From Our Pastor's Desk
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From Our Pastor's Desk
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THE CRIB IS READY
Let us focus our attention on the mystery of Bethlehem and contemplate the Child who comes to save us. Let us dare to enter into the soul of Jesus into the womb of Mary and listen to his offering to the Father: “Here I am, I come to do your will.” His mission is clear. The scene of Mary’s visitation to her cousin Saint Elizabeth should prepare our hearts so that we may live this Christmas with a spirit of gratitude and admiration. Sisters and brothers: 1. In our Christian homes today there is an air of expectation that is typical of great events. The wait becomes warm and an aura of poetry begins to envelop everything. However, this is not the case everywhere. For some, unfortunately, everything will remain as it is: blinking colored lights, artificial pine trees loaded with gifts, tambourines and fan-fares. Many will live these last hours distracted by the nervousness of the rush for the purchases that still need to be made. 2. Christmas will always be the celebration of the simple and the rescue of the poor. This Child who is born in Bethlehem is the same one who will later give himself for the salvation of humanity. It is a divine gesture that can only be perceived in prayer and inner contemplation. The Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem has only one entrance door, so low that one cannot pass through it without bending deeply. This contains a spiritual truth: reminding pilgrims that in order to penetrate the profound meaning of Christmas it is necessary to make oneself small. 3. This Sunday is eminently Marian. We contemplate the position of Mary, who becomes the slave of the Lord in the Incarnation and the servant of men in the Visitation. Through her faith, the Virgin of Nazareth has become blessed and all generations recognize her as the Mother of believers. St. Augustine does not hesitate to affirm that Mary, through her faith, conceived Jesus first in her heart than in her virginal womb. Through faith, God also enters our lives and is with us. 4. Today Christ accomplishes the mystery of the Incarnation in all those who, like Mary, open their hearts to him without putting obstacles in the way of his grace. The more we act as slaves of the Lord, the more fruitful will be the redemption accomplished in us and by us. Mary, one of the most relevant figures of Advent, is the path that God has chosen to draw near to us and may very well be the path that brings us closer to God. May the flares or the hustle and bustle of our streets not distract us from contemplating the mystery of the birth of the Son of God. Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests THE WORD IN THE DESERT
The Church continues to prepare the way of Our Lord for His Coming. The road of conversion that we travel through is sown with signs of joy and hope. The order is the same: conversion and pardon for our sins. The desert is a place of solitude and silence, where a Christian is purified while traveling as a pilgrim. It is necessary to preach and live the principles and practices of the Gospel message so that the men of our time will come to see Salvation. Sisters and brothers: 1. The desert is a place of solitude, hardships of life, and temptation. The desert educates one that an essential part of life will require renunciations, detachments, and a radical change of the soul. The desert educates us through a test, where one must make room for the love of God. Salvation always comes from the Word. The Word enlightens us when we are responsible when we are willing to listen, and when we do not abandon the place that is meant for us. Upon reflecting on its value, Paul Claudel exclaimed: "It is not enough to approach the Word with our eyes or with our lips: one must become fond of the Word, one must stop to think of the Word, and one must soak in the Word. One must live under its cover, we must store it in our soul, we must rest in the Word, dream of the Word, and be awoken with the Word; one must be persuaded that the Word alone is bread, and that, in the last analysis, we are only hungry for the Word." 2. St. John has received a mission to carry out: With his word, he sows a message in our souls, one that few understand; this message waters the sterile sands through the waters of Baptism, through his sweat of penitence, and through the blood of his martyrdom. Thus, each man, in small or large things, is the author of a fragment of history, whose meaning results in all humanity. Each minute of our life has a decisive weight. Those that respond to God, collaborate in His project of Salvation. Yet those that are opposed, build a world of perdition. 3. Advent is an opportune time to immerse ourselves in the wealth of the Mystery of the Incarnation, the maximum test of God's love for man. God in person enters at a precise point of history and makes the duration of time impregnated with eternity. St. Francis de Sales interprets it this way: "Every single moment of time comes toward you with a task to complete, and also with the grace to complete it well; it then returns to eternity to remain eternally, just as you have left it." To some, Advent arrives as a crisis of exhaustion or disillusionment. To another, as a moment of elation and serenity. The Incarnation is a mystery of love and one can only enter into this mystery if one lives in continuous contemplation as Mary has. She teaches us to discover behind each person, each circumstance, and each difficulty - the most Holy Will of God. We must put our entire life on the altar, all our love and our liberty. Source: ePriest.com / Best Practices and Homily Resources for Catholic Priests |
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