December 2019

Fourth Sunday of Advent “A” – December 22, 2019

From the Pastor /

Each individual, and perhaps each generation, faces the same question that Ahaz and Joseph faced: whom do I trust? On what foundations do I build my life? The fundamental promise that God makes – to Ahaz, to Joseph and to us – is: “I am with you.” And the choice  each of us then has to make is: do I trust God? Do I live my life based on the belief that through all the challenges and difficulties of life, God is with me, with us as a community? As we face our own threats and challenges in life – both as individuals and as Church – we can, like Ahaz, choose to place our trust in the false gods of our own time: materialism (money, possessions) or power (using people for our own ends, putting popularity, status and success before principle, and truth). Or, like Joseph, we can listen to the still, quiet voice of the God who speaks to our better self in the silence of our dreams and our hopes – the God who quietly yet persistently invites us to live our lives in hope and confidence, rather than insecurity and fear. To genuinely trust God – to believe that God is with us – has the most profound consequence for our lives and for our community.

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Third Sunday of Advent “A” – December 15, 2019

Frackville, From the Pastor /

On the 3rd Sunday of Advent each year, St. John the Baptist features in the Gospel; only in Year A do we encounter John in prison, near the end of his life. John knows his life is likely to end very soon on the command of Herod, so he wants to make sure he has not been mistaken in identifying Jesus as the awaited Messiah. He sends a disciple to find out.

Those who go back to John will need to do more than tell what they have seen and heard.

The question arises, how well do we recognize the signs that the kingdom of God is among us today? Few of us have the power to do many things literally, but we do have power to do so in a spiritual sense. We must recognize Jesus in His coming and in each person we encounter. So many people are voiceless in today’s world, but we can help their voices be heard; our own lives proclaim the Good News of Jesus when we are concerned for others’ well being.

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Second Sunday of Advent “A” – December 8, 2019

Frackville, From the Pastor /

The word ‘mission’ has had different meanings in the history of the Church. Today in can refer  to the outreach asked of each of us as Christians to those who are not of our faith.

Some would see division as being the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament.  In the OT the picture of God is that of an angry judge, in the NT the picture is that of a loving Savior. Our readings today undermine the simplicity of such a view. In our reading from Isaiah we are offered a vision of peace, even among those who are naturally enemies. In our Gospel reading you feel John the Baptist would be perfectly at home in one of those old-style parish missions.

Jesus chooses to be the victim of violence rather than invoke His mighty powers to bring home the truth of His message. By doing this He reveals the nature of God. He also seems to have become fairly exasperated by the obtuseness of His disciples at times, in their case referring more sadly to their lack of faith and their likely weakness under attack. His main concern is to find a way of communicating that gets through to His listeners.

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First Sunday of Advent “A” – December 1, 2019

From the Pastor /

Every moment of our lives, we are choosing for or against heaven. It is always a matter of life and death. An accountant’s job is to measure the value of the company, a charity, or some other association involving money. The value we are concerned with is worth in the eyes of God. The accountancy of life is measured in love. Love and law are not opposites, but good law is the fuel of love.

All you have to do is pay attention. When we get bored with life, it is because we don’t take the trouble to understand its meaning. Every moment of our life we are making decisions about how to live: the most important of all is the decision to look for God’s purpose in every moment of our lives, or the decision to ignore God. Life goes on. We are warned against looking for signs of the Lord’s return. Then again, it would be foolish to think that anything on this earth lasts forever. So Jesus is telling us to concentrate on the ordinary things of life, and to be at peace with our neighbor. He will come again; but He will come in His own good time.

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