December 8, 2002
Advent Spirituality
Advent
Patience
If you didn't get your Christmas decorations up before
the snow, don’t panic. You’ve got 24 days of Advent ahead!
We don’t follow the K-Mart or Target Christmas calendar, we follow
the Catholic calendar which says these next four weeks are for quiet
waiting, for reflecting, for anticipating the joys of the coming of
Jesus into our lives. Slow down. Choose to do something to go against
the commercialism of December. For example, even if you’ve already
put up the lights, wait til Christmas eve to light them up. And then
let them blaze for the whole Christmas season!
Thanks
from Father Richard
Father
Richard Viladesau wrote to thank everyone for such a wonderful celebration
a few weeks ago. “I want to express my deep appreciation to all
the members of the parish for the wonderful and touching farewell celebration
that you gave me at St. Brigid’s. It was truly a joy for me to
serve there for many years and it was with sorrow that I learned that
the diocese wanted me to help elsewhere. But it was a great encouragement
to have the blessings of the people of St. Brigid’s as I enter
my new ministry. I am also grateful for the many gifts I received at
the farewell celebration. I would like to thank each person individually
-- but many did not include an address. So I would like to convey my
thanks to each and to all.”
Donations
Still Needed
A
number of local businesses and organizations have contributed over $10,000
toward our parking lot project. We still need further donations to afford
this project. If your company or organization can help us at this time,
please give a call.
Away
at College?
We'd
love to stay in touch.
To receive the “letter from home”, take this bulleting with
you to college as a reminder to send in your e-mail address. Just Click
Here!
Technology Ministry
If you’d like to give your time and expertise at helping our parish
connect its telephone systems or work on its website, you can let us
know by filling in our
online form
Want
to e-mail Father Ralph?
Past Columns:
Dec 1:Praying
at Mass
Nov 24: Doing
Thanks
Nov17: Faith
Has Its Awards
Nov 10: Parking
Lot Update
Nov3: Daughters
of Mary
Oct27: Father
Richard
Oct 20: Changing
Seasons
Oct 13:Technology
Update
Oct 6: Youth Ministers
Sept 29: Who's
Here?
Sept 22: God
the Unfair
Sept 15: The
Joy of Judy
Sept 8: Facing the
Terrible Day
Sep 1: Sharing the
Faith
Aug 25:Empty Shelves
Aug 18: Comemmorating
Sept. 11th
Aug 11: Taking Time
To See
August 4: Moving
Music
July 28:Meet
the Missionaries
July 21:
Press One Now
July 14: Having
Our Say
July 6: One
Nation Under God
June 30: Anointing
the Sick
June 23: Giving Thanks
to God
June 16: Father's
Day
June 9: Fall Mass
Schedule
June 2: Summer Plans
May 26: Spreading
the Faith
May 19: Passing Grace
May 12: Changing
Times
May 5: Reason for Hope
April 28: Changing
Ministry
April 21: The Poor Are Hurt
Again
April 14: Celebrating
50 Days
April 7: Where have
they put him?
March 31: Alleluia!
Alleluia!
March 24: Hardly
Hosanna
March 17: Roll The
Stone Back
March 10: Here's
Mud In Your Eye
March 3: Our Local
Drought
Feb 24: Welcoming
Bishop Murphy
Feb 17: We Will Rise
Again
Feb 10: Very
Good Now
Feb 3: The Multi
Cultural Church
Jan 27: Appealing
Words
Jan 20:Our
Wonderful School
Jan 13: Changing
Times
Jan 6: Farewell Father
Augustine
December 8th is traditionally the date for
the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, yet because it falls on a Sunday
this year, Advent takes precedence and we’ll celebrate the Feast
of the Immaculate Conception on Monday. So what’s so important about
Advent? I think most people understand Advent’s grace even before
they think about it. How many people say, “Things are incredibly
busy right now...there’s too much to do....Christmas is again so
commercialized...I’m so exhausted by Christmas, I wish there was
a different way to celebrate it.” Sometimes we’ve heard so many
Christmas songs by the 3rd of December that by the 25th we want to unplug
the radio!
We have a human and spiritual need to be connected to God in the intimate
way that Mary held her son Jesus in her arms. Yet all the shopping, decorating,
party-preparations, card-writing, etc. can keep us from the very reason
we’re celebrating Christmas in the first place. Advent is a “big
deal” for us because it calls us to what’s important. It calls
us to who’s important.
So although it’s counter-cultural to
say this, why not slow down a bit and do a little less this Advent? Find
the spiritual side of these December days. At St. Brigid’s we have
a variety of opportunities to grow in our closeness to God in Advent --
tonight’s Children’s Pageant, next Sunday’s Advent Classical
Guitar Concert with the choir and advent readings....las Posadas (the
hispanic tradition of letting “Joseph and Mary” visit your home)...a
visit to see our Presepio in church...and most of all, letting the readings
of Advent that we hear on Sunday find their way into your heart through
quiet prayer and reflection.
If you find yourself having to do a lot of
things anyway, bring prayer to them. While writing Christmas cards, say
a prayer for each person as you write the card. While baking cookies,
pray for the people in the world who need food, warmth and love. While
buying presents, ask God to help you choose wisely a gift of love, instead
of buckling in to commercial pressures from within the family or from
without. (Ah, does anything say “Christmas” more than a Chia
Pet?)
And let us not forget Mary, whose feast day
we celebrate tomorrow. She said “Yes” to God in a way that changed
the world. Let us imitate her and be open to God’s call in our lives
in these Advent days ahead.
