Dear Parishioners,
We hear today of the announcement of John the Baptist (Is 11:1-10; Rom 15:4-9; Mt 3:1-12) to prepare the way of the Lord. I am reminded of the song in Godspell that goes, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord.”
This is a crucial action. We are not in ordinary times here. We are about to be visited by the Son of God, and that is special. His way must be prepared. For me, this means opening my heart to all that God gives. It means to be open in my mind to the world around me and to take in all that God has created. It means to pray that God will send forth his love and grace to those in need this season. It means for me to give generously of my time and resources. We are asked to love one another, and so we must be agents of care to those around us. We are to be mindful of the great pain and suffering in the world. The birth of Christ is a joyous event that heralds also God becoming human and like us in every way but sin. This child represents the embodiment of God’s love and care for us. His son has come to save us and to open us up to God’s loving presence in our lives. Certainly we have gifts to buy, ornaments to put on the tree, and the bringing out of our special Christmas things that make our homes warm and festive. (Like my wife’s 40 Santa Clauses!) But let us not forget that this season is meant for our rebirth, for our mental and spiritual refresh, for us to realize again the presence of Christ made new by the manger.
Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make clear his path to your heart, mind and life.
Blessings,
Deacon Steve
Rev. Stephen Hook is Pastor of the Pastorate of the Visitation which includes the Catholic Churches of Pasadena, Maryland: St. Jane Frances de Chantal (Riviera Beach) and Our Lady of the Chesapeake (Lakeshore). He is assisted by Associate Pastor Rev. John Belinki, Deacon Howard Klohr, and Deacon Rick Clemens. To learn more about our pastorate, please visit www.catholicpasadena.org.
