Merry Christmas!

Dear Parishioners,

“God writes straight with crooked lines.” That’s an old adage that means not only does the Lord use good people to carry out his plan, but sometimes he uses the wicked as well. In the first reading from Isaiah last Sunday, God asks the wicked king of Judah, Ahaz, to ask for a sign so Judah will know that God is on its side. Ahaz doesn’t ask for a sign, because he doesn’t want to trust the Lord. However, God will not be denied; so he promises a sign “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” In today’s gospel (Mt 1:18-25, Vigil Mass gospel), Matthew uses those very words from Isaiah to show the prophecy fulfilled in Mary and Jesus.

So God is not limited to the use of holy people; he uses sinners as well. That includes you, me, and all of us. Of course, we should not relax and imagine God will use us the way we are no matter what. He wants us to become the best version of ourselves we can. He wants us to become saints so as to draw others to Himself and bring true joy to the world and ourselves.

May you and your families experience the joy that our Lord’s birth brought to the world not just now but always.

God bless,
Fr. Carl

“A Saint has told us that one day at Mass he saw
Jesus Christ with his hands full of gifts, looking for
souls to whom he might give them.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Signs of Christmas

Dear Parishioners,

It’s getting harder and harder to find Christmas cards with a religious image on it. There are plenty of cards with Santa Claus, Christmas trees, snow covered landscapes, holly, and colorful decorations. But something with Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the Magi, the Shepherds, and the Star is hard to find. I guess it’s more politically correct to turn Christmas into a seasonal celebration than a religious remembrance. Still, we might try to put Christ back in the season by saying “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays.”

Since the beginning of time, people have looked to God for signs. It might be for a sign of guidance in making a decision about a vocation, where to go to high school or college, where to live, or what the future holds. In the reading from Isaiah (Isaiah 7:10-14), God encourages King Ahaz to ask for a sign, but Ahaz is reluctant. His mind is made up, and he doesn’t want a sign from God which might tell him to pursue a different course of action. Nevertheless, God gives him a sign anyway “the virgin shall be with child and bear a son and shall name him Emmanuel.” This sign to Ahaz was also a sign to Israel and to the world of God’s love and his plan to send the Messiah to save the human race. This sign was finally realized in the Blessed Virgin Mary’s giving birth to Jesus (Matthew 1:18-24).

Since we have received the grace of this sign, Jesus Christ, we are called to be living signs of God’s love to all we meet. May we be good and welcoming signs to all.

- Fr. Carl

“Remember that when the priest gives you absolution, you
have but one thing to think of—that the Blood of the good
God is f lowing over your soul to purify it and make it as
bright as it was made by its Baptism.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Be Patient

Dear Parishioners,

When there is no entrance hymn sung at Mass, there is an entrance chant or antiphon. You can find this week’s chant on page 3 of the missalette. It serves as the theme for the Mass of the day. This Third Sunday of Advent, it is “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice. Indeed the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:4-5). Since the readings reflect this theme, we call today (Sunday, Dec. 11) Gaudete Sunday which in Latin means “rejoice.” Why? Because when the Lord comes, there will be new life (Isaiah 35:1-6a,10) and healing (Matthew 11:2-11). However, it will not happen as soon as we might wish. So James in the second reading (James 5:7-10) gives, us advice on our attitude as we wait. “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.” In this busy world amid the many activities calling for our attention, it’s easy to become frazzled and impatient. St. James encourages us to guard against impatience, for while the virtue of patience is difficult to acquire, it is well worth the effort. It will help give us peace of mind and the joy Jesus wants us to have this season.

- Fr. Carl

“Our Lord is hidden in the Blessed Sacrament, waiting
for us to come and visit him… See how good He is! …
If He had appeared before us now in all his glory, we should
not have dared to approach Him; but He hides himself
like one in prison, saying: ‘You do not see me, but that
does not matter; ask me for all you want…’”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Spiritual Exercise

Dear Parishioners,

Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, Advent invites us to prepare for Christmas and celebrate the coming of Jesus into the world. But Christmas is also a time when families and friends come back together again. Please feel free to invite them to Mass. If they are not Catholic or they haven’t been to Mass for a while, please remind them of the proper respect that should be shown to our Lord in his house. For instance food, drink, and chewing gum should not be brought into the church. Those who are non-Catholic are invited to come up in the communion line with their arms crossed to receive a blessing but not Holy Communion as it is a sign of one’s faith and membership in the Catholic Church. If some are non-practicing Catholics, invite them to come to the sacrament of Penance so that they might worthily receive the Eucharist. Our Lord is most merciful and would love to come into their hearts again.

This week, John the Baptist urges us to reform our lives (Matthew 3:1-12), for sin tends to twist our lives out of shape. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving can help us return to be once more in the image and likeness of God. When we get out of shape, exercise is at first painful; but with continued work, it becomes less so, and we feel better and better. It’s the same with spiritual exercise. We all feel better at the end.

God Bless,
Fr. Carl

“I LOVE St. Joseph so much because
he had the care of the Blessed Virgin.”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear Parishioners,

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoyed your fill of food and football. But now it is time to change gears as we jump right into Advent without the usual time between these two seasons. As we begin a new liturgical/church year, we look forward to a new beginning, which offers new hope for the future as we look forward to new things to come.

God tells us in the readings (Isaiah 2:1-5; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:37-44) that good things will come to us if we make ourselves ready through prayer, penance, and almsgiving to receive them.

Let us prepare the way for the best thing of all, Jesus, to come into our hearts. May this new Church year be a happy and holy one for you and your families.

Fr. Carl

“We ought to ask the Blessed Virgin, the angels and
the saints to pray for us that we may receive the
good God as worthily as it is possible for us to receive him.
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Feast of Christ the King

Dear Parishioners,

Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925. At that time, it was celebrated on the last Sunday of October, the Sunday nearest All Saints Day. It is now placed as the last Sunday of the Church Year. The symbolism is obvious. Jesus Christ is the beginning and end of all things. He is the alpha (1st letter of the Greek alphabet) and omega (last letter) - see Revelation 1:8.

This feast was instituted to counteract several problems of the times. One was the totalitarianism of Naziism, Fascism, Communism and Socialism which was the attitude that the state was the most important thing in life.

Another problem was quietism, a tendency toward pietism and sentimentalism—the attitude that prayer alone would save the world. So the honoring of Christ the King means that he is the most important thing in life. He sums up the theology of “king” in the Old Testament. The king was to bring the people to God; he was to rule in the name of God; he was to deliver the people from all dangers and provide for all their needs.

May we ask Jesus to do all those things for us. May we make him King of our hearts.

- Fr. Carl

“My friend, dwell on the patience of our Lord!”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars

Patient Endurance

Dear Parishioners,

St. Nilus of Sinai

Last week the readings, in focusing our attention to the resurrection, led us to think about the end of our earthly lives. This week, the scriptures call our attention to the end of the temple, the end of time, and the many trials that precede it (Malachi 3:19-20a; Thessalonians 3:7-12; Luke 21:5-19). Jesus concludes the gospel by saying, “By your perseverance you will preserve you lives.” That was good advice to the people of our Lord’s time, as the Temple would be destroyed 40 years later. But it’s also good advice for any time, including the times in which we now live. Perseverance is the key to success in every human endeavor, for it’s often the case that less talented athletes, business-men, and people in all walks of life succeed because of their perseverance. As St. Nilus of Sinai wrote, “By the patient endurance in every trial that overtakes you, and in every affliction, whether this be insolence and contemptuous treatment or any kind of disgrace, either small or great; whether it be bodily weakness or belligerent attacks of Satan or any trial what so ever caused either by other people or evil spirits, you will win life for yourself.” St. Paul adds: “With patient endurances we run the race of faith set before us.” This virtue, the queen of virtues, endurance for God’s sake, will make those who practice it stronger than steel.

Let us pray for the grace to acquire this virtue.

- Fr. Carl

“You must close your heart against pride, sensuality, and all other passions—just as one shuts doors and windows so that none may enter. ”
~ Thoughts of the Cure D’Ars