Prayers of the faithful - 3rd Sunday of ADVENT - 17 December 2023

Lord Jesus - you are the Son of the Most High. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us God’s wisdom. 

Lord Jesus - your kingdom is without end. 

Priest: With Advent joy and hope, in this third week of waiting and preparation, we present our prayers this morning to our Heavenly Father. 

1. We pray for our children, our youth and our families, that the Lord may accompany them in the final days of their school semester and during the days of rest and vacation during the Christmas break. We pray to the Lord.

2. For the Gospel of Life, that we will work to protect human life, especially the unborn and those who are vulnerable. We pray to the Lord.

3. We pray for those who have lost a loved one, especially this last year. We pray for the repose of the souls of all the faithful departed. We pray to the Lord.

4. We pray for all our Church leaders and all who work toward reform in our Church. We pray to the Lord.

5. We pray for healing and reconciliation in our community, particularly in families, and that we will make a special effort to reach out to those who are lonely or in need this holiday season. We pray to the Lord.

6. For the sick and the shut-in, for healing in body, mind and spirit. We pray to the Lord.

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. For our prayer intentions, spoken and unspoken. We pray to the Lord.

Priest: Generous God, as we prepare for the birth of our savior, we thank you for our many blessings. Continue to look with favor on us. We present these prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever and ever. AMEN. 

Bulletin Reflection - 17 December 2023

We have just one week remaining in our Advent journey, as next Sunday, December 24, we celebrate both the 4th Sunday in Advent and Christmas Eve on the same day. This weekend, we commemorate Guadete Sunday, when the traditional Advent liturgical color of purple is substituted with the liturgical color of rose. The word “gaudete” is derived from the Latin words “gaudium,” joy, and “gaudeo,” to rejoice or be glad. The Term “gaudete” is taken from the Entrance Antiphon of the Mass this Sunday: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:4-5). Advent is a time of joyful expectation and eager preparation for the Solemnity of Christmas that is to come. It is important in our Advent preparations to rejoice in the blessings in our lives, to rejoice in the ways we see and feel God’s presence with us in different ways on our journey. Let us ask God to lead us and guide us on these last days of our Advent journey. We look forward to celebrating with you and your family next weekend for Christmas at our family Mass at Holy Savior at 5:00 pm, at our Mass at Immaculate Conception at 7:30 pm, or at our traditional Midnight Mass at Holy Savior. Blessings - Father Lincoln.

15 December 2023 - homily for Friday of the 2nd week of Advent - Isaiah 38:17-19

We hear a short passage from the prophet Isaiah today, telling us that God is teaching us what is best for us, directing us in the way that we should go. Yet, as our modern American society often emphasizes individualism and freedom of expression, many of us don’t want anyone directing us and putting up parameters as to what we can do in our lives.  Many in our society do not want to listen to God at all. 

We hear from Isaiah frequently in Advent, as his message helps prepare us for the coming of the Lord. Through Isaiah, God tells us that if we follow his laws and commandments, then peace will flow in us like a river. In this context, I think of how the sacrament of reconciliation is an important part of our Advent journey, something that our Catholic faith calls us to do.

Today, we offer our monthly Healing Mass with the sacrament of the anointing of the sick. Pope Francis has remarked that the Eucharist is not a sacrament offered for those who are perfect in their journey of faith, but rather it is a sacrament that brings healing and wholeness in our lives as we strive toward perfection and as we strive to follow God’s law. We need healing in our lives on many levels: spiritual, physical, and emotional. God enters our lives today in these two wonderful sacraments and in his holy word.  

May the voice of God that is calling out to us this Advent season reach our ears and our hearts.  May we be open to the healing presence of the Lord that is trying to bring peace and fulfillment to our lives. 

Prayers of the faithful - 15 December 2023 - Friday of the 2nd week of Advent

Lord Jesus - you are the Son of the Most High. 

Christ Jesus - you bring us God’s wisdom. 

Lord Jesus - your kingdom is without end. 

Priest: With Advent joy and hope, in these days of waiting and preparation, we present our prayers to you today: 

1. We pray for our children, youth and their families, that the Lord may accompany them always on their journey through life.  

2. For the Gospel of Life, that we will work to protect human life, especially the unborn and the vulnerable.   

3. As we look forward to the joys of Christmas, our hearts are with those families who in the last year have lost loved ones. We pray that our belief that the souls of the deceased are in the loving care of the Father who created them is a consolation to them at this time.

4. In this season of preparation for Christmas, we pray that we may be conscious of those who are in financial distress and that we may, in the true Christian spirit, share with them what we ourselves are blessed to have.

5. We pray for love and reconciliation in our community, particularly in families, and that we make a special effort to reach out to those who are lonely or in need.

6. For the prayer we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

Priest: Generous God, as we prepare for the brith of our savior, we thank you for our many blessings.   Continue to look with favor on us as we present these prayers through your Son Jesus Christ our Lord for ever and ever.  AMEN.  

prayers of the faithful - 14 December 2023 - Thursday of the 2nd week of Advent

Lord Jesus - you are of the tree of Jesse

Christ Jesus - you are the morning star. 

Lord Jesus - you are Emanuel, God with us.  

In the midst of our Advent journey, we present our prayers to our heavenly Father: 

1. For justice in our world: that we may strive to fulfill our duties to others and use our gifts to ease their suffering and promote the wellbeing of our brothers and sisters

2. For the healing of violence in our communities: that God will heal and comfort those who have experienced violence, free their hearts from fear, and help us to comfort and support them. 

3. We pray for the sick, for all who are in the hospital, hospice, and nursing homes, for healing for us in body, mind, and spirit.

4. For all who are suffering: that God will heal the wounds of discrimination, guide all who lack focus and direction in life, and help all who are struggling with addictions and mental illness to have a new beginning. 

5. For students as they finish the semester: that God will give them strength in their studies and accompany them during their time of Christmas vacation.  

6. For the protection of earth's resources: that God will give wisdom and understanding to our role as steward of God’s creation.  

7. As we celebrate the feast day of St John of the Cross today, we pray for our Carmelite sisters and our secular Carmelite community here in the Diocese.  We pray for Carmelite communities throughout the world. 

8.  For the prayers we hold in our hearts today. 

With Advent joy and hope, we present these prayers through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever.  AMEN.  

14 December 2023 - St John of the Cross - homily for Thursday of the 2nd week of Advent - Matthew 11:11-15

    Today, we hear about two prophets. John the Baptist is not only last in the line of the great prophets of Israel, but he also witnessed Jesus first-hand and publicly proclaimed his presence. Jesus acknowledges the importance of John the Baptist in today’s Gospel, declaring him to be greater than all other human beings.  

      Today, we also hear from St John of the Cross on his feast day.  John was a Carmelite monk, poet, mystic, Church reformer, and Doctor of the Church. Living in 16th century Spain, in the turbulent era of the Spanish inquisition and the Protestant Reformation, John’s poetry, prayers, and theological writings speak to us today throughout the centuries. Just as John the Baptist was a prophet, we can see John of the Cross as a prophetic witness who helped Teresa of Avila reform the Carmelite order. Just like John the Baptist, John of the Cross paid with his life for bringing prophetic message that the world did not want to hear. We will let John’s words speak for themselves today in an Advent prayer that he wrote: 

If you want, the Virgin will come walking down the road expectant with the holy one, and say, "I need shelter for the night, please take me inside your heart, my time is so close."

Then, under the roof of your soul, you will witness the sublime intimacy, the divine, the Christ, taking birth forever, as she grasps your hand for help, for each of us is the midwife of God, each of us.

Yes there, under the dome of your being does creation come into existence eternally, through your womb, dear pilgrim - the sacred womb of your soul, as God grasps our arms for help: for each of us is his beloved servant, never far. If you want, the Virgin will come walking down the street expectant with light and will sing.  Amen. 

13 December 2023 - St Lucy - homily for Wednesday of the 2nd week of Advent - Matthew 11:28-30

    "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”  We hear this Gospel proclamation today in the midst of our Advent journey, a message that brings us comfort in the midst of our preparations for the coming of Savior’s birth. We all know people who are burdened with many things in their lives. They are burdened with guilt or anger or resentment, with many things that weigh them down. Yet, Jesus also says that we should take his yoke upon our shoulders. We normally don't see a yoke as comfortable or something we would willingly assume in our lives, as it is what an animal wears to pull a wagon of plow. However, Jesus tells us that his yoke is different, reflecting his humility and meekness of his heart.   

      It's hard to give up our burdens when we become accustomed to them.  It is difficult to shed them and get rid of them. Yet, we need to take the step in releasing them and in assuming Christ’s yoke in our lives. Christ will show us the way, even when this is not easy to do. We can just sit back and complain about the way we see things, about all that is weighing us down. We are called to be proactive during Advent, to continue to develop and grow on our journey of faith.

   St Lucy is our Advent saint today. She is a martyr who is specifically mentioned by name in Eucharist Prayer #1 in the mass. She was born to a rich Roman family, but her Christian father died when she was young.  Her mother wanted her to marry a rich pagan man to bring stability into their lives.  Lucy instead wanted to give away her riches to the poor and commit herself to a chaste, virtuous life of faith. She used to visit the Christians who were in hiding the catacombs, wearing a wreath of candles to give off light through the darkness of the catacombs, bringing food for them to eat.  In the country of Sweden, the feast day of St Lucy is a national holiday where a young girl in the family wears a white gown with a wreath of candles on her head, bearing sweet rolls for the family to eat. It is said that Lucy had her eyes removed as part of her punishment before her death, but the Lord miraculously restored them. To this day, Lucy is the patron saint of the blind and those with problems with their eyesight. May we turn to the Lord for encouragement and hope, for reconciliation and healing. May the Lord continue to lead us on our Advent journey as we get ever closer to our Christmas celebration.