?
Kids -Did you ever try to do something that was just too big for you, that you couldn’t do on your own? Who helped you to accomplish it? Why do you think they helped you? How did it make you feel to know that you didn’t have to do it all by yourself?