First Sunday of Advent-   Do What You Can

The reading from the prophet Isaiah this Sunday contains a remarkable prediction—the end of war between nations (Isaiah 2:4). While most of the good predictions of the prophets were fulfilled in Jesus, we still await the end of all wars. So why hasn’t that one been fulfilled? We can look to the second reading and the Gospel for some hints.

Both readings talk about being awake and ready for our salvation (Romans 13:12) or the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:39). Being awake doesn’t mean consuming lots of coffee or turning the music volume all the way up. Paul calls it “putting on the Lord Jesus Christ” as a soldier would put on armor before a battle. He even mentions rivalry and jealousy as attitudes to avoid. Both of those vices have been the cause of many wars in our history. What if we not only avoided them, but also taught our children to avoid them? What if everyone eventually learned not to be jealous and hateful?

We are a long way from ending all wars. There are still people who teach hate to the poor instead of helping to feed them. There are still people who get rich selling the weapons of war. This brings us back to the first reading, in which Isaiah speaks of beating swords into plowshares. Do we have enough faith in God’s love to stop building weapons and use those resources to feed the hungry or cure diseases in underprivileged countries? Until we convert everyone to following Jesus, that’s not likely. The Gospel calls us to be ready. Maybe we need to be ready to share our faith. Maybe we must be awake to any opportunity to show God’s love to those around us. Are we afraid to offer to pray for someone in need? Maybe we need to put on the “armor of light,” as St. Paul calls it. Instead of trying to stop all wars, could we at least show forgiveness to someone who has hurt us?

Jesus never said to do the impossible. If we can be ready to see Jesus in those around us, to show his love to those who need it, or just be patient with other people’s faults and weaknesses, we may not stop all wars, but we will be prepared for the coming of the Prince of Peace. -Tom Schmidt, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

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TREASURES FROM OUR TRADITION – First Sunday of Advent

“People in love make signs of love,” wrote our bishops in a document guiding the renewal of liturgical music. They were not merely urging us to sing at Mass but suggesting that the song itself is a sign of the love of Christ. Love never expressed dies, as we know from experience. Flowers for no special reason, a caress, a hug, a turn around the dance floor, a note on the pillow or in the lunchbox, the aroma of fresh bread in the kitchen, all are signs of love’s vitality.

A significant treasure in our Catholic tradition is the place of the sacraments as signs of Christ’s love. We can trace the sacraments back to scriptural sources through centuries of history They are woven through family tradition and our own life story. Sacraments are the way Christ makes signs of love for the Church. For twenty centuries, God has spoken to us in the arena of the sacraments, and we have responded. Christ nurtures and sustains us as we encounter him, the companion on our journey who loves us and faithfully makes signs of that love.          —Rev. James Field, Diocesan Publications

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SAINT JOHN OF DAMASCUS (c. 675-749) – December 4

From almost 1300 years ago, John’s message for the church’s spirituality and mission is surprisingly contemporary. Pope Benedict says that, in our modern culture of images, sacred images often speak more eloquently than words. This “incarnational theology,” the concept that visible, tangible elements can give believers access to divine realities beyond, found an eloquent champion in John of Damascus. He challenged the Iconoclasts (image-breakers), whose misinterpretation of the biblical prohibition of idolatrous images (Exodus 20:4-5) led them to campaign for the destruction of all sacred art. Before this controversy, however, John bore witness to Christ in a way that provides a timely example for Christians in today’s pluralistic society. Succeeding his grandfather and father, John served as chief financial officer to the Muslim Caliph, professing his Christian faith without compromise, while winning the esteem of his Islamic sovereign by his competence and integrity. No wonder John could eloquently defend icons as “windows into heaven”—he had already learned to see Christ in the living icons of people different from himself yet fashioned in the same divine image!

—Peter Scagnelli, Diocesan Publications

 

The January 21st REBOOT has been cancelled and will be rescheduled for a later date.

Sorry for any inconvenience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The situation across the Middle East cries out for the assistance of the Catholic community in the US. Bishop Pohlmeier has asked that each parish take up a voluntary collection to support the efforts of Catholic Relief Services which has well-established partnerships with the Catholic Church in the region that allows them to respond quickly and efficiently.  Envelopes will be on the offertory boxes at the back of the church, and there will be a table in the lobby.  Please make checks out to St. Paul’s with a notation in the memo line for CRS.