2023 BI Advent Reflection Booklet

THE2023BI SHOPI RETON ADVENTREFLECTI ON BOOKLET W RI TTEN BYTHEBIFACULTY& STAFF

The 2023 Bishop Ireton Advent Reflection Booklet Written by the BI Faculty and Staff

Thank you to all the contributors. May God bless you as you read and reflect on His word this Advent season.

Opening Message

By Kathleen McNutt, Head of School Dear Bishop Ireton Community, Advent Started with a "Yes"! (Lk 1: 26-38) So often, we are worried about not overextending ourselves, trying to keep a balanced life, and sometimes just trying to keep our head above water. As a wife, mother, daughter, daughter-in-law, friend and professional woman, I spend time trying to care for my relationships, love my husband, support my children, serve where I can, do my best at a challenging and rewarding job, and still find time for self-care. And while all of these things may be important,quality time done in love and service, I can still lose sight of the reason for all of it in the busy-ness. God isn't just one more thing to do, He is the "Yes" that should come first.

How perfectly Mary answered God's call with yes when the angel Gabriel told her that she would bear God's son. Mary's "yes" wasn't just that she would do what God asked, her "yes" was to do it according to His plan. That's the "yes" we need to remind ourselves of daily through prayer - yes to His plan. In this Advent season, let us remember to turn the control over to God. Let us turn the busy-ness and the many needs towards love of the Christ Child and His amazing plan for us.

God Bless and Live Jesus,

Kathleen McNutt Head of School

Opening Salesian Advent Reflection

By Father Donald Heet, OSFS Who is the person or persons alive today that you would most like to meet? Who would you most like to have a quiet conversation with? Would it be Pope Francis, a political leader, a sports hero, author, entertainer? Now imagine you were to get word that this person was coming to Northern Virginia and that he/she heard about your admiration, and so he/she wanted to come and have dinner at your house.

Just you and that person and, if you like, maybe a few of those people who are closest to you. What would you do to get ready?

You would certainly plan to prepare a wonderful meal, the very best you could. You would want your house to be as clean and comfortable as possible; maybe shampoo the rugs, wash the windows, make sure the dishes and the flatware were all spotless, rake all the leaves off the lawn – and then do it again just before he/she arrived. Yes, it would be a lot of work, but if you knew it was something your special guest would appreciate, you would be happy to do your best to make him/her feel welcome.

That of course is the spirit behind Advent. In the Gospel, John the Baptist proclaims a gospel of repentance. “Prepare the way of the Lord,” he says, “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.” Repentance is a major theme in Advent; we are called to repent, not out of fear, but out of joyful anticipation. We turn away from our sins so that we may welcome our Lord and Savior.

Of course, we are called to turn away from sins throughout the year, not just the four weeks before Christmas. But Advent is an opportune time to ritualize our repentance. With all of the commercialization and hype about Christmas, the sense that December 25 is a day we look forward to is deeply ingrained in our culture and in our consciousness. At least in our western culture, getting ready for Christmas is something we and so many around us do. The liturgical season of Advent builds upon that spirit and reminds us that the real meaning of Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our Savior.

What better way to prepare for that celebration than by turning away from our sins. And so, the advent readings call on us to repent.

John the Baptist was calling on the people of his time to repent and prepare the way for the messiah, the one who would be their savior. And as Jesus later would tell his disciples, John was preaching to and baptizing tax collectors, prostitutes and those known to be sinners. Jesus tells us that these people heard his preaching and repented. And that is good news for us.

In every age there are those of us who need to level high mountains and fill in some deep valleys of our lives, to repent of major sins: sex outside of marriage, adultery, physical, mental, or sexual abuse of others, abortion, violent anger, driving while intoxicated, and other serious sins. Advent is a wonderful time to turn away from such sins; advent is a time of redemption and of forgiveness. After all, the child whose birth we are preparing to celebrate came to save his people from their sins.

But what if we are not guilty of such grave sins? What if our sins are much more garden variety: losing our temper, using foul offensive language, telling “white lies”, neglecting our prayers. Sins that are clearly venial. These are still sinful and if we are guilty of them, we are still called to repent. In other words,

every one of us has areas in our lives where we need to repent, where we need to grow. Whether they be great or small, our sinfulness is something that gets in the way of our welcome to Christ.

Advent is the season when we are called to repent, and the sacrament of penance is the means the church gives us to celebrate our repentance and our forgiveness. Too often we tend to look at the agony of confessing our sins as its own punishment rather than the gift of liberation from our sins that God intends. And to be sure, over the years there have been too many priests who have failed to celebrate it as a joyful occasion that it is meant to be, but in fact, it is intended to be the joyous celebration and culmination of our repentance, a time when we hear that our sins are forgiven.

These are times to make ready the way of the Lord, to level those mountains and fill in those valleys, to renew our determination to live lives that are pure and blameless, filled with the fruit of righteousness, to celebrate advent as the church intends.

Because Advent is the time to prepare a welcome for the Son of God, the guest who loves us, the guest who comes to save us, the guest who gives us the gift of eternal life.

From Darkness, There Is Light

By Brother Dan Wisniewski, OSFS One of the key themes of Advent is the interplay between darkness and light, and the powerful images conveyed. In fact, our own physical experience of the season expresses this, after we turn the clocks back an hour and the evening darkness arrives earlier each night. With this change in our environment, it seems even more appropriate that we begin to see festive light displays in the neighborhoods and shopping centers – we bring some light into dark spaces. Our traditions and rituals during the season in preparation for Christmas also reflect this (literally) with an increasing use of candlelight in the Advent wreath, adding a lit flame to one more candle each week. Except for the pink Gaudete candle during the third week, the deep violet, blue, or purple of candles, vestments and altar decorations in church remind us of the darkness surrounding us at this time of year.

In a sermon given in 1613, Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622) uses the imagery of darkness and light to call our attention to the powerful mystery found in the gift of the Incarnation we celebrate at Christmas: For this is a mystery hidden in the obscurity of night’s darkness. Of course the mystery is not really dark at all, for God is light. Just as our unaided eyes cannot look directly into the sun’s brilliant light without our having to close them immediately, being momentarily blinded, so, in a similar way, our understanding is blinded and darkened by the brilliant light and splendor of the mystery of the Incarnation.

Hence, it is fitting that in our retelling of the story of Christmas, most especially with angelic revelations to shepherds and star-guided treks of kings, there are shining lights cutting through the darkness guiding the way and gathering visitors to the manger illuminated by rays of light breaking through clouds of night.

So, while we await the celebrations of Christmas Day, let the lights which decorate our homes, offices, classrooms, and supermarkets remind us of the mysterious gift of the Incarnation – the Ray of Light shining through the darkness to comfort and guide us through our daily struggles, fears, and frustrations.

With each blinking bulb, may we recall that the Lord is near.

Our patron Francis de Sales calls us to “Live Jesus” which he modeled so well for us through his life and teachings. In a special way during Advent, as we strive to do so, may we also be a light, making the Lord near to others we encounter each day. In so doing, the Incarnation – “man is God and God is man” – remains a powerful gift for all of us.

Focus on Repentance

By Joseph Jacobeen The violence in Israel this year reminds me of the many attacks Israel faced in Biblical times. No time was so dire as that of Isaiah, when the nation, already split in two, was in the process of first being conquered first by Assyria, then overrun by and deported to Babylon.

One might be tempted to focus on the evil coming from without. But Isaiah knows that Israel’s main problem lies not in external attacks from their enemies. “We are sinful,” Isaiah admits, “...all of us have become like unclean people, all our good deeds are like polluted rags.” It is a call not to blame my troubles on the world around, but the world within.

G.K. Chesterton wrote a book called What’s Wrong with the World. Apparently, someone once asked the author, “What is wrong with the world?”

Chesterton wrote back, “Dear sir, I am. Yours, G.K. Chesterton”.

Alcoholics Anonymous has a similar principle: “When I am disturbed, there is something wrong with me.”

While usually Advent brings anticipation of the joy of Christmas, the official liturgical color is purple.

Penance. While Advent does not have the same intensity as Lent, the Church wants us to begin in a similar place: repentance, recognition of my great need to be saved, not from trials from without, but to be saved from myself.

Let’s hear and echo the heartache in Isaiah’s plea to God, our Father: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you, while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for, such as they had not heard of from of old.”

Lord God, please send your Son to come down and rend my heart, to convict me of my sin, that I might allow you to work the awesome deed of the restoration of my life! Come, Lord Jesus!

Gifts to the Birthday Boy

by Father Noah Morey Imagine that you’ve invited people to your birthday party. As the guests arrive, they completely ignore you and begin to exchange their gifts with one other instead. Remember, it’s your birthday, but no one brought anything for you. No one even wished you a happy birthday or thanked you for the invitation.

You might feel upset or maybe sad, and perhaps offended that people had the audacity to show up, and yet not even greet you as the host. Sometimes I think that’s how Jesus feels. Amid the busy preparations for Christmas, it’s easy to fill our schedules with shopping, baking, and running around, and very little attention given to Christ Himself. While everyone loves to celebrate Christmas, the birthday boy is too often forgotten or overlooked. So, what meaningful gift will we give him on Christmas day? The Church gives us the season of Advent to answer that question.

Advent, from the Latin word for “coming,” is the period of spiritual preparation for Christmas. It marks the beginning of the Church’s year. And the liturgical color changes to purple to signify royalty, and a time of penance and preparation, as we await the birth of Jesus, the King of kings. Advent is a time to recall the first coming of Christ and to look forward to His coming at the end of time. Thus, before we reflect on the Holy Family and the Bethlehem scene, the Church always fixes our attention on the second coming of Christ. In between these two “comings,” Jesus comes to us in the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. Thus, we can speak of Jesus coming in three ways: in history, in mystery, and in majesty. In the Eucharist, God’s desire for union with us is so strong that He gives Himself to us as food. It is no coincidence that He was laid in a manger in Bethlehem. A manger is a place where sheep and other animals eat, and the word “Bethlehem” means “House of Bread.” These two images are fused together in the Eucharist, where bread is changed into the Body of Christ so that we, the sheep, may eat. That’s how much God loves us; He becomes food to nourish us.

And so, Advent is a time to cry out with the early Christians: Come, Lord Jesus! Come into every aspect of my life to transform me from within me. The Church, in her wisdom, has given us the season of Advent to prepare ourselves to receive the King of the universe. He’s not looking for decorative wrapping paper and bows and ribbons. He’s looking to be the king of our heart, the beloved of our soul, the love of our life. He doesn’t want a physical gift for his birthday; He wants us. And therein lies the paradox: on His birthday, He gives Himself to us as a helpless baby, so that we might learn to give ourselves back to him—every day of our lives—in prayer and works of charity. This is why we prepare ourselves spiritually during Advent, so that on Christmas morning, the birthday boy will find us ready to give ourselves to Him, who has already given Himself to us, which is the greatest gift He could possibly give.

During this busy Advent season, let us reflect on the words of Psalm 46: “Be still and know that I am God,” finding some time to be still and ponder how Jesus comes to us every day, because He loves us and wants to guide us to perfect union with our loving and merciful Father. Jesus, I trust in you!

Turning to Jeremiah

by Stephen Crooker Advent, and its arrival, is often one that begins in haste. Teachers, especially, are preparing for exams and projects all due before Christmas. The feeling of haste seems to surround us and follow us like an unwanted companion. During these times, I seek focus from the Prophet Jeremiah.

We then begin the Holy Season with readings that harken us to the end of days and the coming of the Lord’s Day. One of the major concepts of the Old Testament is identified as the “Day of the Lord,” or the time when God will intervene in the history of the Israelites and redeem, repair, and protect Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. Roughly six hundred years before the birth of Our Lord, the Prophet Jeremiah called the nation of Israel to repentance and holiness in the face of imminent military invasion and moral collapse. Amid the panic, fear, blame and corruption that ripped apart the nation of Israel in his time, Jeremiah looks forward with compassion and clarity to speak boldly regarding the birth of a Savior, a man from the House of King David, who will save the people from their sins.

For many, this savior needed to be a military leader, skilled in the art of war and best suited to dealing with the threat of the Babylonian Empire looming down over Jerusalem like a plague. Yet, amid the darkness, there was a constant and steady voice, clear and unwavering that would echo through time to prepare a way for the coming Messiah: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, turn again to the Lord your God!” My loving Jesus, like the Prophet Jeremiah, I look forward and seek to choose You, this Advent, as my King and my God. I surrender myself to You and seek to put all my trust in Your tender care. Draw me close to You as your humble servant, free me from my sin so that I may love You with a pure and holy heart.

Waiting Well During Advent

by Jane Hannon As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus, I am reminded of how difficult it can be to wait well. Isaiah 63: 16B-17, 19B; 64: 2-7 poignantly articulates the challenges. During this season of repentance, we must confront the ways we have fallen short of God’s call and acknowledge the many virtues, including patience, that we still need to hone. Like the prophet, I sometimes find myself wishing for God to intervene in human affairs, decisively and immediately: “Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down.” Frequently, though, we must persist in the absence of explicit signs. Even as we look ahead in hope, our actions today matter: “Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways!” As Isaiah’s image of the potter and the clay suggests, Advent’s waiting requires our trust in God and submission to His will.

Lord Jesus, during this Advent season, I long for Your Coming.

Help me to wait well.

Please forgive my sins.

Open my heart to Your call as I submit to Your will for my life.

Amen.

We Are the Work of His Hands

by Rebecca Vaccaro In his ‘Terrible Sonnets,’ Gerard Manley Hopkins gives voice to the same hope in despair found in this reading by Isaiah. In his poem “Thou Art Indeed Just, Lord,” Hopkins echoes the struggle to rectify sinfulness, repentance, and faith expressed by the people of Israel: “Thou art indeed just, Lord, if I contend / With thee; but, sir, so what I plead is just. / Why do sinners’ ways prosper? And why must / Disappointment all I endeavor end?” (ll. 1-4). God is good, now and forever, yet serving Him is no easy task. God’s justice takes many forms, not all of which are obvious to us. Like the people of Israel in the reading, we may deserve punishment for our unfaithfulness; on the other hand, we may, like Hopkins, be laboring faithfully for God. In either case (and, for most of us, we often inhabit both camps almost simultaneously), there come many moments when life, sorrow, hardship, our own fallen nature become overwhelming and we cry to God, “Comforter, where, where is your comforting? / Mary, mother of us, where is your relief?” (“No Worst, There is None” ll. 3-4). It is during these times when it seems as if God has indeed hidden His face from us and delivered us up to our guilt that we are most called upon to practice willful faithfulness, to believe even though we cannot see and seem to deserve nothing more than to be ignored by God. As Isaiah tells us, God is the potter and we are the clay; we ARE the work of His hands. That fact alone, easily taken for granted and yet of significance beyond our understanding, is what can allow us, like Hopkins, to make a bold assertion of faith and hope, even in the face of despair: “Not, I’ll not, carrion comfort, Despair, not feast on thee; / Not untwist – slack they may be – these last strands of man / In me ór, most weary, cry I can no more. I can; / Can something, hope, wish day come, not choose not to be” (“[Carrion Comfort]” ll. 1-4). As God’s children, we can and should cry out to our Father in times of need: “O thou lord of life, send my roots rain” (“Thou Art” l. 14).

Our Father in Heaven, sometimes our sense of our own sinfulness can seem overwhelming; what can we ever do to make up for our offenses and deserve Your love? In times like these, help us to remember that Your love is a gift freely given. We are Your children, made in Your image and likeness, and You love us to the end, as much in our mistakes and failures as in our successes. Help us to use this remembrance of Your love to guide our repentance and to allow us to conform our lives ever closer to Your Will for us.

The Obstacles to Hope

by Erin Thielman Recently, I was listening to the version of "Miracles" on the Pentatonix Christmas album. The line of the chorus that always tugs at my heart is, "There can be miracles if you believe, though hope is frail it's hard to kill." But what is hope? Hope is a grace bestowed on us by God that helps us do the hard things, dig deep, and find the courage to do the harder things. Hope is a virtue, but we have to work hard for this virtue because there are always obstacles.

In Luke 5:17-26, we learn of a time when Jesus was teaching and healing large crowds of people. There was a group of friends who lowered a paralyzed man on a stretcher through the roof of a house where Jesus was, hoping that the ill man would be healed. Jesus knew that the Pharisees were accusing Him, in their hearts, of blaspheming. As always, Jesus knows our hearts. Jesus says to the crowd, "What are you thinking in your hearts? Which is easier to say, 'your sins are forgiven' or 'rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on Earth to forgive sins' - he said to the man who was paralyzed, 'I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher and go home."

We see the virtue of hope in the friends who lowered the paralyzed man down through the roof on a stretcher. In this, they had to remove the obstacles of the roof shingles and navigate through the large crowds. There are always obstacles in life that can sometimes make it hard to spend time with Christ in prayer and in the sacrament of Reconciliation, but we must move past the obstacles and take part in the miracle of Jesus' forgiveness. There is no better way to prepare our hearts during Advent than by partaking in confession and reconciliation. As we clean and prepare our homes to celebrate Christmas, let us not forget to give Jesus the perfect gift of a clean and contrite heart.

"We put our hope in the Lord. He is our hope and our shield. In Him, our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone." - Psalm 33:20-22 (NASB) Lord, we ask for your guidance in removing the obstacles in our life that get in the way of seeking you in the sacrament of Reconciliation and in prayer. Help us find the courage to remove these obstacles and seek you first. Amen.

May we prepare our hearts for Christmas as we celebrate the infant Jesus who ushered in a lifetime of hope.

Being Ready for Christ’s Return

by Jeanne Bliss Mk 13:33-37 - Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”

Advent is a time of waiting and preparation - a time of anticipation and hope when we celebrate the coming of Christ into the world. We often think of Christmas carols, fires in the fireplace, hot chocolate, and Christmas decorations. But it is also a time for us to reflect upon a much deeper preparation – the preparation for the second coming of Christ.

In this gospel, Jesus is calling us to be watchful. Some might warn us to be. There is an urgency in Jesus’s words that reminds me of the urgent need for me to remain vigilant when it comes to my own spiritual development and faith.

In all things, and at all times, it is up to me to act as though Christ’s return is imminent.

It is so easy to get caught up in the pressures of everyday life, both bad and good. To lose sight of our true heavenly home, of what is truly worthy of our time, energy, focus, and devotion.

We are God’s servants, and He has placed us in charge - each with our work and His orders. In the words of St. Francis DeSales, “Be who we are and to be that well.” To carry out these orders so that we are of greatest service to others in our time here on earth, and spiritually ready for Christ’s return.

Lord, may I always be watchful and attentive to doing what is good and right in your eyes. To be the person you have created me to be. May I not slumber in my spiritual growth, but remain awake, watchful, alert, and ready for your return. Amen.

Anticipation

by Tim Guy There is a pop song from the 70s by the artist Carly Simon with a chorus anchored on the word “anticipation” (which is also the title of the song). I remember it well from my childhood as “the ketchup song” because of its use in a commercial that highlighted the slow pour of the thick ketchup in an appealing way. As I’ve been thinking about the season of Advent, this tune keeps popping up in my mind; the long, stretched and drawn out delivery of an – ti – ci – pa – tion, an-ti-ci – pa – ay – tion (and the image of the ketchup bottle). It seems to me that this is the perfect word to describe this season. For me, the word “anticipation” synthesizes well the Advent themes of hope, peace, and joy. “Anticipation” of something positive implies hope. It also suggests a certain kind of peace that comes from a certain kind of waiting; one that isn’t accompanied by anxiousness or toe-tapping to hurry up, rather a happy kind of waiting…something good is about to happen. Anticipation is something that brings joyfulness. In a state of anticipation, I’m waiting and I’m smiling.

When asked about their favorite day of the week, many people reply with an answer of Saturday or Sunday, but for those of us who pick Friday it is because of the anticipation of the time just ahead for preferred activities or relaxation. Advent is like “a month of Fridays” because it is a time of anticipation of the celebration of Christmas. The image of the ketchup bottle is fading. In my mind’s eye I can see a film montage of the family creche being removed from storage and slowly being assembled, one item at a time, to the Carly Simon tune which is not a Christmas Carol, but which nonetheless is a song that for me captures the spirit of Advent.

The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas. From the earliest days of the Church, people have been fascinated by Jesus’ promise to come back. But the scripture readings during Advent tell us not to waste our time with predictions. Advent is not about speculation. Our Advent readings call us to be alert and ready, not weighted down and distracted by the cares of this world (Lk 21:34-36). - usccb.org.

Learning from John

by Betty Loia “O come, divine Messiah!

The world in silence waits the day When hope shall sing its triumph And sadness flee away.”

Every Advent we meet John the Baptist in the Gospel again. John is very busy in the desert, preaching and baptizing and getting by on honey and locusts. Amid his deprivation and constant stream of visitors, he never forgets that he is waiting for Jesus. He points all the people in the direction of the Messiah who is coming. John has waited so long for his encounter with the Messiah himself, but he still points his followers in that direction: go find the Messiah and see for yourself what he is like! St. Francis DeSales preached during Advent about St. John the Baptist, “Therefore our glorious saint, John the Baptist, after having long preached to his disciples the coming of our Lord, now sends them to Him, not only that they may know Him, but still more that they make Him known to others.”

Advent gives us that opportunity every year, not just to remember the Gospel stories, but to prepare to re-encounter Jesus again at Christmas. Like John we have our own deserts of daily routine and deprivation. Let us, with John, not forget that we are waiting to greet the long-awaited Messiah!

The Comforting Shepherd

by Caroline Duffy “Comfort, give comfort to my people…Speak tenderly to Jerusalem…Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.” Isaiah 40: 1, 11 After choosing this Isaiah reading from the second Sunday of Advent upon which to reflect, I immediately called to mind this print which a friend gave to me my senior year of college (pictured right). I had never seen this particular depiction of Christ – it conveys so much in its profound simplicity. Like the opening words from the prophet Isaiah – this image speaks of comfort – the comfort that the Lord wishes to give His people. In a short while this Good Shepherd will be born of Mary. I need to get ready! I need to listen to the “voice crying out in the desert” – I need to repent and “prepare the way of the Lord.”

Again, this image beautifully illustrates the beauty of the Sacrament of Reconciliation where I am brought back to the loving embrace of Christ through His forgiveness and mercy. He is the Good Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to look for the one who is lost. Thank God the Lord’s “math” is different from our typical human cost/benefit analysis which would never dare to risk so much. And yet, the marks of the “cost” are on display as Christ holds the lamb to His bosom; His wrists bear the mark of love, the price of our eternal comfort – His suffering and death. Gazing at this image I realize that the comfort Christ gives is nothing the world can give – the comfort He gives is His very self. He holds me tight with His love and mercy – I just need to remain in His arms. My prayer this Advent, and every day, is not to seek the transitory and illusory “comforts” of this world, but to always entrust myself to the loving arms of Christ.

Keep Your Eyes Open

by Thomas Cogliano There is a quote at the end of the movie The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe where a young Lucy tries to reenter the wardrobe hoping to return to Narnia but is interrupted by the Professor who informs her that he already tried that. Feeling down, Lucy asked if they would ever go back again. The Professor responds, “I expect so, probably when you least expect it. What's to say…Keep your eyes open.”

So too does this remain true in our quest for the divine. Our human physical senses dictate to us what we should see in the signs of the divine: a bright beaming light, a dancing sun, a shower of flowers, etc.

These extraordinary events have occurred but only when least expected. The subtlety of God’s means of communication can best be felt in the most natural of circumstances. It is easy to acknowledge the presence of God when the sun is shining or when we are in the midst of positive accomplishment…but do we express the same affirmation of faith when it rains or in the midst of adversity? Take the recent news about American soccer player Megan Rapinoe who interpreted an Achilles tear as proof that God does not exist as though she is somehow a prophet of Agnosticism. Adversity, trial, tribulation, and pain were experienced by Jesus himself when He walked the Earth as man. True faithful endurance beckons that one maintains that faith through times of success as well as times of setback and misfortune. Bad things will happen in our earthly existence. Bad things will happen to all: the righteous and the lost.

However, in the end, our next existence beyond our present one is what we all should strive for. Keep your eyes open…look for the subtle yet clear signs of divine presence and love.

“Keep your eyes fixed on that blissful day of eternity towards which the course of years bears us on.” - St. Francis de Sales

Don’t Lose Sight of Christ

by Rebecca Vaccaro In his Advent and Christmas reflection For the Time Being: A Christmas Oration, W. H. Auden expresses what is a common Christmas experience for many Christians in the modern world: Well, so that is that. Now we must dismantle the tree, Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes – Some have got broken -- and carrying them up to the attic.

The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt, And the children got ready for school. There are enough Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week – Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot, Stayed up so late, attempted -- quite unsuccessfully – To love all of our relatives, and in general Grossly overestimated our powers.

This description, while accurate, is also disappointing and deflating. Why does the season so frequently seem to revolve around unmet expectations and preparations for a celebration that never quite seems to live up to the hype? Where is the joy of Christmas? Why does it seem to exist more in our memories or expectations than in our lived experiences?

The simple answer to these questions is expressed well in the bumper-sticker slogan “Keep Christ in Christmas.” This is much easier said than done, however. In large part, this is because, as Auden’s poem reminds us, we so often make Christmas about ourselves: our parties, our family, our drama. Who we lose sight of is Christ. Without Him as our focus, our celebrations are bound to fall flat.

The Church offers us the season of Advent as a way to avoid (or, at least, contextualize) the feelings of mundanity, disappointment, and failure that so often characterize Christmas. We are familiar with the idea of Advent as a period of preparation. But what does that mean? In a letter from Tegel Prison, written November 21, 1943, Dietrich Bonhoeffer a necessary reimagining of Advent: “A prison cell like this is a good analogy for Advent…One waits, hopes, does this or that—ultimately negligible things—the door is locked and can only be opened from the outside.” Advent becomes, then, not a time for us to do any of the things we so often associate with Christmas preparations; these actions are “ultimately negligible things.” Instead, we must wait and hope for the Gift that we know will come, the Gift that will fill our hearts and satisfy our desires if we would only allow Him to. Yet, how should we wait and hope?

What does that look like? It looks like praying, not out of obligation, but out of love. It looks like patiently bearing with our daily struggles as a way of seeking the joy God has promised to those who follow Him, both here on Earth and forever in Heaven. If we do these things, we will be ready when He comes to unlock the door and let us out into freedom and joy.

Thus, the coming and going of Christmas, while it may still feel mundane and deflating, does not need to be that way. Christ is coming at Christmas. Our job is to do nothing more than wait in hope.

Prayer: Lord, the Christmas season can often feel overwhelming. Please help us to maintain perspective. Help us to be like Christ’s parents, whose faith, hope, and love allowed Christ to enter the world at Christmas.

Help us to pray Auden’s prayer to the Holy Family: Blessed Woman, Excellent Man, Redeem for the dull the Average Way, That common ungifted Natures may Believe that their normal Vision can Walk to perfection.

Giving “Thanks” for the Gifts from God this Christmas

By Michael Rauer Recently, my wife and I were visiting another parish for the Mass in Ordinary Time. The homilist had for his theme a spiritual look at Thanksgiving and what gratitude really means. It made me think about the gifts in my life that I have received from God. Going into deeper thought, it made me think about the real meaning of the Christmas season and whether I have given the appropriate thanks to God for the abundance of things in my life.

The First Sunday of Advent / 2nd Reading: 1 COR 1:3-9 I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus [Christ]. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Thank you, dear Lord, for the gift of Faith. That I may continue to believe in You no matter what fate comes my way. You came to us as a small, insignificant infant so long ago, yet you changed the world with an effect that will remain until the end of time.

The Second Sunday of Advent / 1st Reading: IS 40:1-5, 9-11 Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service has ended, that her guilt is expiated, That she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins.

A voice proclaims: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low; The rugged land shall be a plain, the rough country, a broad valley.

Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Thank you, dear Lord, for the comfort that you have provided to me over my life. You have prepared for me a way that I can follow that will bring me to You when my trek on this mortal coil should end. Your humble birth opened for me the way that I will follow for all the days of my life. Thank you, dear Lord.

The Third Sunday of Advent / 2nd Reading: I THES 16-24 Rejoice always.

Pray without ceasing.

In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Do not quench the Spirit.

Do not despise prophetic utterances.

Test everything; retain what is good.

Refrain from every kind of evil.

May the God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.

Thank you, dear Lord, for reminding me that prayer should be the center of my life. The greatest prayer of all is the prayer of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. As we celebrate your birth, help me to remember to say “thank you” not just for all the presents, gifts and well wishes I may receive, but to say “thank you” to your Blessed Mother and to Saint Joseph for being there for you as you entered the world. You have taught me the value of prayer in my life, help me to never cease remembering Your kindness to me.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent / Gospel: LK:1 26-38 In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said, “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.”

But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David, his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.

Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Thank you, dear Holy Mother, for saying “yes”. You have taught me to say “yes” to what the Holy Spirit brings to me each day of my life. The Holy Spirit reminds me that it is very important that I accept the will of God, no matter how difficult that “yes” may be. Help me to accept that which may come my way as the will of God, just as you did.

Christmas Day / Gospel: JN 1:1-18 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him. But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God. And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.

Thank you, dear Lord, for helping me to learn and understand the true meaning of Your birth. Christmas is a time of great joy and celebration. Sadly, in this day and age, it seems that we are forgetting the true meaning of this high Holy Day. Help me, as a way to say “thank you”, to spread the true meaning of your birth. That Christmas is not about presents, food or parties, but that Christmas is about the Faith, comfort, prayer, and acceptance that will help the people of the world attain everlasting life in Your presence.