November 28th, 2004
Patience People
A
Time to Retreat
Each year priests are required to make a retreat. As we hurtle toward
the end of 2004, I realized that I hadn’t taken the time to go
off to reflect and pray yet. So this week I’ll be away to do just
that. So if you’re looking for me, wait til next week and pray
for me this week. You can be sure I’ll be praying for you.
Room
for More
Last week I wrote that the number of people coming to church was increasing.
In case you’d like to know how many came to each mass, here’s
the usher count for the weekend of November 14th:
Saturday 5pm: 335
7pm: 201 (Spanish)
Sunday 7am: 162
8:30am 164 (Italian)
9am 209
10am 519
10:15 185
11:30 386
11:45 731 (Spanish)
2:30 177 (Kreyol)
6pm 347
You can see that at some masses it’s a a bit “intimate”,at
others there’s plenty more room. .
At
College?
At St. Brigid’s we like to stay in touch through
e-mail “letters from home.”
Once a person has an e-mail address at school (or if he/she uses a personal
address), please let us know what it is so we can include them when
we write.
Here's a handy college link so you
can send this info online.
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
November 21: Squeezing In
November 14: Beacons of
Light
November 7: Our Vincentian
Deacon
October 31: Candy
Good...Saints Better
October 24: Flu Shots
October 17: Aaron &
Hur
October 10: Heritage Celebration
October 3: Is it safe?
September 26: Up and coming...
September 19: New Year Resolutions?
September 12:Our New Priests
September 5: Got Two Hours?
August 29: In My Humble
Opinion
August 22nd: Hot Asphalt, Cool Church
August 15: A Big Assumption
August 8: Do It Anyway!
August 1: Parking Lot Joys!
July 25:"Doh!"
July 18: Taking Church Home
July 11: Seven Eleven
July 4th: Independence Day
June 27: God Bless Father
George
June 20: Our New Priests
June13:Missing you
June 6: Farewell Father
Leonard
May 30: Going & Coming
& Going
May 23: P.O.P.S.
May 16:
Celebrating Our Parish
May 9: Facing the Future
May2: Resurrection Sequel
April 25: Chapel Design
April 18: Oh what a week!
April 11: Easter Life!
April 4: Palms & Passion
March 28: Plenty Good Room
March 21: More Passion
March 14: Reconciliation
March 7: A sequel from Mel?
Feb 29: Come to
Life!
Feb 22:
An Adventure to Life
Feb15: A rose
by another name?
Feb 8: If at first...
Feb 1: Our Patron Saint
Jan 25:A View From Inside
Jan 18: Our School
Jan 11: Baptism with Fire
Colums from 2003
Columns from 2002
From
Target to Macy’s (and every store in between) it’s time to
get you to buy. The latest batch of pop stars have released their Christmas
Albums (whether they are believers or not) and our national well-being
is going to be linked to the health of sales. The commercial messages
are clear: "spend a lot and you’re good boys and girls; happiness
comes in buying and giving.”
So here’s my annual pitch
for patience. Don’t get me wrong -- I love giving gifts and getting
them as well. I love Christmas carols and Christmas lights and Christmas
cookies. But Advent is here for a reason -- four weeks that call us to
simplicity, patience, and hope. Advent isn’t Lent -- it’s
not the same kind of season of repentance and self-denial. But it is about
making space for Jesus to come.
Remember Jesus? It’s easy
to forget him during the days to Christmas, our patience worn thin by
all the self-imposed demands that we cling to as we frantically rush about.
And then when Christmas comes, all we can do is pause exhaustedly to notice
a “babe in the manger”; we compare this Christmas to Christmases-past
and then hit the stores to return what we don’t like and to buy
more stuff ‘cause it’s on sale.
Feel familiar? How different this
Christmas could be if we grew in our relationship with Jesus during these
four holy weeks! His birthday celebration would not be a mere recognition
of history, but a real celebration with a cherished brother and friend
(who also happens to be God!) And just as on the first Christmas Jesus
was the gift, this Christmas Jesus would be our best gift.
So, join me in taking it slow. Enjoy the church in Advent.
Celebrate Mary on her two special
days (December 8th Immaculate Conception; December 12th Our Lady of Guadalupe).
The trees, the lights, the presents,
the cards -- I wouldn’t dream of Christmas without them. But since
much of our world is without these things -- our soldiers in Iraq, our
brothers and sisters still recovering from hurricane damage (no homes
or electricity), etc.-- I’ll be in solidarity during Advent with
those who live in patient expectation. I’ll wait to put the lights
on. I’ll pray. I’ll get to know Jesus more through the dark
expectancy of Advent.
You are Person
