Prepare the Way of the Lord

Dear Parishioners,

Every year on the second Sunday of Advent, our old friend John the Baptist comes to remind us it’s time again to repent (Luke 3:1-6). His message is just as timely today as it was 2,000 years ago. We have a continuing need to level the mountains of pride, arrogance, and selfishness that crop up in our hearts like the weeds appearing on a well-kept lawn. At the same time, we need to fill in the valleys of our spiritual laziness and indifference to God’s call to holiness. If we prepare, then God can “come” into our hearts. The best preparation is the sacrament of reconciliation or penance or confession. Confession is available [at St. Jane Frances de Chantal Church] each Saturday from 3:30 p.m.–4:30 p.m. or by calling the parish office for an appointment. If you prepare in this way, the Lord will surely bless your Christmas celebration.

- Fr. Carl

Confession Links:

• Rediscovering the Sacrament of Confession
• Examinations of Conscience

“The saints love everyone… Their hearts, inflamed with
Divine love, are dilated in proportion to the number of
souls that God puts in their way.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Slow Down And Wait

Dear Parishioners,

Advent is a time of waiting. We wait to celebrate our Lord’s coming among us 2,000 years ago. And we await Jesus’ coming at the end of time (3:Jeremiah 33:14-16; Thessalonians 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28,34-36). Waiting is not something modern man does very well. Thanks to modern technology we get what we want almost right away. For information, we simply google our questions. We can have products and mail shipped over-night. Fast food restaurants are everywhere. We can take pictures and selfies without having to have rolls of film developed. And we can text messages immediately and post our activities on Facebook for everyone to see.

So why not use this season of Advent to slow down and wait for God to come into your lives? A little more time in the evening praying, reading the Bible, or relaxing with your family in a shared activity would do wonders for the stress so many of you are facing. I know it would be a challenge for you, but I know the good Lord would be there for you. Be generous with your time with God and your family, for I know God will bless you in return. God loves a generous giver as St. Paul says. And God will not be outdone in generosity.

God bless,
Fr. Carl

“Love for God here consists in loving him more than
any created thing — loving him better than our own life.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Our Loving and Forgiving King

Dear Parishioners,

Several months ago, our nation was shocked when nine people were murdered at Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Within a few days, the accused was arraigned for those murders in a courtroom fill with the family members of those whose lives he ended.

To a person those family members spoke words of forgiveness, saying to the accused that God loved him and longed for him to find the mercy and grace only God can give. Those moments and what followed in the city of Charleston and our nation took our breath away as we watched persons who are citizens of God’s kingdom live and act in ways that witness God’s liberating and loving ways.

How could that be? Such acts of mercy, speaking love to hate and offering forgiveness in the face of murder is God’s work through human life. Such work, such acts of grace are more powerful than any army or arsenal known to the human family. Live in God’s kingdom, liberated and loving, showing a still broken world that the way of love is the way of life. As you do, know that our King has no end and shall reign forever and ever.

- Deacon Robert

“Happier than those who lived during his mortal life,
when he was only in one place, we find Jesus Christ
today in every corner of the world, in the Blessed
Sacrament.”
- Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

The End of Time

Dear Parishioners,

As we come to the end of the church year (next Sunday, Nov. 22 is the final one), the readings direct us to the end of time (158:Daniel 12:1-3; Hebrews 10:11-14,18; Mark 13:24-32). The Son of Man, Jesus, will come in power and glory. Wise men and women will be ready, but no one knows exactly when that will happen. However, the solution is to be ready always and to live each day as if it were the last day. Then, we will be ready and can look forward to our Lord’s coming with hope and confidence. One of the best ways to prepare ourselves is the regular reception of the Sacrament of Penance. It’s also a good way to prepare for Christmas. I would encourage you to go sooner rather than later as the lines for Penance grow longer as Christmas approaches.

God bless,
Fr. Carl

“When our Lord sees pure souls coming eagerly
to visit him in the Blessed Sacrament, he smiles
upon them. They come with that simplicity
which pleases him so much”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Absolute Trust

Dear Parishioners,

The widow in today’s Gospel (Mark 12:38-44) is not an example or a parable or an illustration of something as much as she is a voice, a person longing to come to life in all of us. Like Bartimaeus of Jericho, this woman lives in you and me at the deepest level of meaning I know. We have seen her eyes in our dreams, and in our best moments, know how much we long for that kind of faith that we could give it all away and follow Jesus. Absolute trust. Impossible? A dream? Maybe. But then, maybe such trust is not a dream at all but a gift. Let this widow live in you. Give generously. Love unconditionally. Trust in Jesus absolutely, now and always.

- Deacon Robert

“One ought always to be ready to give up one’s
own will to do what God wants…”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Happy Feast Day!

Dear Parishioners,

Happy Feast Day! This greeting is often given to people on the feast of the saint after whom they have been named. For example, if your name were Patrick, people might say to you on March 17th, “Happy Feast Day.” Likewise, those named Lucy would hear that greeting on December 13th, as would a Joseph on March 19th, or a Monica on August 27th. Of course not everybody is named after a saint, so November 1st—the Feast of All Saints—is everybody’s “Feast Day.” After all, as the first reading reminds us, there is a multitude of saints in heaven (Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14). Hopefully, there is a multitude down here on earth. It’s very nice to be recognized here after your death as a saint, but it’s just as important to be an unrecognized saint when we die. That’s why we were all born into this world. When we die, it’s nice to leave behind a sense of accomplishments more so than our failures. However, as Mother Theresa said, “The only real failure in life is not to have become a saint.” Let us pray that we will cooperate with God’s grace so as to be admitted into the company of the saints.

- Fr. Carl

“Life is given us that we may learn to die well, and we
never think of it! To die well we must live well.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Stop the Parade

Dear Parishioners,

Who doesn’t love a parade? Marching bands, floats, men and women in costume, and crowds waving flags. It was parade day in Jericho when Jesus came to town. Word was passed south from Galilee to the oasis resort of Jericho just north of the Dead Sea. A man calls out, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” (Mark 10:46-52)

Jesus stopped the parade and asked that someone bring the man to him. Helped to his feet, Bartimaeus was brought to Jesus who asked him, “what do you want me to do for you?” “My teacher, let me see again.” Go with me as we imagine that the Jericho parade that day might be a metaphor for our life.

The blind man in the story is a permanent resident along the parade route of our life. His blindness is not incidental to our reflection. We have a whole vocabulary for this phenomenon: blindsided, ignorance, and asking “Who could have known?” These are a few reminders of how blind we can be to the most important need in our life, which is… to see.

All of us are immersed into the parade of our lives. But along the way, off to the side, perhaps sitting in dust of our own making, is Bartimaeus. Let Jesus stop your parade today, let the blind man stand to his feet in your soul and receive the gift of sight only Jesus can give.

- Deacon Robert

“If when we are ill, our recovery will contribute to the
glory of God and the good of our soul, He who healed so
many when He was on earth, will certainly heal us. If, on
the contrary, the illness is more advantageous to us, He
will instead give us the strength to suffer.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars