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December 24, 2011   Saturday of the Fourth Week of Advent   Reading 1 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 When King David was settled in his palace,and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,he said to Nathan the prophet,"Here I am living in a house of cedar,while the ark of God dwells in a tent!" Nathan answered the king,"Go, do whatever you have in mind,for the LORD is with you." But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:"Go, tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD:Should you build me a house...

Tomorrow when the sun goes will end Advent 2011 and begin the real season of Christmas 2011. This Advent season, which is coming to an end was a very difficult one for me. Having dealt with first a tooth abscess and the death of one of my teeth during the weekend of Thanksgiving and having to go to the dental emergency at the University of Connecticut Medical And Dental Hospital to have it treated, at first having been given the opportunity to have a root canal treatment and then being told that the tooth was not worth being saved and...

December 23, 2011 Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent   Reading 1 Mal 3:1-4, 23-24 Thus says the Lord GOD:Lo, I am sending my messengerto prepare the way before me;And suddenly there will come to the templethe LORD whom you seek,And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.But who will endure the day of his coming?And who can stand when he appears?For he is like the refiner's fire,or like the fuller's lye.He will sit refining and purifying silver,and he will purify the sons of Levi,Refining them like gold or...

December 22, 2011   Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent   Reading 1 1 Sm 1:24-28 In those days,Hannah brought Samuel with her,along with a three-year-old bull,an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh. After the boy's father had sacrificed the young bull,Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:"Pardon, my lord!As you live, my lord,I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;as...

December 21, 2011   Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent   Reading 1 Sg 2:8-14 Hark! my lover--here he comesspringing across the mountains,leaping across the hills.My lover is like a gazelleor a young stag.Here he stands behind our wall,gazing through the windows,peering through the lattices.My lover speaks; he says to me,"Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one,and come!"For see, the winter is past,the rains are over and gone.The flowers appear on the earth,the time of pruning the vines has come,and the song of the dove is heard in our land.The fig tree puts forth its figs,and the vines,...

December 20, 2011   Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent     Reading 1 Is 7:10-14 The LORD spoke to Ahaz:Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!But Ahaz answered,"I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!" Then Isaiah said:Listen, O house of David! Is it not enough for you to weary men,must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and shall name him Emmanuel. Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab,...

December 19, 2011   Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent   Reading 1 Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites,whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and had borne no children. An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her,"Though you are barren and have had no children,yet you will conceive and bear a son. Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drinkand to eat nothing unclean.As for the son you will conceive and bear,no razor shall touch his head,for this...

It’s always interesting to track down the origins of holiday traditions. Now that Christmas is upon us, many are putting out their Nativity scenes with the usual stable, wise men and donkey. Some interesting facts:

“Good News Comes in Strange Packages” (Luke 1:26-38)How’d you like to have a really scary guy come up to you unexpectedly and tell you: “Hey, I’ve got good news for you! You’re about to have a life-changing experience that will cause the person closest to you to think you have betrayed him, an experience that will make you into something of a social outcast and that will rearrange your whole life and plans from anything you expected. Yeah, this is some really good news I have for you!” How would you feel, and what would you say to such a...

December 18, 2011   Fourth Sunday of Advent   Reading 1 2 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 When King David was settled in his palace,and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,he said to Nathan the prophet,"Here I am living in a house of cedar,while the ark of God dwells in a tent!"Nathan answered the king,"Go, do whatever you have in mind,for the LORD is with you."But that night the LORD spoke to Nathan and said:"Go, tell my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD:Should you build me a house to dwell in?' "'It was I...

While the world has already been celebrating a very secular "christmas" since before the Thanksgiving holiday, Christians ought not get caught up in the emptiness of it all.  Easter is now about bunnies and Christmas about buying and giving extravagant, and sometimes mountains of gifts for others.  Some will give to God what little time is left over, and other believers will give Him virtually not time at all.  Wtihin moderation, there is nothing wrong with gift giving.  But that should come secondary to something else.....  We must all ask ourselves if the practice of our faith revolves around our lives or...

December 17, 2011 Saturday of the Third Week of Advent   Reading 1 Gn 49:2, 8-10 Jacob called his sons and said to them:"Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob,listen to Israel, your father. "You, Judah, shall your brothers praise--your hand on the neck of your enemies;the sons of your father shall bow down to you.Judah, like a lion's whelp,you have grown up on prey, my son.He crouches like a lion recumbent,the king of beasts--who would dare rouse him?The scepter shall never depart from Judah,or the mace from between his legs,While tribute is brought to him,and he receives the people's...

An Advent Challenge: Love Your Enemies! Dec 13th, 2011by Gary Zimak. Dear Lord,So far today I’ve done all right.I haven’t gossiped, cursed, or lost my temper.I haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish or overindulgent.I am really glad about these things.But, in a few minutes Lord,I am going to get out of bed,and from then on,I’m probably going to need a lot more help.Thank You,In Jesus’ Name. Amen.  (Author unknown)Most of us will chuckle when reading this prayer, but isn’t the message really true?  One of the most difficult aspects of being a Christian is dealing with people.  Especially challenging is...

December 16, 2011 Friday of the Third Week of Advent   Reading 1 Is 56:1-3a, 6-8 Thus says the LORD:Observe what is right, do what is just;for my salvation is about to come,my justice, about to be revealed.Blessed is the man who does this,the son of man who holds to it;Who keeps the sabbath free from profanation,and his hand from any evildoing.Let not the foreigner say,when he would join himself to the LORD,"The LORD will surely exclude me from his people." The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD,ministering to him,Loving the name of the LORD,and becoming his servants--All...

"O Antiphons" for the Week before ChristmasIntroduction: Most familiar today from the Advent hymn, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel," the seven traditional "O Antiphons" are actually more than a thousand years old. They have long been used at the very end of Advent (Dec. 17-23) in the liturgical prayer of the Church, as Antiphons for the "Magnificat" sung or recited during Vespers (the Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours). Since the Second Vatican Council, they have also been adapted (slightly reworded and rearranged) for the "Alleluia Verse" of the Mass (the short scriptural text or paraphrase that immediately...

The Journey To Bethlehem is Not Comfortable! December 21st, 2009 by Gary Zimak During the season of Advent, we are all invited to travel our own personal “road to Bethlehem”. When we arrive at our destination on Christmas Day, we will hopefully be closer to the Lord than when we began the journey.  Over the course of these few weeks, we have the opportunity to look at our lives and attempt to find ways of becoming closer to Christ.  One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to “take the easy way out” and do nothing or choose only those...

“Blameless at the Coming of Our Lord” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24)In this three-part Advent series, we have been looking at, and looking forward to, the coming of our Lord. And by that, I mean his Second Coming, the Last Day, the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns on clouds of glory to render judgment on the earth. Accordingly, we have been speaking of the need to be “Awake until, Waiting for, and Blameless at the Coming of our Lord.” This has been our series theme. We began two weeks ago by hearing Jesus’ parable from Mark 13, about the servants...

December 15, 2011   Thursday of the Third Week of Advent   Reading 1 Is 54:1-10 Raise a glad cry, you barren one who did not bear,Break forth in jubilant song, you who were not in labor,For more numerous are the children of the deserted wifethan the children of her who has a husband,says the LORD.Enlarge the space for your tent,spread out your tent cloths unsparingly;lengthen your ropes and make firm your stakes.For you shall spread abroad to the right and to the left;your descendants shall dispossess the nationsand shall people the desolate cities. Fear not, you shall not...

December 14, 2011 Memorial of Saint John of the Cross, Priest and Doctor of the Church   Reading 1 Is 45:6c-8, 18, 21c-25 I am the LORD, there is no other;I form the light, and create the darkness,I make well-being and create woe;I, the LORD, do all these things.Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above,like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;let justice also spring up!I, the LORD, have created this. For thus says the LORD,The creator of the heavens,who is God,The designer and maker of the earthwho established...

December 13, 2011 Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr   Reading 1 Zep 3:1-2, 9-13 Thus says the LORD:Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted,to the tyrannical city!She hears no voice,accepts no correction;In the LORD she has not trusted,to her God she has not drawn near. For then I will change and purifythe lips of the peoples,That they all may call upon the name of the LORD,to serve him with one accord;From beyond the rivers of Ethiopiaand as far as the recesses of the North,they shall bring me offerings. On that dayYou need not be ashamed of all...

December 12, 2011   Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe   Reading 1 Zec 2:14-17 Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,and they shall be his people,and he will dwell among you,and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.The LORD will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land,and he will again choose Jerusalem.Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD!For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling. Or Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab God's...

“The Messiah’s Job Description” (Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11)As we just heard in the Gospel reading and sang in the hymn, St. John the Baptist came, proclaiming the arrival of the Savior and preparing the way before him. In doing this, John fulfilled the job description set forth for him in the prophet Isaiah, chapter 40, as John himself says, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” John came to proclaim the coming of the one coming after him. But what about that one coming after...

December 11, 2011   Third Sunday of Advent   Reading 1 Is 61:1-2a, 10-11 The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,because the LORD has anointed me;he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,to heal the brokenhearted,to proclaim liberty to the captivesand release to the prisoners,to announce a year of favor from the LORDand a day of vindication by our God. I rejoice heartily in the LORD,in my God is the joy of my soul;for he has clothed me with a robe of salvationand wrapped me in a mantle of justice,like a bridegroom adorned with...

December 10, 2011   Saturday of the Second Week of Advent   Reading 1 Sir 48:1-4, 9-11 In those days,like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijahwhose words were as a flaming furnace.Their staff of bread he shattered,in his zeal he reduced them to straits;By the Lord's word he shut up the heavensand three times brought down fire.How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds!Whose glory is equal to yours?You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,in a chariot with fiery horses.You were destined, it is written, in time to cometo put an end to wrath before...

December 9, 2011 Friday of the Second Week of Advent   Reading 1 Is 48:17-19 Thus says the LORD, your redeemer,the Holy One of Israel:I, the LORD, your God,teach you what is for your good,and lead you on the way you should go.If you would hearken to my commandments,your prosperity would be like a river,and your vindication like the waves of the sea;Your descendants would be like the sand,and those born of your stock like its grains,Their name never cut offor blotted out from my presence. Responsorial Psalm Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6 R. (see John 8:12)Those who follow you,...

December 8, 2011 Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary   Reading 1 Gn 3:9-15, 20 After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree,the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"He answered, "I heard you in the garden;but I was afraid, because I was naked,so I hid myself."Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?You have eaten, then,from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!"The man replied, "The woman whom you put here with meCshe gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate...

“Waiting for the Coming of Our Lord” (2 Peter 3:8-14)Today we continue our three-part series, “Awake until, Waiting for, and Blameless at the Coming of Our Lord.” Last week we spoke of the need to stay awake until his coming again. Our focus now is on “Waiting for the Coming of Our Lord,” based on the text from 2 Peter 3. In this section of his epistle, Peter is talking about the Second Coming of Christ. At the time that Peter is writing this, it’s been several decades since Christ ascended into heaven, and Peter himself had heard the promise...

December 7, 2011 Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church   Reading 1 Is 40:25-31 To whom can you liken me as an equal?says the Holy One.Lift up your eyes on highand see who has created these things:He leads out their army and numbers them,calling them all by name.By his great might and the strength of his powernot one of them is missing!Why, O Jacob, do you say,and declare, O Israel,"My way is hidden from the LORD,and my right is disregarded by my God?" Do you not knowor have you not heard?The LORD is the eternal God,creator...

December 6, 2011 Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent   Reading 1 Is 40:1-11 Comfort, give comfort to my people,says your God.Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to herthat her service is at an end,her guilt is expiated;Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORDdouble for all her sins. A voice cries out:In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!Every valley shall be filled in,every mountain and hill shall be made low;The rugged land shall be made a plain,the rough country, a broad valley.Then the glory of...

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December 5, 2011   Monday of the Second Week of Advent   Reading 1 Is 35:1-10 The desert and the parched land will exult;the steppe will rejoice and bloom.They will bloom with abundant flowers,and rejoice with joyful song.The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;They will see the glory of the LORD,the splendor of our God.Strengthen the hands that are feeble,make firm the knees that are weak,Say to those whose hearts are frightened:Be strong, fear not!Here is your God,he comes with vindication;With divine recompensehe comes to save you.Then will the eyes of the...

“A Trip out to the Wilderness” (Mark 1:1-8; Isaiah 40:1-11)Today and throughout the season of Advent, the church takes “A Trip out to the Wilderness.” We go out there and we meet John the Baptist, our wilderness guide. What John is doing out there is leading God’s people in two things, penitential preparation and hopeful expectation, as we await the coming of the Lord. Penitential preparation, hopeful expectation--these are the distinctive accents of Advent that we will hear in our trip out to the wilderness today. God does some of his best work out in the wilderness. In that desolate...

December 3, 2011 Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest   Reading 1 Is 30:19-21, 23-26 Thus says the Lord GOD,the Holy One of Israel:O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,no more will you weep;He will be gracious to you when you cry out,as soon as he hears he will answer you.The Lord will give you the bread you needand the water for which you thirst.No longer will your Teacher hide himself,but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:"This is the way; walk in it,"when you would turn to...

I have published on this Hymn before but want to post on it again at the beginning of Advent in hopes that a few of you who have the influence and ability may see that this hymn in used in your parishes for Advent at some point.For my money the best Advent hymn ever written is Veni Redemptor Gentium (Come Redeemer of the Nations) written by St. Ambrose in the 4th Century.One of the beautiful things about the ancient Latin Hymns is how richly theological they are. Not content to merely describe the event in question, they give sweeping theological...

"Oh Come Let Us Adore Him," a display of more than 100 creches, Nativities and angels, is being held this weekend at the Connellsville Presbyterian Church, in conjunction with "It's A Connellsville Christmas." The hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday and noon to 3 p.m. Sunday."We are pleased that we get so many new pieces to add each year. We like to make changes and create new arrangements each holiday. New this year, we are adding a Christmas tree to hang the many little Nativity ornaments on. It will look beautiful," said Teri Montgomery, event co-coordinator along with Nancy...

December 2, 2011   Friday of the First Week of Advent   Reading 1 Is 29:17-24 Thus says the Lord GOD:But a very little while,and Lebanon shall be changed into an orchard,and the orchard be regarded as a forest!On that day the deaf shall hearthe words of a book;And out of gloom and darkness,the eyes of the blind shall see.The lowly will ever find joy in the LORD,and the poor rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.For the tyrant will be no moreand the arrogant will have gone;All who are alert to do evil will be cut off,those whose...

December 1, 2011 Thursday of the First Week of Advent   Reading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: "A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open up the gatesto let in a nation that is just,one that keeps faith.A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace;in peace, for its trust in you." Trust in the LORD forever!For the LORD is an eternal Rock.He humbles those in high places,and the lofty city he brings down;He tumbles it to the ground,levels it with the dust.It...

“Awake until the Coming of Our Lord” (Mark 13:24-37)It is customary for midweek services in Advent or Lent for the preacher to come up with a theme, some connecting thread that ties together the services and sermons for that season. Last year, for instance, our Advent series, for both the Sundays and Wednesdays, was on the seven “O Antiphons” of the hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” It made for a nifty, handy-dandy series theme. But this year for Advent, I wasn’t sure what to do with these midweek services, what sort of a theme to come up with. Then...

Saying “Y-E-S” to God During Lent by Gary Zimak on Mar 05, 2011   No matter how close we are to God, the season of Lent provides a great opportunity to grow closer to Him.  One of the biggest mistakes that we can make is to not take advantage of this blessed time.  For many of us, we struggle to decide what we should “give up” or what we should “do” during Lent.  If you’re still undecided, I recommend that you simply say “Y-E-S” to God!YIELD – It is human nature to desire control over our lives.  We like to...

November 30, 2011   Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle   Reading 1 Rom 10:9-18 Brothers and sisters:If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lordand believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,you will be saved.For one believes with the heart and so is justified,and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.The Scripture says,No one who believes in him will be put to shame.There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;the same Lord is Lord of all,enriching all who call upon him.For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved....

“Well Actually, He’s Not Talking to You.” Answering One Critique of the New TranslationBy: Msgr. Charles Pope I, like you, have read with interest the reactions of many to the new translation, after its first week of use. Most of the remarks I have read are quite positive. A smaller, though not insignificant number, are negative, some strikingly so. No need to summarize all the remarks here. I am personally a big fan of the new translation and have carefully and joyfully prepared my congregation for it. Our first Sunday went off without a hitch.There is one strain of...

November 29, 2011   Tuesday of the First Week of Advent   Reading 1 Is 11:1-10 On that day,A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,and from his roots a bud shall blossom.The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,A Spirit of counsel and of strength,a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.Not by appearance shall he judge,nor by hearsay shall he decide,But he shall judge the poor with justice,and decide aright for the land's afflicted.He shall strike the ruthless with...

Advent Sunday means it is time for the inauguration of the famous 13 metre tall Christmas goat (Gävlebocken) in the main square of Gävle, on the east coast of Sweden. •Gävle Goat survives Christmas Eve (25 Dec 10) •Gävle goat targeted in foiled helicopter heist (17 Dec 10) •Gävle goat succumbs to flames (23 Dec 09) •Flames finally consume Gävle Christmas goat (27 Dec 08) To the uninitiated, the annual saga of whether or not the goat survives intact until Christmas Day, has become a tradition of Yuletide in Sweden. The giant straw goat, which has been erected in the...

Jesus is Coming! Let’s get ready to welcome him. Leaving our teenagers at home for a few days without a sitter for the first time was scary. Our decision to travel was made and unmade at least a thousand times (or so it seemed). Finally we decided to go. After all, they were almost adults. They had always acted responsibly and had never given us any serious concerns.Before we left, we delivered the standard parental admonitions: Don’t allow friends in the house, lock all the doors, feed the pets—along with all the other details parents believe their children will...

November 28, 2011 Monday of the First Week of Advent   Reading 1 Is 2:1-5 This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come,The mountain of the LORD's houseshall be established as the highest mountainand raised above the hills.All nations shall stream toward it;many peoples shall come and say:"Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain,to the house of the God of Jacob,That he may instruct us in his ways,and we may walk in his paths."For from Zion shall go forth instruction,and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.He shall judge between the nations,and impose...

I realize many people think “Black Friday” was the beginning of the Christmas season. Well, actually it begins today — the first day of Advent. At least in most of the Christian world this is when it starts and continues to January 6th (remember the 12 days of Christmas?). As I did last year, we will take a look at the history behind some Christmas traditions over the next month. But first, what happened to Christmas?

“Advent Is Worth the Wait” (Isaiah 64:1-9; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 11:1-10)We don’t like to wait, do we? I mean, we Americans. And especially when it comes to Christmas. Wait till the night of December 24 to start celebrating Christmas? No way! So the Christmas catalogues started coming--when, the day after Labor Day? Then came the Christmas movies: “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” came out November 4. The Christmas radio stations: “Santa Baby” was “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree” already a couple of weeks ago. And the TV specials: “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” is this Tuesday. Apparently, Rockefeller...

November 27, 2011   First Sunday of Advent   Reading 1 Is 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7 You, LORD, are our father,our redeemer you are named forever.Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways,and harden our hearts so that we fear you not?Return for the sake of your servants,the tribes of your heritage.Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,with the mountains quaking before you,while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for,such as they had not heard of from of old.No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but youdoing such...

THE CATHOLIC LECTIONARY WEBSITEby Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. Resources for Liturgy and Prayer for the Seasons ofAdvent and Christmas The ADVENT Season: The ADVENT Season:Advent is the liturgical season that precedes and prepares for Christmas. It is a season of hope and of longing, of joyful expectation and of peaceful preparation. Many symbols and traditions are associated with Advent, especially the Advent Wreath with its four colored candles (three purple and one pink), but also Advent calendars, special Advent music, food, processions, and other traditions that may vary from one culture or region to the next. Here are a...

Any suggestions on Christmas music that you have played? I have three I'm working on, now. "Petit Enfant" (Robert J. Ward choral), "Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus", and "The Coventry Carol". Any other suggestions for flute and piano accompaniment? My accompanist is awesome and can read ANYTHING. She's a JOY to work with. I have two other 'gigs' I'm still trying to dig up music for. One of I thought of is "What Child Is This". Also, maybe, a couple of Rutter pieces. Thanks! RIMTB