Parish Bulletin for Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Bar 5:1-9      Phil 1:4-6, 8-11      Luke 3:1-6

Prepare the Way of the Lord.

When Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were scheduled to visit Canada, their staff in England and our staff here at home prepare weeks and even months in advance to make certain that the proper protocol would be observed and the royal couple's security would be assured. They procured detailed maps of the area to be visited and designated various routes and searched out venues. Guards were posted in selective spots.

Every eventuality, both good and bad, was anticipated, all in an effort to make the event as uneventful as possible. For the recent royal visit by Prince Charles and his wife, similarly detailed preparations preceded their appearance. We just go back in time to the visit made by the Pope and we realize the enormous preparations that precede such events. Programs are scheduled, choral presentations are practised, gifts are bought and special persons are chosen to present them in the most gracious manner possible so that the honoured one is duly recognized and appreciated.

Careful planning also accompanies the appearances of political figures and celebrity entertainers. Stages are set; lighting is adjusted; every care is taken so that the needs and whims of each guest will be fully accommodated. Some are easily pleased and relatively undemanding, while others are quite specific, requiring anything from all-green M&Ms to all-white drapes and furniture to a room temperature of 20ºC (68°F) to specific vintages of champagne or impossible-to-find specialty items.

On a smaller scale, each of us can probably relate to the task of preparing ourselves, our family and our home in order to welcome and offer hospitality to a boss, to in-laws, to relatives or to anyone with whom we would like to make a good impression. For many of us, house guests mean housecleaning. Regardless of how painstakingly detailed and arduous all of these preparatory efforts might be, they are all concerned with mere external and short-term "fixes" that fade into memory once the expected guests have come and gone.

These efforts fall short of the quality of preparedness required of those who wish to welcome life's ultimate Guest, the living Word of God made flesh, Jesus Christ. External practices, no matter how well-conceived they might be, cannot create preparedness to welcome the Messiah and Saviour of humankind. Rather, preparedness for the Lord begins within.

The only appropriate openness to God's saving action evolves from the inside out. There, within a humbled, contrite heart that knows itself to be undeserving of the blessing of forgiveness and the grace of reconciliation, a spiritual space can be cleared where God can enter in and find a welcome. There, in the emptiness that only God can fill, a disciple can begin to grow. Paul, in today's second reading, describes this process of becoming a disciple as a good work, well begun and moving toward completion that will coincide with the return of the coming Christ. To that end, Paul promised his readers that he would pray for them. The great disciple's prayers continue to call forth from within each of us a desire for discipleship that will daily express itself by continuing the ministry Jesus began.

When he realized that he was called by God to be a key player in that ministry, John the Baptizer did his best to prepare himself and his contemporaries to welcome Jesus. With images borrowed from nature, John challenged them and us to set aside the winding roads of deceit, of half-truths and hypocrisy. He calls us to fill in the valleys of fear and fawning; he bids us come out into the open to confront the evils of this world and call them by name.

John's persistent outcry demands that we smooth the rough ways of our selfishness and ambition. He warns against trying to pretend to be anyone other than who we are or to pass ourselves off as being better or worthier or more long-suffering than another. He pushes us to level the mountains of pride and self-importance as well as those molehills of needless worry we allow to grow to mountainous proportions. Only when the poetry of John's words becomes practical in our lives will our preparedness be properly underway.

"Our God Will Come to Save Us"
"Prepare the Way of the Lord"

Mass Intentions for the week

That all our beloved dead, especially

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 9

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Joseph Leenamkwong

THURSDAY, Dec 10

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † John Drake

FRIDAY, Dec 11

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Lucia Mancinella

may know the refreshment, rest, and peace of God's heavenly kingdom . . . that all those who grieve may know God's comfort and consolation . . .We pray.

For the sick...especially for

All those who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for all those who are sick . . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those in hospitals, nursing homes or confined to their homes by illness or infirmity . . . for those who feel forgotten . . . We pray.

For the special intentions we offer in the silence of our hearts, and especially on Tuesday, Dec. 8 for Praxid Romanie . . . We pray.

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Zeph 3:14-18      Phil 4:4-7      Luke 3:10-18

The Wolves of Advent

A Native American patriarch who wished to provide for the happy futures of his grandchildren often shared with them the stories of their ancestors. Each story was a tale within a tale; each held not only an entertaining piece of their shared heritage, but also a life lesson intended to cultivate wisdom.

On one occasion, the grandparent told his eager young listeners that every person has two wolves inside of them who are engaged in an ongoing struggle. One is the wolf of justice, peace and loving kindness; the other is the wolf of hatred, fear and greed. "Which wolf will win?" asked the grandson of his elder. To that the grandfather replied, "Whichever one we feed."

During the season of Advent, those who affirm their desire to continue welcoming Christ into their lives are invited to face the wolves that dwell within and vie for the precious food of our energies and attention. Identifying these wolves and calling them by name is a good first step. Deciding which to feed will set the agenda for a lifelong struggle.

As is reflected in today's Lucan Gospel, the enthusiastic preaching of John the Baptizer had caused many to question the quality of their lives and their preparedness to welcome their Saviour. Some had been feeding wolves of selfishness. Rather than share, they hoarded and overlooked the needs of the poor. Others had fed the wolves that worshipped wealth and had even sacrificed their ethics in an attempt to satisfy their growing appetites. Still others allowed the wolves of ambition and greed to lead them to lie, cheat and lord their power over the helpless. To their credit, those who heard John preach that day expressed their willingness to change and to do better. In answer to their responsiveness, John called forth their better selves to feed the wolves of mercy and compassion, of integrity and peace. These actions, John promised, would duly prepare sinners for welcoming the day of the Coming One.

Every Advent, as our attention to John and his message is renewed, each of us is challenged to follow the lead of his eager contemporaries. Repeatedly they asked, "What ought we to do?" and repeatedly John explained how they could best prepare the way for welcoming Jesus. Gathered up into the ambience of anticipation set by our ancestors in the faith, we, too, are prompted to ask: "What ought we to do? Which wolves are we to feed, and which are we to put on a permanent diet?"

With the passage of so many centuries between Jesus' first and second advents, some of us may have fallen prey to the wolves of apathy and denial. Who among us actually lives with the eager expectation that Jesus' coming is imminent? Have we done anything differently this year to prepare him a welcome?

If we were to prepare for the Lord with the same simple and joyful anticipation with which children throughout the world ready themselves for Santa Claus or St. Nicholas or Père Noël, how might that excitement enliven our hearts and fill our days and nights with longing? Some of us have been feeding the wolves of procrastination, putting off until some distant tomorrow the preparedness with which we are to live each day. Others among us have been allowing the wolves of doubt and discouragement to eat away at our hope.

We look at our world and see its ills as incurable. We wait, but without eagerness; we hope, but without conviction. We anticipate, but without enough faith to ignite our enthusiasm. As a remedy to the ravenous wolves that threaten our peace and rattle our faith, Zephaniah and Paul raise their powerful and prophetic voices with the reminder that the Lord is indeed in our midst, nearer to us than our own heartbeat.

The presence of God in Word, in Spirit, in Sacrament and in community calls for great rejoicing. Are the problems and struggles of our own lives and of our world still frighteningly near? Of course! But God is nearer still and God's presence is deeper, fuller and pervasive. Our conviction of God's presence empowers us to be joyful with the very joy of God. Our trust in God's presence allows us to stop feeding the wolves of worry and anxiety and to look ahead with sure confidence to the day when every wolf will be content to live in the presence of the Lamb.

"Rejoice in the Lord always, again, I say rejoice!'

An Advent Prayer from the Heart!

God of love, you were so generous, sending the presence of your Beloved Son to dwell among us and to tell us who you are. Encourage me during this Advent season to continue in the sharing of this loving presence through my attentiveness, given in prayer and in deeds.

You who dwell within me, remind me often to let go of my busyness and my hurriedness so that I can be with others in a loving way. Convince me that "being" is as important as "doing." Thank you for your strengthening presence. Thank you for being with me. Amen.

Mass Intentions for the week

That all our beloved dead, especially

TUESDAY, Dec. 15

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Jack Williams

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 16

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Nancy Fung

FRIDAY, Dec 18

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - † Mary Waychison

may know the refreshment, rest, and peace of God's heavenly kingdom . . . that all those who grieve may know God's comfort and consolation . . .We pray.

For the sick...especially for

All those who have asked for our prayers . . . for healing for all those who are sick . . . for courage for those in pain . . . for those in hospitals, nursing homes or confined to their homes by illness or infirmity . . . for those who feel forgotten . . . We pray.

For the special intentions we offer in the silence of our hearts, and especially on THURSDAY, Dec 17 for the intentions of Thomas and Rita . . . We pray.

Parish Bulletin for Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Mic 5:1-4     Heb 10:5-10      Luke 1:39-45

The Gift of Faith

For those without the gift of faith, the rich scriptural traditions that surround the season of Advent and the feast of Christmas are simply time-worn stories that have little impact on real life. For the unbelieving, Jesus' birth at Bethlehem (Micah) may be no more meaningful than the stories of Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. His birth at Bethlehem would be of little consequence.

It was just a little village about nine miles from Jerusalem where pilgrims could buy animals to offer as sacrifices in the temple. Bethlehem was a place where shepherds could make a decent living. Aside from that, Jesus' hometown had little else to earn it a place on the map. For those who go through life without any responsiveness to the grace of believing, Mary was just another unfortunate, unwed mother bringing a child into an unsympathetic world. Her story about her mysterious conception was so unbelievable that her intended had decided to divorce her quietly.

Unbelievers would see the practicality in that decision. Elizabeth was no more than an older lady whose unexpected maternity surprised and shocked her husband and relatives. Mary's visit to Elizabeth was simply a matter of a younger woman reaching out to care for an older relative. The leaping of Elizabeth's child would have little significance for those without faith.

Similarly, those who choose not to believe would not find much importance, if they heard it, in the recounting of the Christ-event as referenced in today's second reading from Hebrews. For those without faith, Jesus was someone whose radical lifestyle and teachings challenged the religious and political leaders of his day. His suffering and death were merely the logical consequences of his choices. His was not a sacrifice but an execution by a Roman government that quickly put an end to any threat to its power or imposed peace.

Without faith, Jesus appears as nothing more than a powerless pawn whose misfortune it was to clash with the powers that be. The world that once took some notice of him is so far off in the past that he has faded into insignificance.

However, we who live our lives under the blessing of believing will find ourselves most fortunate in celebrating this holy season. Our faith has given us eyes to see and appreciate Jesus and the Christ-event as the moment for which all of human history has prepared and from which every believer continues to find meaning, hope and purpose in life and in death. We who believe look to prophets like Micah and listen with eagerness as the now-familiar story of God's love for humankind is repeated in our hearing. Bethlehem, which means House of Bread, in its seeming insignificance figures importantly in God's plan.

There in that humble home of David would be born the Shepherd who would be peace for a fractured world and healing for wounded sinners. That peace would indeed be established, but only at a very precious cost. With a faith so profound that it calls forth a deepening of our own, the Hebrews author (second reading) has described Jesus not as the victim of Jewish rejection or Roman tyranny, but as one whose utter surrender to God and to God's will included the offering of himself, once for all (v. 10).

Because of Jesus' self-gift, the sacrificial offerings of the former covenant had faded into obsolescence. In Jesus' once-for-all perfect sacrifice, sinners are forgiven, and God and humankind are reconciled. Although it may seem inappropriate and unseasonal to speak of sacrifice and death just a few days before we celebrate the birth of the Lord of Life, the Hebrews author keeps us mindful that it is an adult Christ whose return we await. Good Friday's sighs of lament are always within earshot of Christmas' joyous Noels.

With the blessed gift of faith to enlighten us, we look also to today's Lucan Gospel, where the meeting of the mother of John and Jesus represents the coalescence of the two testaments. All that has been promised in the Hebrew scriptures finds its fulfilment in the Good News of Jesus. Leaping in his mother's womb, John expressed the joy of all who await the Christ and the redemption he will accomplish. In these two women, faith reaches out to faith, and the blessedness of their believing stirs and strengthens the faith of those who continue to await Jesus' return. Blessed are they, blessed are we, in our believing.

Come Lord Jesus!

A Christmas Message

During Advent we have been celebrating our emptiness. I suppose this sounds odd, and yet, give it a thought. If we were completely filled up we would have no room to let anyone or anything in. We would be like a clump of mud or a great thick mountain.

In scripture, the people ask God to take their hearts of stone and make them into hearts of flesh. Throughout Advent we have been asking especially for that - time to become aware of and then thank God for the spacious emptiness that a human heart has within it. Living hearts, not stone ones. But increasing emptiness and increasing darkness can be frightening.

Here in the Northern hemisphere the dark spreads out its kingdom every day as Christmas comes nearer. We see less by natural light, and our body systems squirm to readjust. Increased dark allows human beings to hunker down inside their shelter, cozy and patient, waiting for the light to come back. It helps them reflect upon themselves. Such small creatures within so vast a night!

But light had already come from that darkness. King David had been born in Bethlehem, centuries before. And, of course, the Christmas stories tell us that Jesus was born in the same town. A dark, strange wide place in the road producing kings? Yes. And in the same way, our darkness and our emptiness are where Jesus is to be born on Christmas. The places in you that are gloomy, angry, or jealous, these are your darkness. The friends who leave you behind, who have a high, family time while you are so alone, this murk is where the child will be born.

Watch Mary hasten to her cousin's house, a long trip, on foot, over dirt and sand and rocks, under the hot, hot sun. She does not have to be queenly and coddled in order to be mother of The One. She does not spend even a second worrying whether the way is too hard. Her mind sees the light that will shine from within her. Everything else is in second place.

Let your emptiness speak humbly within you. For a minute or two quit trying so hard to make everything alright. Let go and let God. That way you will get to know the one whose "origins are old." You might even, with loving respect, let him take up his home in you. He can make himself whatever size is needed.

TRY IT FOR CHRISTMAS! May all who celebrate this Holy Season at Holy Spirit be filled with the joy, hope, faith and peace of Christmas.

Happy Christmas! from the desk of Father Tom

That all our beloved dead, especially

WEDNESDAY, Dec. 23

Weekday

8:30 a.m. - †The Faithful Departed

may know the refreshment, rest, and peace of God's heavenly kingdom . . .We pray.

For the sick...especially for all those who have asked for our prayers . . . We pray.

For the special intentions we offer in the silence of our hearts, and especially on TUESDAY, Dec. 23 for the intentions of Maryannie . . . We pray.