Dear Beloved Parishioners,
Advent seemed to rush upon me this year. And because of that, I am grateful that it is a full four weeks this year… That is the advantage of it falling on a Sunday. Prayers for us all, that we use this graced time to grow in holiness and love.
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So, I have always been a Midnight Mass at Midnight priest. And then two things happened. One, they changed the title of the Mass in the Sacramentary (our book of prayers we use at Mass) from “Mass at Midnight” to “Mass at Night. Which seems to me to indicate a bit more latitude about the time for that Mass than in my first years of priesthood. And two, I have seen a few more Christmases since those first years after ordination.
So, for the first time in my priesthood, I am considering changing the time for the “Mass at Night.” I am happy to keep it where it is. (Midnight) And I am happy to move it to where it might be more convenient/well attended. To that end, here is the link to a one question, non-binding poll as to the Mass time of Dec. 24th. (If you are going to one of the other scheduled Masses – 5p Christmas eve, or 9am / 11am on Christmas day, though I can’t stop you from filling out the survey, please don’t skew the poll for those who are planning on attending that Christmas eve “Mass at Night.)
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After conversations with several of my peers in different parishes around the city/county, it seems like there is enough anecdotal evidence that we can bring back Communion under the form of the Precious Blood at all the Masses safely. None of them have reported getting sick, nor their ministers, as a result of the return of the Cup. Like my peers, this will be a slow roll out – with just one station, beginning the first Sunday in December (the second Sunday of Advent). And we will see where it goes from there. The Communion Minister will stand at the center aisle, and thus be able to give communion to those who approach them from either side of the church.
You still receive the fullness of Jesus, whether you receive under both species or just one – Body and Blood, soul and divinity. The doctrine is called Co-Inherence, which means that Jesus is fully present in either species. The fullness of the sign, though, is to receive under both species – Precious Body and Precious Blood, as Jesus invited us to at the Last Supper. So, know that this option is once more open to you.
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The Deeper Dive comes to us from Fr. Tom Iwanowski
AN UNEXPECTED BEGINNING
Imagine for a moment that you liked reading novels in which you were kept in suspense wondering how the story would end. Would the distraught parents be reunited with their lost child? Would the signals from space herald the arrival of aliens? Would the underrated team win the championship? Would the detective ever find the evidence to clear the defendant?
However, imagine you picked up a novel and rather than holding the reader in suspense until the last few pages, the author revealed the conclusion of the story on the first page. Yes, the child is found. The signals are a mistake. The underrated team wins. The defendant is found guilty.
This Sunday, the start of the new liturgical year of 2023, we begin a series of Gospel readings that will tell us the story of Jesus from his birth in Bethlehem to his death and resurrection. In the course of those readings, we will hear of his teachings, his miracles, his interaction with the disciples, the response of the crowds, and the hostility of the religious authorities. We will come to know Jesus as the Son of God and as our Savior and Lord.
On the First Sunday of Advent, we would expect the story to begin at the beginning, but it begins at the end. In the Gospel Reading for this Sunday (Mathew 24:37-44), Jesus tells us he will return in glory. He will come to usher in the long-awaited Kingdom of God where, as we learn in our First Reading (Isaiah 2:1-5), “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.
Jesus warns us not everyone will be judged worthy of a place in that kingdom. As he says, “Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.”
Jesus tells us if we wish to be the one taken into the kingdom, we must “stay awake!” Saint Paul in our Second Reading (Romans 13:11-14) proclaims that same message. He tells us “to awake from sleep…throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy.”
The Church does not keep us in suspense. It starts the story of Jesus with the “conclusion” so that we will realize the importance of our being awake and ready to welcome the Lord.
As we make our way through the “pages” of the Gospel during this new liturgical year, we need keep that ending in mind. We need to be ready for the return of the Lord “for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
© 2022 Rev. Thomas Iwanowski
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The Song of the Day – is the classic for the BEGINNING of Advent. (And I would bet it is NOT the song you think it is… The one you are thinking of actually belongs to the last days of Advent, based as it is on the O Antiphons)
Without further ado..
blessings,
fr. bill
ps – don’t forget about the Vendor Fair, this Thursday, from 5:30-8:30 in the gym…