1st Sunday of Advent -- Pay Attention!

"Stand erect and raise your heads"

Sunday Word: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/120212.cfm

Jer 33: 14-16

1 Ths 3: 12 – 4:2
Lk 21: 25-28, 34-36

There is a story told of a young boy named Sam who was marking his tenth birthday. As a special gift his parents said they would like to take Sam out to dinner. He could choose the place and could invite a friend to come with him. Sam loved Chinese food so they decided on his favorite restaurant. As often is the case, Sam ordered enough for leftovers to take home.

After dinner Sam, his parents and friend walked toward their parked car when a homeless man approached and asked for some money. Sam immediately offered the man his entire package of left overs. When they entered the car, Sam’s friend said, “That was amazing! You made God proud by doing that.” Sam said to his friend, “Maybe that was God.”

And then there is the report of a New York Police Officer who just this past week offered a pair of warm woolen socks and new boots to a shivering shoeless man lying on the street.

Such random acts of kindness are often highlighted this time of year. They do touch our hearts and remind us of what may be missing in our own busy lives. These are transformative actions which have the potential to change us and those who receive such kindness. Yet, in light of other news they fade quickly. Why is that - because kindness, compassion, and generosity generally don’t sell? Is it because we rarely hear of such moments of empathy? I contend we just don’t pay attention; such goodness is all around us. We seem to be moved far more by the violent, the mysterious, the dark and sinister. Have you looked at the recent movie previews at your local Multi-plex theatre?

This yearly time of Advent is for us a moment which challenges the construct of our lives. Our Gospel this First Sunday of Advent from Luke 21 warns of, “. . . signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves . . .” A Hollywood movie director may say, “Bring it on! There’s a box office hit in the making.” For the “. . . Son of Man coming in the cloud with power and great glory. . .” as Jesus continues with apocalyptic images, is sure to add to the special effects drama.

In the midst of this warning, which really is a wake up call for us, we also hear Our Lord say, “. . . But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand . . . “That hardly sounds like we should be cowering in fear and trembling before such a display of natural power. It is almost a resurrection image which faces darkness and overcomes it with the greater power of faith and hope. For the early Christians, in the mist of persecution, such an image reminded them that Christ will not abandon them but will “stand erect” with them and be their Savior. What does it say to us today? We too need to hear but so much works against us.

We Americans are generally not a patient people. When we are challenged to wait and watch we become unsettled. Who wants slow speed internet? Who wants to wait in line at the grocery store or the fast food drive in lane? Isn’t this fast food? What's holding up this traffic? Move it along. Who enjoys waiting for a late guest to arrive? We live by sound bites and text messages. Taking time to pray, reflect, and wait patiently on the Lord’s grace in our lives may be just too much to endure. God’s time is not our time and his view of things is not ours. “Stand erect” and wait for the Lord.

Secondly, we live in the future more than the present. Our recent Presidential race found one candidate using the slogan “Forward.” Forget about your lives as they are now and just think about the future possibilities. Anticipation makes us nervous but at least it gets our minds off the present. I don’t have time for the homeless or hungry man who sits right before me now. Advent? I need to send Christmas cards and put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving then take it down the day after Christmas.

And third, we want to control everything. The burger slogan, “have it your way” and the song lyric “I’ll do it my way” are more than just sound bites. I think they reflect a central part of our modern day culture. We know the answers, the solutions, and the reasons why, and if we don’t, we eventually will, so who needs God? Religion just gets in the way and slows progress. Yet, our scriptures for this Advent season anticipate the future but remind us that we are not in control of our lives as much as we feel we are.

Jeremiah speaks, “The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made . . . “This is a great promise of salvation to come, a gift from God in sending his Son in our midst which we recall at Christmas time. It is the promise of new life to come beyond our own puny human plans. More, the Gospel reminds us that we have little control over many forces such as nature and the mind of God for the present and future.

But, it is our “righteous deeds” as we hear in the Collect of our Mass this Sunday, perhaps those random acts of kindness, which we do carry with us. We have the good baggage of our lives that we collect over the years if only we be patient, pay attention to the moment we are in, and let God be Lord of our lives. Imagine a Christmas season and a new year if only we slow down and take the time to pay attention.

Christmas is coming for sure in less than four weeks but can we really wait and ponder?

Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God,
the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ
with righteous deeds at his coming,
so that, gathered at his right hand,
they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom.

(Collect of 1^st Advent)

Fr. Tim

St. Andrew Novena to say from the Feast of St. Andrew until Christmas -- multiple times a day -- focuising us on the real meaning of Christmas. Has anyone done this?

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

Insight Scoop

Advent orients us to the heart of the Nativity

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for December 2, 2012, the First Sunday of Advent | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Jer 33:14-16
• Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14
• 1 Thes 3:12-4:2
• Lk 21:25-28, 34-36

“We preach not one advent only of Christ,” wrote St. Cyril of Jerusalem in the fourth century, “but a second also, far more glorious than the former. For the former gave a view of His patience; but the latter brings with it the crown of a divine kingdom.”

The term “advent,” as we’ll see, is drawn from the New Testament, but when St. Cyril (named a Doctor of the Church in 1883 by Pope Leo XIII) was writing his famous catechetical lectures, the season of Advent was just starting to emerge in fledgling form in Spain and Gaul. During the fifth century, Christians in parts of western Europe began observing a period of ascetical practices leading up to the feasts of Christmas and Epiphany. Advent was observed in Rome beginning in the sixth century, and it was sometimes called the “pre-Christian Lent,” a time of fasting, more frequent prayer, and additional liturgies.

One of the prayers of the Roman missal from those early centuries says, “Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the ways of Thy only-begotten Son: that by His coming we may be able to serve him with purified minds.” This echoes today’s reading from St. Paul’s first letter to the Christians in Thessalonica, in which he exhorts them “to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen.”

The Greek word used by St. Paul for “coming” is parousia, which means “presence” or “coming to a place.” The Vulgate translation of the phrase “the coming of our Lord Jesus” (1 Thess 3:13) is rendered “in adventu Domini.” The word parousia appears twenty-four times in the New Testament, almost always in reference to the coming or presence of the Lord. It appears in Matthew 24 four times, the only place the term appears in the Gospels; that chapter records the Olivet Discourse, Jesus’ prophetic warnings about a coming time of trial, destruction, and “the coming of the Son of man” (Matt 24:27). Today’s Gospel reading, from Luke 21, is a parallel passage warning of distress, startling heavenly signs, and “the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

What connection is there between the foment of earthly tribulation and cosmic upheaval, and preparations to celebrate Christ’s birth? If we consider the Christmas story cleared of sentimental wrappings, we see events as dramatic, raw, bloody, and joyous as can be imagined: the birth of Christ, the slaughter of the innocents, the praise of angels, the murderous rage of Herod. Christmas is about birth, but also death; about rejoicing, but also rejection. It is the story of God desired and God denied. It is the story every man has to encounter because it is the story of God’s radical plan of salvation, the entrance of divinity into the dusty ruts and twisting corridors of human history.

Advent orients us to the heart of the Nativity—not in a merely metaphorical way, but through the reality of the liturgy, the Eucharist, the sacramental life of the Church. It is a wake-up call, perhaps even an alarm rousing us from “carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.” The birth of Christ caught many by surprise. Likewise, we can find ourselves trapped in the darkness of dull living and missing Christ’s call to raise our heads as salvation approaches.

“Advent calls believers to become aware of this truth and to act accordingly,” said Pope Benedict XVI in a homily marking the beginning of Advent in 2006. “It rings out as a salutary appeal in the days, weeks and months that repeat: Awaken! Remember that God comes! Not yesterday, not tomorrow, but today, now!” Jesus told his disciples to be vigilant, prepared, and prayerful.

The same is true for his disciples today, so they might escape the tribulations of spiritual darkness and stand purified and prepared before the Son of Man, the son of Mary.

(This "Opening the Word" column appeared originally in the November 29, 2009, issue of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

Regnum Christi

Make Ready, the Lord is Coming

| SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

First Sunday of Advent

Matthew Reinhardt, Consecrated Member of Regnum Christi

Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Jesus said to his disciples: "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."

Introductory Prayer: Heavenly Father, I gladly spend a few minutes with you, to be close to you, because you know how much I need your presence and grace in my life. You deserve to be the center of my thoughts and desires; but often I let myself be taken up by the anxieties of daily life. Sorry Lord, but at least here I am right now, hungry for you alone. Today, Lord, I accompany the whole Church as we begin the Advent Season and begin to prepare for your coming to earth as a baby on Christmas morning.

Petition: Lord, prepare my heart for your coming at Christmas.

1. The World Then and Now: When Christ came to earth 2,000 years ago he encountered a world similar to the one we live in: far from God and full of anxiety. The lives of many people of Christ’s time were devoid of meaning because God had not yet sent his Son into the world. Today, as then, our world often lives as if Christ had never come to earth. But hope is not lost. Christ is our hope! Is my life full of meaning rooted in Christ’s saving message, or do I permit worries and selfish desires to choke my spirit?

2. Christ Is Coming: Advent and Christmas are all about Christ coming to earth to give us hope. On that cold, quiet, star-filled winter’s night in a little, poor cave in Bethlehem, God was born into our world. The Almighty came into the world as a small, poor, innocent baby adored only by his mother and father and some animals. Yes, this child is the reason for our hope, infinite hope, because he is an infinite God making an infinite act of love for us. To permit my soul to be filled with this quiet, gentle hope, what noise within my heart first needs to be shut off?

3. A Heart Checkup: Surprises can be pleasant, like an unexpected birthday party or a successful close on a big business deal. But they can also be unpleasant, like the pop quiz given at school or a sudden car accident. Will Christmas take me by surprise this year? The good news is that I know that he is coming: less than a month away. Christ tells us, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy and thus allow that day to catch you by surprise.” Advent is a time to wake up to Christ in our life. We need to prepare our hearts for his coming on Christmas morning so that he can be received by us with warmth and joy. Christ is the reason for the season!

Conversation with Christ: Lord, help me during this Advent Season, which begins today, to see that the priority in my life is preparing myself and those around me for a truly “spiritual” Christmas. I know it is a busy time of year. Help me remain focused on what is essential -- you being born into our hearts.

Resolution: I will begin some form of daily Advent reminder for myself and those I live with so we can prepare our hearts for Christmas: Advent wreath, Advent calendar, Jesse Tree etc.

The Centurion

by Food For Thought on December 3, 2012 ·

The centurion was perhaps a Syrian, certainly a pagan, an officer in the Roman military. He was clearly a good person, an admirable man.
Yet this foreigner must have respected and cared about his Jewish serving boy so much that he wanted him relieved of the “dreadful suffering.” Furthermore he was willing to open himself to the censure of his superiors and to the behind-the-back remarks of his associates and subordinates by begging humbly to this wandering Jewish healer to cure his Jewish serving boy. But what really astounded Jesus was the solidity and firmness of the man’s faith.

Has Jesus found faith like this among us? Advent is a time for strengthening our own faith. It’s a time when we renew our faith and trust in Jesus. Perhaps if we work at strengthening our faith, we will be pleased to hear Jesus speak of us, although not as fulsomely as he spoke of the centurion, “I have seen your faith grow.”

Reflecting on today’s Gospel, what hope does this story give us, in our faith and in our relationship with Jesus?

Scripture Speaks: 1st Sunday of Advent

by Gayle Somers on November 30, 2012 ·

On this first Advent Sunday, our readings direct us to the Lord’s Second Coming, not His first. Why?

Gospel (Read Lk 21:25-28, 34-36)

We must know the context of our Gospel reading today to truly understand its meaning. Earlier in the chapter (see Lk 21:20-24), Jesus describes for His disciples a catastrophic event that will take place within their lifetimes (see vs. 32). Jerusalem and its Temple would be destroyed by “the Gentiles.” Those days would be filled with horror. The Christians were to “flee to the mountains” when they see the city surrounded by armies. This must have given the disciples, all Jews, a jolt. Leave the holy city of Jerusalem when it is attacked? How could any devout Jew do this? Surely this instruction from Jesus was the first hint that the relationship Jewish believers had with the Old Covenant was about to undergo a dramatic change. [Note: We know from extra-biblical historical writings that the Jewish Christians did flee when the Romans arrived, because of these words of Jesus; they all survived the assault.]

Jesus described the destruction of the city and the Temple in the language and symbolism of Old Testament prophecies that had foretold the first time God visited His judgment that way on His people, at the time of the Babylonian Exile. It is important to recognize this. The apocalyptic language, so familiar to His disciples, helped them understand that the coming catastrophe was a judgment against Jerusalem for its rejection of the Messiah. That was why believers were to flee. The Old Covenant was coming to an end; the New Covenant would take its place. When the Romans encircled and sacked Jerusalem in 70 A.D., destroying forever the Old Temple, they were actually agents of God’s just judgment on His faithless, disobedient people.

So, why are we thinking about all this history on the first Sunday of Advent? A quote from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible (pg 60) might help:

Like many religions in the Near East, the Israelites regarded their Temple as a miniature replica or microcosm of the world; it was an architectural model of the universe fashioned by God. Conversely, the universe itself was a macrotemple, where God also dwells with His people. This is best summarized by the Psalmist, “He built His sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which He has founded forever” (Ps 78:69)…These considerations help make sense of Jesus’ words in their historical context. With the dawning of the New Covenant, God had to clear away the central symbol of the Old Covenant, the Temple. The Church is God’s new and spiritual Temple, built with the living stones of Christian believers (Mt. 16:18, Eph 2:20-22; 1 Pet 2:4-5). In this light, the devastation of the Temple and the judgment of Israel in A.D. 70 can be seen as an overture to greater things. That is, the termination of the Old Covenant world prefigures the destruction of the universe, God’s macrotemple, and the judgment of all nations by Christ (cf. 2 Pet 3:5-7). Thus, Jesus’ Olivet Discourse (Mt 24-25) is initially fulfilled in the first century as He said (Mt 24:34). But imbedded in Christ’s words are spiritual truths that point forward to His Second Coming in glory and the end of the visible world.

The destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70 points forward to the return of Jesus at the end of time—at an hour we do not know. So, just as Israelwaited many centuries for the first Advent of Jesus, we are now waiting for His second Advent. The Church gives us a whole season to ponder this. Therefore, we should pay close attention to what Jesus tells His disciples as they had to wait for the coming time of tribulation, for we are likewise in need of His instruction: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life.” We should notice that His concern for His followers is not food and weapons shortages, vigilante groups to ward off the Romans, or political posturing. No, He wants their hearts to be unencumbered. He wants them to be “vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent.” The preparations He urges on His followers are spiritual, not physical. This is our Advent work. We have four weeks to check our hearts for distractions, entanglements, and preoccupations that cloud our minds and siphon our energy away from growth in faith, hope, and love—the only preparation that will enable us to “stand before the Son of Man” when, once again, He comes to a people who long to see His face.

Possible response: Lord Jesus, in so much of my life, I seem to be waiting for something. Advent reminds me I’m waiting for You!

First Reading (Read Jer 33:14-15)

Jeremiah was a prophet who had to deliver to the Jews the terrible news of God’s first judgment on Jerusalem and the Temple, in about the 6^th century B.C. However, in this reading, God makes a remarkable promise that is full of hope: “I will raise up for David a just shoot… In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure.” Did God keep this promise? We know that Jerusalem and the Temple were both destroyed within a generation of Jesus’ prophetic announcement. Because of how Judah’s history unfolded, we know that the fulfillment of this promise was much deeper than the protection of a territory or a building. Jesus, the “just shoot” of David, reigns now over a new Jerusalem, which is the Church. He and all who are baptized into Him form the new Temple, where true worship of God takes place. The season of Advent reminds us that we are still waiting for the full manifestation of this triumphant Kingdom. It is present in the world now in a veiled way, but someday, all creation will see and exclaim, “The LORD our justice.”

Possible response: Heavenly Father, our long wait for the return of Your Son is not “if” He comes, but “when.” Thank You for always keeping Your promises.

Psalm (Read Ps 25:4-5, 8-10, 14)

This psalm gives crystal clarity to what our preparation is to be as we wait for the Day of the Lord: “Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are God my Savior, and for You I wait all the day.” Our focus in this time of waiting is always to be on God and His will for our lives—this day, this hour. If we ponder this psalm, it will protect us from indifference, sloth, and self-satisfaction as we wait. It will also keep us from wasting energy on wondering how prepared others are for that Day—always a temptation. Sometimes we can look at our culture, our neighbors, and even our family members with an eye of judgment. We worry about the sin of others rather than our own. During this Advent, we can resolve to work only on ourselves; our antiphon is an excellent Advent prayer: “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.”

Possible response: The psalm is, itself, a response to our other readings. Read it again prayerfully to make it your own.

Second Reading (Read 1 Thess 3:12-4:2)

Context will help us understand this reading, as it did with our Gospel. This is the earliest epistle written by St. Paul in the New Testament. It is addressed to a church he established after he preached the Gospel in Thessalonica on one of his missionary journeys. It is full of instructions for daily living for new converts. It is deeply pastoral in nature. These new Christians had many questions, especially about the Second Coming of Jesus. At least once in every chapter, St. Paul mentions the return of Jesus in glory.

When we know this, we can take note of the emphasis in the verses of our reading—it is entirely on growing in holiness. A true, sound preparation for the Lord’s Second Coming, whenever it happens, always includes striving to “increase and abound in love for one another and for all… to be blameless in holiness… at the coming of our Lord Jesus.” This emphasis is consistent with Jesus’ teaching in our Gospel. We are not to bog down in timetables, in discerning supernatural or cosmic signs, political machinations, or idleness as we wait for Jesus to come for us. No, we should make every effort to conduct ourselves “to please God.”

Advent gives us a fresh start on a new year of preparation. May we use it wisely.

Possible response: Lord Jesus, help me welcome another year in which to know and love You and to love others for Your sake.

First Sunday of Advent: The Reason for the Season

by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. on November 30, 2012 ·

“Advent” is simply the Latin word for “coming.” If we can manage to meditate on any “coming” in December besides the comings and goings of Christmas shopping, it would be Christ’s coming to Mary in a stable

But the liturgy of the first three weeks of Advent speaks of another coming, the second and final coming of Jesus at the end of time.

From the earliest days of the Church, people have been fascinated by Jesus’ promise to come back. Many have claimed to recognize the signs of his imminent return and even have tried to predict the actual date. They’ve had some explaining to do when he failed to show up as forecast.

I have news for you. I am absolutely certain that we, today, are truly living in the last days. How do I know? Because we’ve been living in the last days since Jesus has ascended into heaven (1 John 2:18, 1 Peter 4:7).

When is Jesus coming back? That’s the wrong question. The last trumpet, Jesus riding on the clouds–is all this to be taken symbolically or literally? Wrong question again.

Have you heard the joke about the young priest who rushes into the pastor’s office and says “The Lord has been spotted walking up the aisle of the church. What do we do?”

The pastor looks up with alarm and says: “For God sake, Father, look busy!”

We should not be wasting our time fantasizing and theorizing about dates, or the nature of the rapture or the final tribulation. This is a distraction. Rather, we are not just to look busy but actually be busy preparing the way for his return.

That means being prepared and ready, not weighted down, neutralized, and utterly distracted by the cares of this world (Luke 21: 34-36). It means, as Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 3, to work to make greater progress in the life of holiness, “putting on” the character of Christ. It also means preparing the way by calling others to faith in Christ, since all baptized Catholics are called to be evangelizers.

The second coming of Christ, like the first, involves a birth. Only this time, it will be the birth of a new heavens and a new earth (2 Peter 3:13; Romans 8:19-23; CCC 1042). Birth is always preceded by labor and travail. In fact birth is a sort of crisis that puts everyone involved to the test. The labor pains to bring one baby to birth are intense enough. Imagine the labor pains prior to the birth of a whole new creation!

With all due respect to the Left Behind fantasies, faithful Christians won’t be spared the tribulation preceding His final coming any more than Mary and Joseph were spared the tribulations surrounding his first coming (CCC 672, 1 Cor 7:26). The idea of a secret rapture snatching Christians away from what the Catechism calls “the final cosmic upheaval” (CCC 677) appears nowhere in the Bible or tradition. It is an idea concocted by a sectarian Protestant teacher in the 19^th century and was immediately rejected as dangerous by other Protestant pastors.

Why? Because if we think we’ll be exempted from suffering, then why prepare for it? And when crisis does in fact come, we may buckle under the pressure.

But doesn’t all this talk of tribulation put a damper on the festive holiday spirit?

Are parents any less excited about the birth of their first child because they may have to take a Lamaze class or talk to the doctor about pain meds and caesarian sections? There is no birth without labor. So as we rejoice in hope over the imminent new arrival, perhaps we ought to do everything possible to make sure that the labor goes successfully. That way there’ll be something to rejoice about.

And we better not dilly-dally. It could be any day now.

One Bread, One Body

<< Sunday, December 2, 2012 >>

First Sunday of Advent

Jeremiah 33:14-16
1 Thessalonians 3:12—4:2
View Readings

Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

MARANATHA!

"The days are coming..." —Jeremiah 33:14

A new Church year begins with the season of Advent. How can we start this Church year off on the right foot?

Human ventures begin with human efforts and plans. The Church, however, is led by Jesus, the Head of the Church (Col 1:18), and so the Church is both human and divine (Catechism, 779). Therefore, God initiates and we follow Him.

Here are some keys to the success of this Church year:

Will we vigilantly and patiently listen to the Lord each day for His "instructions"? (1 Thes 4:2)
Will we receive God's plans in a spirit of docility and joyful submission?
Will we cooperate with God's plans or block them through our resistance or by moving ahead without Him?
Will we "learn to make still greater progress" in living for Jesus? (1 Thes 4:1)
Will we "conduct [ourselves] in a way pleasing to God"? (1 Thes 4:1)
Will we "be on guard lest [our] spirits become bloated with indulgence and drunkenness and worldly cares"? (Lk 21:34)
Will we be "blameless and holy"? (1 Thes 3:13)

The Lord's plans for the Church and for us are far "more than we ask or imagine" (Eph 3:20). His "will be done" (Mt 6:10).

Prayer: Father, give us "the strength to escape whatever is in prospect" (Lk 21:36).

Promise: "The friendship of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and His covenant, for their instruction." —Ps 25:14

Praise: Alleluia! Jesus is risen! Jesus will come again! Come, Lord Jesus!

Prayer for the Helpless Unborn

fetus at 11 weeks

Heavenly Father, in Your love for us, protect against the wickedness of the devil,

those helpless little ones to whom You have given the gift of life.

Touch with pity the hearts of those women pregnant in our world today

who are not thinking of motherhood.

Help them to see that the child they carry is made in Your image

- as well as theirs - made for eternal life.

Dispel their fear and selfishness and give them true womanly hearts

to love their babies and give them birth

and all the needed care that a mother can give.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Lord,

Who lives and reigns with You and Holy Spirit,

One God, forever and ever. Amen.

http://resources.sainteds.com/showmedia.asp?media=../sermons/homily/2012-12-02-Homily%20Deacon%20James%20Herrera.mp3&ExtraInfo=1&BaseDir=../sermons/homily

December 2, 2012

First Sunday of Advent

Reading 1 Jer 33:14-16

Responsorial Psalm Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14