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Catholic Teaching Inspired by Scripture

Advent 2014

Week 2 December 6-7

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An Invitation to Prayer and Silence…

Begin with a few moments to center yourself… to let go of the busy-ness of the

“Christmas shopping/baking/wrapping season”… to recall that this is indeed the

sacred and holy season of Advent as we prepare for the coming of our Lord… to

remember Mary our Blessed Mother and her resounding YES to the call of

God…to remind ourselves we are ever in the presence of our loving and gracious

God… to focus on the Gospel for this week.

+ In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Prayers of Petition

As Jesus invites us to grow deeper in our faith and understanding, we pray for the

grace and fortitude to place our minds and hearts in the hands of our loving God,

especially during this most holy and hope-filled season of Advent.

For what or who do you pray this day?

For these prayers and all of our needs, we pray as Jesus taught us…

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; thy

will be done; on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and

forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead

us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, the

power, and the glory, now and forever. Amen

Lord Jesus Christ, we confess that we are never quite ready for your coming into

our lives. Be with us as we reflect on the Advent scriptures and the teachings of

your Church.

Open our hearts to your gentle wisdom. Make of us a welcoming people who

invite all to come to know you. Bless us with the gift of sharing our faith. We ask

this and all our prayer through Christ our Lord, Amen. +

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Advent Week Two “Prepare the Way of the Lord”

“The fire of the Spirit dwells in John the Baptist him and makes him the forerunner of

the coming Lord. In John, the precursor, the Holy Spirit completes the work of making ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Catechism of the Catholic Church, #718

“The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;

he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,

make straight his paths.’

John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins...

‘I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” Mark 1: 1-8

“‘My heart has become like wax, it melts away within me’ (Psalm 22:15). The image suggests

that the human heart—thought of in the ancient world, as the center of one’s emotions, thoughts and knowledge—can be transformed and reshaped like wax. The reforming and

reshaping of our lives is what we celebrate in the sacraments of initiation—Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist…Reforming our lives is what Baptism call us to do.”

1st Reading - Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11

2nd Reading - 2 Peter 3: 8-14 Gospel Mark 1:1-8

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December 1

Patience and humility are virtues to work on in the Advent season. Like well-

behaved children awaiting the jubilation of Christmas morning, we too must wait

patiently and humbly before our loving God. Saint Francis of Assisi says that the

path to patience and humility is to “pray always to God with a pure heart.”

“Where there is patience and humility, there is neither anger or disturbance.”

Saint Francis of Assisi

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December 2

We are all called to share our faith with others. Saint John the Baptist, who came

before the Lord Jesus, is a model of how to offer our own witness of faith to

others—he is the first in the Gospel to declare himself a believer. Some call him

the “Patron Saint” of Advent.

“John was a person of self-effacing honesty, who

knew his function was a preparatory one…Even

though Jesus followed after the ministry of John,

Jesus is the superior because he existed before

John…The role of John was to precede Jesus and to

reveal him to the people of Israel.”

Stephen Binz, Advent Light

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December 3

Pray today with the image of the baby Jesus as the light that draws you closer to

God.

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December 4

“Advent also means that we are preparing for the arrival of a very important

person. As Christians, we are God’s magnificent creation; we are the masterpiece

of his hands and a work that is always in progress, we are part of the revelation of

God in Christ. As God’s beloved children, we prepare for his arrival in our hearts,

in our lives in the sacraments and the life of the Church.”

Father Sergio Chavez

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December 5

This weekend at St. Joseph’s continues our celebration of the Gifts of the Magi, a

collection of gifts for the children of our urban sister parish, St. Francis Xavier

Cabrini, as well as our “Phillip the Van” weekend. The shelters are most in need of

peanut butter, jelly, tuna and cereal; and Bethany House is in dire need of adult

size gloves. Reflect this week on why we especially remember the poor in Advent.

Let this mantra be in your head as you shop for gifts and groceries: Don’t forget

the poor!

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December 6 Saint Nicholas Day

The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was

born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the

time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of

Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout

Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.

Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the

money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to

assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God

and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became

known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for

children, and his concern for sailors and ships.

Learn more: http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/who-is-st-nicholas/

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December 7 Second Sunday in Advent Mark 1:1-8

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: Behold, I am sending my messenger

ahead of you; he will prepare your way.

A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make

straight his paths.”

John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of

repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of

Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the

Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He

fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed:

“One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and

loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will

baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

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Video Commentary

Second Sunday in Advent—Father Sergio Chavez

Welcome to this second week of this beautiful journey of Advent. We participate in this Holy Season and prepare for the coming of the Lord. We as a parish community, the living and loving people of St. Joseph’s, welcome you in the name of the Jesus.

You are always welcome into our lives and parish community: St. Joseph’s: Always a place for you. This parish, this community, strives to live and witness the teaching of Jesus Christ within an atmosphere of hospitality and kindness.

This second Sunday of Advent prepares us for the coming of the Lord through the ministry of John the Baptist. It is the beginning of the Gospel of Mark that embraces the life of the Lord who during his ministry welcomed every one of us to the mystery of his life and love.

However, if we think carefully, each one of the authors of the four Gospels namely, Mark, Matthew, Luke and John faced the challenge of how to begin telling the story of Jesus. They wanted to tell all of us the Good News of the Savior.

And today’s Gospel is a terrific example of the action of the Holy Spirit moving Mark to open his account with the following Words: “The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.”

This wonderful description of Jesus helps us to understand that he is the savior, the Lord, The Son of God who gave us a legacy, a teaching and the kingdom of God to which we belong in the love we share as a community.

Mark really stresses the main message of Jesus, the Kingdom of God is now breaking into human life. Those are the good News of the Lord. As a devoted disciple of the Apostle Peter, and as a fervent Christian grounded in the Jewish tradition, Mark wanted to tell his readers that Jesus was not only the son of David, but also the Son of God and God Himself.

During this holy season of advent we prepare for the commemoration of the Emmanuel, “GOD WITH US.” Mark, also as a good historian, connects the coming of our Lord with the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, he will prepare the way.”

These words of the prophet are indeed fulfilled in John the Baptist that went ahead of the Lord Jesus preparing the people of God for his coming. It is clear the John the Baptist helped people to undergo transformation and to purify their spirits from sin. However, he was just the messenger of the One that came to purify the world and sanctify the entire universe.

John the Baptist proclaimed loudly that all should be baptized to reconcile with God and achieve forgiveness of Sin. In the example of John the Baptist who prepared the way for the

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coming our Lord, we also ask ourselves: How do we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus into our lives during this Advent Season and Christmas time?

The word Advent means the coming or the arrival of Jesus Christ, and the focus of this beautiful season is the celebration of the birth of the Lord, the anticipation of the Kingdom of God in our world.

Advent also means that we are preparing for the arrival of a very important person. As Christians, we are God’s magnificent creation; we are the masterpiece of his hands and a work that is always in progress, we are part of the revelation of God in Christ. As God’s beloved Children we prepare for his arrival in our hearts, in our lives and in the sacraments and life of the Church.

We prepare especially in the sacrament of reconciliation and in the Holy Eucharist that we celebrate as a community every day. Advent anticipates the reconciliation of God with the entire creation through the mystery of the Incarnation.

May this advent that symbolizes our spiritual journey as individuals and congregation reaffirm our faith in Christ. And may the Holy Spirit, always present in the world be our guidance during this holy time.

For our reflection and prayer we ask ourselves: “How do we prepare our hearts for the coming of Jesus into our lives at Christmas?”

Sources:

Steve J. Binz, Advent Light, New London: Twenty-third Publications, 2004. Catechism of the Catholic Church http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s1c2a1.htm John V. Kluse, ed., Advent and Christmas Wisdom from St. Francis of Assisi, Liguori: Ligouri Publications, 2008. Thomas Merton, Advent and Christmas with Thomas Merton, Liguori: Liguori Publications, 2002. Joe Paprocki, A Well Built Faith, Chicago: Loyola Press, 2008.