First Sunday of Advent

November 27, 2011 – First Sunday of Advent – Year B

*First Sunday of the third edition of the Roman Missal*

I can hardly believe it is here! There are several “its” to which I refer:
1 – It’s a new liturgical year. Happy New Year!
2 – It’s the first Sunday we are using all new mass settings, plus our new/changed responses.
3 – It’s the first Sunday of Advent – wow! Where has the time gone?
4 – It’s almost December, which means the month will fly by with lots of activities and preparations for Christmas.

I admit, Advent snuck up on me. Or, probably more honestly, I wasn’t alert to the fact that Advent was almost here! It’s rather odd that I missed the countdown, considering that I’ve spent the last 4 weeks preparing to use the new mass settings in our liturgy, beginning with the first Sunday of Advent. Talk about missing the forest for the trees! But that mindset is exactly what the readings address in Sunday’s liturgy – ‘Be watchful! Be alert!’. If we don’t anticipate and prepare, we are likely to miss it completely.


There is much I could say about how the songs fit and support the readings, but in the interest of brevity, I’ll keep it short. Here’s the anticipated song list:


Opening – Maranatha (Come Lord)
Psalm – Respond & Acclaim “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved”
Presentation/Preparation – Turn to Me
Communion – Christ Be Our Light
Closing – City of God
After – Soon & Very Soon


I realize you may not all be attending the same Sunday liturgy, but I encourage you to pay attention to the music selection and look for ways that the songs echo the readings. It may be obvious or it may be subtle. Take one song, and focus on the words. What is the meaning? What word or phrase speaks to you? What is challenging about the message?

One last thought – the season of Advent is a time for us to watch and be alert, but for what? It’s more than Jesus’ birth at Christmas. We must also anticipate Christ’s coming at the end of time, and most especially, we must look for Jesus in our daily lives. If we don’t clarify our expectations, we are likely to miss our God among us now.

Resources used:
Living Liturgy by Liturgical Press – http://www.litpress.org/
Today’s Liturgy by Oregon Catholic Press – http://www.ocp.org/
Breaking Bread – Music Issue – www.ocp.org

I love you, Lord, my strength

http://usccb.org/bible/readings/102311.cfm

Tonight's bible study was a fruitful one - we study the readings for the coming Sunday - and I made a connection tonight that I hadn't found before. I love it when things like that happen - when I am either finally open or willing to see the next layer or deeper meaning.

The Gospel was the question about which is the greatest commandment, and you know how that plays out. However the commentary we studied showed how the greatest comandment and the second are connected: We love God when we love our neighbor, realizing that the strength to do so comes from allowing God to love us. What a lovely circle; the more I embrace God's love of me, the more I can share this love with my neighbors, the more I glorify my God, and so on.

What We DO Know

I received this as an email from a friend, and it was too powerful not to share:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ~Romans 8:28

We know…There are so many things we do not know. We do not know if the economy will dip or if our team will win. We do not know what our spouse is thinking or how our kids will turn out. We don’t even know “what we ought to pray” (Rom. 8:26). But according to Paul, we can be absolutely certain about four things. We know…

1. God works. He is busy behind the scenes, above the fray, within the fury. He hasn’t checked out or moved on. He is ceaseless and tireless. He never stops working.

2. God works for the good. Not for our comfort or pleasure or entertainment, but for our ultimate good. Since he is the ultimate good, would we expect anything less?

3. God works for the good of those who love him. Behold the benefit of loving God! Make his story your story, and your story takes on a happy ending. Guaranteed. Being the author of our salvation, he writes a salvation theme into our biography.

4. God works in all things. Panta, in Greek. Like “panoramic” or “panacea” or “pandemic.”All-inclusive. God works, not through a few things or through the good things, best things, or easy things. But in “all things” God works.

Puppet in the hands of fortune or fate? Not you. You are in the hands of a living, loving God. Random collection of disconnected short stories? Far from it. Your life is a crafted narrative written by a good God, who is working toward your supreme good.

Building my vineyard

Thoughts that came out of our bible study group tonight (http://usccb.org/bible/readings/100211.cfm):

We are asked to 'die to self' in order to participate in God's plan of salvation.  Sunday's readings focus on the vineyard where the vineyard owner (God) puts everything in place to grow a fruitful harvest.  But the problem is the tenants (us) who can become greedy, while at the same time denying God's freely given gifts (unlimited use of the vineyard [God's blessings and grace]).  In the Gospel reading, the tenants beat up the servants of the vineyard owner, escalating to the death of the vineyard owner's son (Jesus), in their misguided attempt to gain the vineyard. 

The reflections suggested that we must die to self so that the fruits of God's vineyard can grow in us.  It was suggested that we can die to self in many ways.  I had always associated the concept as a grand gesture, where the sacrifice was truly noble or impressive or perhaps really hard or painful.  But tonight, in the course of our discussion, it became apparent that we can die to self in small ways, too.  For example, there are times when it would be so much easier to stay home instead of attending Bible Study.  But when I make the effort to attend, even though I would rather not, I am dying to self, thus participating in God's vineyard.

More to come . . . 

From cornerstone to stumbling block and back again

What a great image in the Scriptures today - our human-ness so perfectly displayed by Peter. Over the past few weeks we've heard about Peter walking on water, but then losing sight of Jesus and sinking; Peter calling Jesus "the Messiah, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16) and Jesus building his church on Peter. But today, Peter gets in front of Jesus, focusing on what Peter thinks the Kingdom of God will be - power and glory in this world. Jesus rebukes him, calling Peter satan or opposer. Jesus reminds Peter, and us, that we are to follow Christ through the cross. For it is only when we share in the cross that we can fully participate in the Kingdom.

James 1:2-4 reminds us - "Consider it pure joy my brothers, whenver you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything". In the book "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver, the author likens her journey to write this book as the same process a Christian is called to journey in order to reach eternal life. We can stumble over the process when we expect immediate results:

The trouble, of course, is that most of the time we'd rather not persevere. We all want a testimony, but we'd rather skip the test that gives us one. We all want a product. But we'd rather skip the process.
As Charles Swindoll writes,

I fear our generation has come dangerously near the "I'm-getting-tired-so-let's-just-quit" mentality. And not just in the spiritual realm. Dieting is a discipline, so we stay fat. Finishing school is a hassle, so we bail out. Cultivating a close relationship is painful, so we back off. Getting a book written is demanding, so we stop short. Working through conflicts in a marriage is a tiring struggle, so we walk away. Sticking with an occupation is tough, so we start looking elsewhere . . .
And about the time we are ready to give it up, along comes the Master, who leans over and whispers: "Now keep going: don't quit. Keep on."

What a timely piece of encouragement - from the highs and lows in life, during the ups and downs, God does not demand perfection. Rather we are called to persevere. One day we may be the cornerstone of strength, and the next we turn into the roadblock who slows ourselves and those around us down. Thankfully, we have hope. Hope for a better tomorrow even when we have bad days, weeks, or months. And we know that our God is a merciful and loving God, always there, ready to whisper encouragement if we but stop and listen: "Don't Quit".

Becoming like my mother

When I was younger, I was very shy and quiet. I'm most definitely an introvert, but it was very obvious then. I preferred reading or dreaming or playing piano to playdates. I was my own best companion. So it astounded me to no end to see my mother hugging complete strangers and greeting people as if they were family. When I was a little older (probably a teenager), I would cringe when my mom would strike up a conversation with someone at a store, or chat with someone on the street. I would have preferred to blend into the background. As I grew older, and became a little less reserved, I began to think that my destiny was complete - I was going to turn into my mother whether I wanted to or not - it was inevitable. At that time, I didn't like the idea. It scared me to be that far out of my comfort zone (looking back now - I didn't know why at the time).

Today, I still struggle with my own reservations and fears. I get caught up in myself and forget to see others as Jesus does. Tonight, I greeted people I didn't know, and didn't worry about myself. I focused on them, and I tried to be welcoming and courteous, as any Christian should. And when I got home afterwards, I realized that it was a lot easier to open myself to strangers when I did it for God instead of worrying about my comfort zone or my feelings. That's when I also realized that if I truly believe in God's love, and I live accordingly, it makes everything else fall into place - introverted nature and all.

Wearing hats

I like to wear hats. I enjoy the additional accessory, the uniqueness, and it's one of my 'things'. My fellow Rotarians know me best as wearing a hat. Just this past weekend, I received the 'un-official' title of "lady in the hat"! But it got me to thinking about a few things.

First - I was touched that others notice my hats. I guess it could be my introverted way of saying 'I'm here - notice me'. Second - I tend to wear hats when at Rotary functions so that I am easily recognizable.

Simple observations, but I think there's more I can learn. Who around me wears 'hats' that I fail to notice? Which 'hats' do I applaud and why? Which 'hats' do I ignore, and why? By wearing hats consistently, am I expressing myself or living up to another's expectations of me?

I've tried to become more conscious of blessings in my life, and I've made a specific effort to appreciate the people in my life. And, since I know how I feel when someone notices my 'hats', why can't I do that for others? The hats could be talents, a kindness, a smile, or anything. If I would just make the time to recognize those around me and their own 'hats', I could pass it on. Sometimes it's hard to see, and sometimes I don't want to see.

I will try harder to be aware of the many 'hats' around me. They can be much more than just the item I place on my head. They can remind me of each person's unique gifts and talents. Hopefully I can be more open to this knowledge.

Using our gifts in "the now"

I was listening to my sister share some highlights from the 2011: A book of grace-filled days, and one of them went like this: Mathew 5:13 - You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. The reflection was: Living in "the now" means pouring out our gifts for one another today, because tomorrow they may have lost their effectiveness, and next week they may be gone.

When she first read this, I was surprised. I right away stated that I didn't like this particular reflection. She asked why. I said that I didn't like the idea of losing my gifts overnight. I was thinking of how I would feel if tomorrow I woke up and couldn't play the piano. But as we talked, I was able to consider another viewpoint (and probably the real intention of the reflection) as a reminder to use our gifts instead of 'saving' them. I think of the good china that stays in the cupboard so it doesn't get broken, or the beautiful sweater that doesn't get worn so it will never be dirty or stained. But what purpose do those things have if they are not used? Similarly, what purpose does our talent serve if we hide it, or deny it, or ignore it? This reflection reminds us that just as God gives us sufficient grace for the moment, our talents are also intended to be used for this moment. We do not know what tomorrow brings, but we can trust that it will bring its own needs, talents, and challenges. Don't waste an opportunity to do what you were created for, using the gifts you were given to serve God in 'the now'.

Salt of the Earth

Today's Gospel was from Matthew 5:13-16. Fr.'s homily focused on being the salt of society. Salt was valued in the Gospel as both a preservative and for its flavor. Today we are called to "salt" society. This means we are to preserve God's values and flavor those around us. And this message is not a secret limited to one creed, race or nation. We are called to be the light of the world and to let our light shine before all. How can you preserve those around you and add flavor to those you meet?

2011 - Welcome the New Year!

New Year Resolutions - everyone has an idea of what they 'should' do (or not do). Lose weight, exercise more, eat less, quit smoking, read more, the list goes on and on. For me, resolutions have become such a mighty feat of will, I'm defeated before I even begin. So I'm trying something new this year. A year of gratitude - one day at a time. I have lots of ways I can express gratitude - journaling my blessings at night, texting friends to share what I'm thankful for, and writing short notes to people in my life. I'm most excited to write the letters. I've always enjoyed expressing myself through words, but I rarely seem to take the time to do it. I may not do this perfectly in 2011, but even if I miss here or there, it's more than I've done before. Like the dad said to his son when questioned whether the son should try out for the football team: "Son, I understand you're afraid of defeat, but you're already not on the team. So if you try out and don't make it, what have you lost? You can't be more 'not on the team' than you are right now." I am not on the New Year Resolutions Team, but what can it hurt to try? Who knows, maybe I'll succeed. But even if I don't have a perfect resolution, I'll have done more than I was doing before. That makes it all worth while.