Dear Beloved Parishioners,
Fair warning – there is a LOT of stuff going on in today’s missive…
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You may have already seen some of the blurbs from Share the Joy on Lifetime, Hallmark, CNN and Fox News. But if not, new from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, is a little spiritual pick me up called Share the Joy. Without further ado – from the Archdiocese in their words:
This Advent and Christmas season, we want to help you share in the Joy that comes from knowing Jesus.
https://www.archstl.org/share-the-joy-2021
No matter where you are in your faith journey, we want to help you deepen your relationship with Christ. If you need to find, receive, or share joy, click the buttons above for resources to deepen your faith journey from the Archdiocese of St. Louis
[My comments] There is a bit of everything for everyone on these pages – from links to daily reflections to choirs singing to days of prayer. Share the Joy of this season by spending a few moments on the website this Advent…
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You have been so amazing already. The Vincent De Paul Society tells me that we collected OVER 200 bags of blessings for our Thanksgiving Food Drive. And that we “sold out” of our stock of on hand gift cards for our Advent Giving Tree. What an impact your giving will have on the lives of the poor this season. I am grateful for your witness.
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And, just a reminder that this Tuesday is called Giving Tuesday. Following on the heels of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it is another chance to be connected to the reason for the season, as the phrase goes… And for the first time, you can be a part of Giving Tuesday through #iGiveCatholic!
We hope you’ll visit our site on November 15 through November 30, during #iGiveCatholic 2021! Until then, we’ll be working hard to prepare our pages to ensure you have the best donor experience for supporting your favorite parish, school or ministry, and to be certain your favorite parish, school and ministry has all the training and resources they need to promote their project for 2021. Perhaps you can use this time to pray and discern what God wants to do through your gifts to your favorite Catholic parish, school or ministry in our community this #GivingTuesday. What is God putting on your heart? Where can you make a heartfelt impact? Through our faith-filled responses, we will unite with thousands across the Country, Give Back, and Give Catholic, as together, we feed the multitudes, and the ordinary becomes extraordinary.
May God bless you!
(Pastor’s note: You can give toward our SJM Parish, School and PSR through the link below…(and other Catholic organizations through out the archdiocese)
https://stl.igivecatholic.org/
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This is an exciting week for our 2nd grade students (and parents) in our Day and PSR programs, as they get to celebrate receiving the Lord’s gift of healing through the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. If you would pray for them on Wednesday night (starting at 6:30pm) and Saturday morning (starting at 10am) for about an hour, that would be a great blessing…
Our Parish (and PSR) Penance Service will be on Monday night, Dec. 13th, starting at 6:30 and going for as long as there are people wanting to receive the sacrament…
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So, as you may have heard, there is a case before the Supreme Court that will impact the future of the Abortion Debate in the United States: Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Once more, from the Archdiocese, there are some options on how to impact that decision with our prayer.
| “Pray for Dobbs” at a Parish Near You, 11/30 – 12/1 |
| Unite to “Pray for Dobbs” with the Archdiocese of St. Louisat a parish near year you, Tuesday, November 30 and Wednesday, December 1. Join Catholics and other Christians and people of good will across the U.S. in praying for a just outcome in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court. The outcome of this case, the first of its kind in decades, has the potential to challenge the 1973Roe v. Wade decision which legalized abortion throughout the country. Oral arguments start December 1.Download a good background resource on Dobbs here. Click here for a list of parishes and pro-life organizationssponsoring prayer events throughout the archdiocese (more will be added as they become known. Emailprolife@archstl.orgto add yours if not already included). |
| Join Us 12/1 to “Pray for Dobbs” at Our Lady of Guadalupe Convent |
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Breaking Bread eMissal app for your phones and devices is available.
The USCCB-approved Breaking Bread 2022 eMissal app offers an exciting new way to participate in the liturgy. With instant access to songs, readings and the Order of Mass, parishioners can remain connected to their faith community through song and prayer from the convenience of their smartphone or tablet.
Users can add psalms and acclamations to individual celebrations, allowing them to prepare for Mass ahead of time. Breaking Bread 2022 eMissal is also perfect for those unable to attend Mass in person who want to participate via livestream. Simple and easy to use, it’s a wonderful resource for active participation in the liturgy and for personal devotion
Click HERE to be taken to a link to find out more, or to download the app. (Though not free, it is only $4.95)
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Brian Miller reminded me of another helpful phone app called HALLOW. It is pretty comprehensive – links to podcasts, meditation and prayer resources, as well as all things Catholic. And there is a free THREE MONTH trial you can sign up for. If you don’t like it or don’t use it, then you know the drill – you can cancel at any time…
https://hallow.com/categories/0
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The Deeper Dive into Sunday’s gospel comes to us from the good folks at Loyola Press…
Today is the first Sunday of Advent, which is also the first Sunday of the new liturgical year. The Advent season includes the four Sundays that precede Christmas. Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. In this season, we recall two central elements of our faith: the final coming of the Lord in glory and the incarnation of the Lord in the birth of Jesus. The key themes of the Advent season are watchful waiting, preparation, and justice.
In this new liturgical year, the Gospel of Luke will be the primary Gospel proclaimed (Lectionary Cycle C). Today’s Gospel is taken from the last chapter before the passion narrative in which Jesus is teaching in the Temple. We hear Jesus speak to his disciples about the need for vigilance and prayer as they wait for the coming of the Son of Man in glory. This passage marks the conclusion of a lengthy dialogue in which Jesus predicts the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, warns about the persecution and tribulations to follow, and identifies the signs that will signal the coming of the Son of Man in glory.
The community for whom Luke wrote his Gospel may have believed that they were already experiencing some of the events Jesus described. Most scholars believe that Luke’s Gospel was written after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 A.D. At the time, many Christians interpreted this event as an indication that Jesus’ second coming was near.
Though Jesus predicts a time of destruction and fear, Jesus indicates that others will be frightened; Jesus’ disciples are not to fear, but are to stand tall. Yet Jesus does not promise deliverance from anxiety or tribulations. He encourages his disciples to pray for strength. The early Christian communities did not find consolation in the promise of a utopia, nor should we. Instead, we find in our Christian faith the means by which we witness to God’s unfailing love for us in all circumstances.
Jesus’ predictions about the end times may sound dire, but in the next paragraph Luke tells us that people woke early to listen to Jesus’ teaching in the Temple area. In his person and in his message, those who heard Jesus found strength and consolation. Like the first Christians, we may encounter events and circumstances that could lead us to despair. Through prayer, however, we find strength and consolation in Jesus’ words and in his continuing presence with us to endure all things and to witness to the action of God in our world.
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WHEW… you made it to the end.
So, perhaps a simple chant tonight for The Song of the Day… It is a traditional Advent hymn, sung often during the Divine Office: Creator of the Stars of Night. This version comes to us from St. John’s Episcopal Church, Boulder, CO, performed by the St. John’s Compline Choir; Thomas Edward Morgan, conductor. The images alone are worth the watch…
Blessings,
Fr. Bill