Pastor’s Pen
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT
A WORD FROM FR. BOB
Dear Church Family,
One of my favorite images of Advent is that the Lord is coming. He will come in a very powerful way like a voice crying out in the desert. John the Baptist wants to prepare the way of the Lord and make straight His paths and that’s John’s calling, and he comes with a powerful message that the Lord is coming. It’s rough but everything will be smooth. This reminds me of my coming down on the ski slopes pretty smooth as long as there weren’t any big and bumpy ice patches with only a little crash now and then.
John wants us to see the image as it is written in the scriptures from the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” Alleluia! In Advent we try to open our minds to see God’s salvation coming to us and that all will be well for us.
Today we are celebrating healing in every way with the Sacrament of Anointing. Next week we are going to ask for Healing of the Soul with the Sacrament of Reconciliation. All week long pray that all those rough ways that people have to go through will now just be easy. Pray as Paul exhorts you to pray. “Pray with joy” that’s the way, always with joy. We say over and over again when Paul says, “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Alleluia! Paul goes on to say that he, “longs for all of you with affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” Alleluia! That’s Paul’s prayer for us and Jesus’ prayer for us.
My nephew who doesn’t seem to have any religion calls me up the one day because one of our special loved ones is having more that a serious battle with Cancer. He says, “Uncle Bob, you prayed and prayed that our loved one, Andrea, would get well. She bounced back and lived a long time with her pancreatic cancer, which we know is very serious. But she beat the odds for such a long, long time. Keep praying Uncle Bob.” Then I said to him, “Jim, don’t you pray?” He says, “No! I don’t know how to do that.” I said, “Well learn it!” We can say to all our loved ones, “Learn It” because this is the way we should be living as people on the journey to a closer union with the Lord and that comes with celebrating Advent. Let us just simply feel in awe of God’s coming in these Sacred Scriptures and just praise the Lord. Alleluia!
Love, Fr. Bob
P.S. Church Members should pick up Christmas Food Baskets today, Sunday, December 9 at Covenant House, 1-3pm at 5017 Maffit at Kingshighway.
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