We are almost there! Christmas is just around the corner! Are you ready?

Come on... by now you know I’m not asking if you’ve got those decorations up and purchased all your gifts.

Is your heart ready? Have you prepared a home for the Lord in your heart?

Many people in this current world seem to have been broken down into anger, bitterness, discouragement, sadness. These callous the heart. They harden the heart, thus making it difficult to penetrate. And this is tragic.

In this Sunday’s Gospel, the crowds ask John the Baptist, “What should we do?”

He responds, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none.”

Oh no! Was he John the Communist?!

Not at all. But it is interesting to note, he didn’t say, “Whoever has two cloaks, interview people who have none and make sure they will use it properly. Ensure they don’t sell it to buy alcohol. Satisfy yourself in the knowledge that you aren’t giving your extra cloak to someone who should be able to afford their own cloak, but they spent their money on an extravagant donkey to ride. And above all, make sure they will use it precisely the way you would.

This weekend’s Psalm says, “The Lord has done great things for us, we are filled with joy.” This is indeed true of our parish.

I have many relatives who faithfully attend their local parish. Their parish priest does all he is able to hold down the ship of two rural parishes with the help of a secretary, less than a handful of part-time employees, and a core of well-meaning volunteers. They do what they can to maintain quality liturgies every Sunday and weekdays - if and when possible. They make sure babies are baptized and the Lenten Fish Fry raises a few dollars. All other sacraments are celebrated and funerals bring the town together.

Hello Friends,

It’s been a bit difficult to be in the thankful spirit lately.

The past month has been a time of unprecedented illness for me. I’ve managed to burn through every last sick day I stored up during the pandemic and then some. (There are few things I covet more than vacation days and using them for sick days hurts my soul.) In the end, this time is reminding me of the awesome grace of those who live joyfully with chronic illness.

I do not comprehend how you do it!

My various symptoms are conspiring to make me a grumpy monster swimming in self-pity.

Did you ever notice how often Jesus answers a question with another question? It turns out, in all four Gospel accounts, Jesus answering a question with a question is the norm, rather than the exception. Since He calls Himself “the way” (Jn 14:6) there must be something for us to learn and imitate from this, as in everything Jesus says and does.

There are two helpful lessons we can learn from Jesus’ questioning: One involves being a better missionary, and the second involves being a better friend. It’s worth looking at each.

For many, the end of the world is a terrifying thought. What else do we know, except this world? How can we conceive of it all going away and something unfamiliar and unknown beginning? Everything about our Faith is “good news”. To profess otherwise is to declare that God is not all-good. So what’s going to happen when the earth as we know it comes to an end and how is it “good news”?

When the “appointed time” (Dan 8:19) has come, Christ will appear: “They will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Lk 21:27). Everyone will be compelled to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord! No more feeling alone in our belief or being quietly tolerated as “naïve” or lacking in scientific knowledge. We will rejoice that our faith in Christ is totally affirmed.

This weekend’s Gospel touches on the poor widow who contributes all that she has to give. I feel there is no better time to thank all of you who financially contribute to our parish.

I’ve worked side by side with incredible Catholics (your parish staff) for almost six years. They work hard. They are deeply aware of the importance of their work. They are completely cognizant of the sacrifice that makes their work possible.

This is the week the Church celebrates All Saints Day and the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. Most of us can’t help but think about those who have passed away. And for some among us, this carries a tremendous weight.

I feel called to share a bit about a beautiful ministry our parish offers, appropriately named “An Experience of Hope.” It offers healing from the pain, sorrow, and/or shame of an abortion. It is completely confidential, absolutely free of charge, and done one-on-one with a trained facilitator (called a healing companion).

This Sunday’s First Reading ends with the line, “For I am a father to Israel, Ephraim is my first born.”

Pop quiz! Who (or what) in the world is “Ephraim?” If you know. Well done.
If you don’t—do something about it.

Last week, I used this column to reflect on God’s desire for us to pray, not only for the intentions of the world and others, but ourselves as well.

This week’s readings reinforce this message.
The Psalm Response says, “Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.”

Then, the Second Reading (taken from Hebrews 4) says, “So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.”

During my eighteen years running youth ministry programs and six years running faith formation for the entire parish, I’ve encountered numerous people who refuse to pray for themselves.

I’ll ask, “What is something I can pray for—for you?” They respond with something about peace in the Middle East. I’ll say, “That’s a great and worthy intention and I’ll pray for it, but what is something I can pray for—for you?”
They respond with something about the health of a parent, spouse, sibling, or pet.

Virtually every night, my family huddles at our preschool daughter’s bedside and we say our prayers. When Georgiana prays, it gets interesting.

“Dear Lord, thank you for Jesus, Mommy, Daddy...” So far, so good.

“Thank you for my toys, ::insert random preschool classmate name here::, kitties, doggies...” Okay. Nothing wrong here.

“And unicorns and hippopostamusses and Paw Patrol...” Wait. Did she say “hippopostamusses?”