Our Heart’s Treasure

Dear Parishioners,

Mary, the Mother of God. What is her manner, her witness to the miracle that is Christmas? Mary is quietly, simply, beautifully treasuring in her heart all the words that tell the story of Jesus. She knows what all of us must know if we are ever to fully know the power of the Gospel, the truth about God who loves us so much and wanted to give Himself to us so much that He became one of us in Jesus. Jesus teaches us that God has always been with us and is with us still to this very day. Christianity is a simple faith about who Jesus is, not who we are or what we think or how important we think any tradition or theology may be. Our heart’s treasure, if our hearts have a treasure, are the sacred stories of Mary and Jesus and their love for us, even until the end of time.

- Deacon Robert

“Although Mary knew that God had
raised her to the most supreme of all
honors – that of being the Mother of
God – nevertheless she regarded
herself as the least of all creatures.”
- The Cure D’Ars

Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas!

Dear Parishioners,

As the days grow shorter and the nights longer, darkness surrounds us for a greater portion of time each day. There is a tendency, therefore, for our spirits to do the same. That is especially true in the northern part of the world. I remember that so vividly during the two years I served with the U.S. Navy at the Submarine Base in Holy Loch. Each day I went to work in the dark and came home in the dark. It was not an upbeat time.

But one thing made it bearable and raised our spirits. That was the coming of Christmas. In the midst of long dark nights, the anticipation of the celebration of our Lord’s birth lifted up our morale and lit up our hearts. In continues to happen here in Pasadena, and Jesus wants it that way.

After all, in John’s gospel (John 1:1-18), Jesus is referred to as the “light of the world; the light shines in darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5). However, Jesus doesn’t want to come into our hearts at Christmas only. He wants to be with us each and every day to brighten our lives. We simply have to make some room through daily prayer and weekly worship.

On behalf of the entire staff at St. Jane’s, may you and your families have a Blessed Christmas and New Year!

-  Fr. Carl

“Do you know why our Lord persists in remaining day and night
in our churches?. . . He stays there so that every time we want to go
and see him, we may be able to find Him.”
- The Cure d’Ars

Making God Laugh

Dear Parishioners,

There’s an old saying that “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” In other words, life doesn’t always go as we plan. In today’s first reading (2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16), David planned to build God a more suitable dwelling for the “ark of the covenant.” He thought the tent wasn’t good enough. However, God had other plans. David’s son, Solomon, would build a temple for God, and God would build a house for David, a spiritual kingdom that would stand firm forever.

In the gospel (Luke 1:26-38), Mary planned on having a virginal marriage with Joseph, but when God asked her to change her plans, she readily agreed to be the mother of our Lord. Thank goodness for Mary’s flexibility and openness to God’s plan.

There is a lesson in that for us. When problems, difficulties, or different situations arise, they are often invitations from God to change our plans and follow His plan instead. May we be as open as Mary.

- Fr. Carl

Make straight the way of the Lord

Dear Parishioners,

The Pharisees learned that John was Baptizing large numbers of people at the Jordan River (John 1:6-8, 19-28). They decided to make a fact-finding trip to see him. “What are you doing out here? Why are you baptizing people? Who are you? What’s your role in the plans of God?”

Imagine the Church authorities are forming a commission to investigate you. They call to make an appointment. “We’d like to ask you what you are doing and who you are. We want to know what role you think God has given you in his work in the world today.”

I guess I’m happy that we don’t actually have investigative commissions these days, not that we all would like to know your answer, or that you even have an answer. But it is important that you know your answer, or are working hard to discover it. Today’s Gospel story tells us that John was sent from God. We were, too, and all of us are called to discover what it is that God sent us to do… and then doing it.

- Deacon Robert

“HUMILITY is to the various virtues
what the chain is to the Rosary; take
away the chain and the beads are
scattered, remove Humility and all
virtues vanish.”
- The Cure D’Ars

Preparing the way of the Lord

Dear Parishioners,

We all have good days and bad days—days when everything is right and days when all is wrong. When we are having those bad times, we desperately seek comfort and consolation. The setting for the first reading (Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11) is Babylon, where the Jews had been held captive after the fall of Jerusalem. But their captivity would soon be coming to an end. God would comfort His people at long last and deliver them. They looked forward to their deliverance by the Messiah.

However, they needed to be ready for the Messiah’s coming and prepare the way for his arrival. As we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ coming into the world and into our hearts, we need to level the mountains of our pride and arrogance and fill in the valleys of our spiritual laziness and weak wills to overcome our sins. There’s no better way than the sacrament of penance. Take advantage by coming Saturday afternoons from 3:30–4:30 p.m, or attending one of the services at one of the surrounding parishes like Our Lady of the Chesapeake on Thursday, December 15 at 7:30 p.m. The Sacrament of Penance provides the greatest comfort and consolation available here on earth.

- Fr. Carl

Christmas is coming…

Dear Parishioners,

In just a few weeks, we will celebrate the birth of our Lord. Some may already have a Christmas list with things others may not even want, much less need. Truth be told, if you would really like to make somebody’s Christmas this year, maybe the place to start is with yourself. When you see injustice, be an advocate for justice. When you see hatred, be the presence of love. When someone ignores you and treats you as if you did not exist, pray for them. And yes, especially with those closest to you, see in them what God sees. Be God’s presence in these waiting days we call Advent. If you will, you might be surprised how the waiting will be transformed into the joy of Christmas.

- Deacon Robert

“We must say many prayers for the
souls of the Faithful Departed, for one must
be so pure to enter Heaven!”
- The Saint Cure D’Ars

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Parishioners,

It’s hard to believe, but Thanksgiving is here already. And while we all have some problems and concerns in our life, Thanksgiving is a time to “accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.” For no matter what we don’t have, as long as we have God, we have everything we need. As St. Augustine said, “He who has everything but has not God, has nothing, and he who has nothing but has God, has everything.”

As I look back on my life, I am most grateful for a loving family (mother, father, sister), the faith in which I was raised and saw lived by a devout father, the civilian and military parishes in which I served, some outstanding priests with whom I worked, and some loyal friends. Today I am especially thankful to serve as your pastor. When I was first ordained, I wanted two things in a parish – a nice church building that looked like a church inside and out, and a school. We are blessed to have both. The church is very attractive, well lit, has an excellent sound system, and good acoustics. The school is outstanding with wonderful teachers, an excellent staff, superb academics which partners with the U.S. Naval Academy in its STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Program. Also, and perhaps most importantly, our school is blessed with awesome children; it’s where I go to get reenergized as I share my faith with the children. Finally, I am very thankful for the wonderful parish staff who give so much of themselves to the parish and so much support to me.

And I bet if you sat down as I have done, you could come up with a similar list in your situation.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Fr. Carl