Keeping Christmas

Well, by this time you most likely have your Christmas tree up & decorated. Presents are probably bought & wrapped. Christmas is upon us.
Unfortunately, many people, including good Catholics have lost the sense of the Season. I mean that for many, Christmas ends on December 25th or at least by New Years Day.
Will you be keeping Christmas for the entire season? Remember the 12 days of Christmas song? It is meant to remind us that Christmas lasts more than one day or one week. Growing up, we called the feast of the Epiphany on January 6th "Little Christmas" . Our Church celebrates Christmas until the feast of the Baptism of the Lord (January 13th this year)
Will this be a season of joy for you? Will you keep Christmas alive for the whole season, especially in your heart and home. Show the world the full meaning of Christmas by bringing Christ to others, especially those who may not be of good cheer. Let your decorations stay until at least January 6th, the feast of the 3 Kings.
How will you keep Christmas more this year than in the past/ Enter a comment and let me know.

Happy New Year!!!

No, I'm not crazy or messed up on the date. Our Church Year begins with the first Sunday of Advent. This year we will be in cycle B, which focuses mainly on the Gospel of Mark.

Since this is the New Year of our church, we should use it to make a few New Year resolutions, spiritually, that it.

Maybe for some it will be to make their prayer life more consistent, more praise and less "Please Help!" For others, it may be to reach out to those estranged from the family or the Church, inviting them back to relationship. Still others may decide to do more to help those less fortunate or to work for justice causes, respecting all life as coming from God.
As we prepare for Christmas by a solid observation of Advent, may the joy of this season and that of Christmas move us to be better disciples of Christ in all we do.

I would urge everyone to contemplate on one thought as a sort of guide or mantra for this year. Every person is loved by God, not for who they are or what they do but simply because God chooses to love all creation. Remember the scripture: "God so loved the world that he gave us his only begotten Son..."

So, share your thoughts about how you will prepare to welcome Christ in your heart & home.

Saints Alive

With the approach of November, we enter the time of remembrance of those who have already joined God. Beginning with All Saints Day on November 1st and All Souls Day, November 2nd, we take time during the month to pray for and with our deceased loved ones.
We are all saints through our baptism. Living a saintly life is not a matter of floating around with angelic music playing. What would be the attraction in that? We are saintly when we go about our everyday tasks in a spirit of love, joy & peace, even in the midst of this world's turmoil.

Who modeled practical sainthood for you? Who showed you what it means to live your faith in day to day reality, standing firm to the teaching of Jesus even when it was not the easy way?

Feel free to share a story or two of these people so we can all remember & rejoice in their lives.

Mass Confusion

It seems that there is much confusion and concern surrounding the changes in the Mass that will take place beginning this Advent. While the parish has put material in the bulletin and a workshop was offered, many still have questions. If you do, use the comment section on this post to ask them or to make comments about the changes.

Fall has fallen

Once again God's great cycle has returned us to the time of Autumn. All around us the fields are offering up their harvest, leaving behind the remnants of their fruitfulness.

This is also a season of dying. The trees will begin to drop their leaves, fields will lie in wait. All too soon winter will be upon us.

Now is a good time to reflect on what our own harvest has been. What have I produced this summer that will provide nourishment and sustinence for others. I don't mean physically alone but emotional and spiritual as well

I ask you to consider this and offer your own reflections in return.

August musings

It's been awhile since I have posted anything. This is the time of year when many things change to a different pace.

God has created us to both work and rest. Somehow, one of these has overshadowed the other in our society. That's too bad because it has a negative effect on our spirituality.

Have you ever heard someone say, " I don't have time to pray." or " My work is my prayer.?"These and similar attitudes fail to recognize the need God has instilled in our very being for quiet and rest; re-creation. Without rest and quiet, we are too busy or too occupied to listen to God spek to us. We make a decent effort to speak TO God but how often is it a monologue with us doing all the talking.
Rest & quiet have great value and are an essential part of any mature relationship with God.
So I hope you find a time & place for quiet this Summer and throughout the year.

Pentecost

This Sunday is Pentecost, the close of our Easter season. How well and how long did you celebrate Easter?(the religious one)It seems we have given over our religious holy days to the commercial and the tacky. Not that I reject celebrating Easter with bunnies and candy on Easter Sunday. It should be joyous. But why stop then? Our Church knows that 50 days is a better way to celebrate the very core event of our faith.
So, Happy last week of Easter and enjoy the numbered times that follow.

Happy Easter Season

Christ has Risen!! Alleluia!
The joy of this season is often lost after the first rush of Easter. Our Church in her wisdom gives us 50 days of Easter to reflect on the meaning and impact of the Resurrection in our lives.
Last evening we held a gathering of the newly initiated adults, along with others in the process. The 5 "newbees" shared their experience of the Triduum and how their lives have changed over the course of their preparation journey. It was a powerful sharing and made me proud of our church and all it calls us to be.
I would like to hear from any of you who were at the Easter Vigil Service about your reaction to the baptisms and the following rites.

No Worries, Mate!

There has been a lot of buzz lately about the "Final Days!" I even say a huge billboard warning of the end of the world sometime in May of this year.In addition, people see the natural disasters and the increasing violence and wars as a sign of the end time. It is causing many to worry.
The truth is, as Jesus tells us, no one knows the time but God. Our faith tells us to be ready at all times, then to get on with life. No one can lengthen their lives by worrying about when the end of the world will be. In fact, each person's end of the world is the day they pass from this life to the next. All we can do is focus on living the best we can. The rest is up to God and no one knows what God has in mind.

While we shouldn't worry about the end, we can, especially during Lent, care for those who are suffering from all that is going on in this world. The people of Japan and Haiti need our help. Closer to home, many go hungry. We can all examine our lifestyles to find ways to be of support both materially and spiritual to those who are hurting. We are all so blessed and sharing from those blessings will put aside worry about the end of the world and focus us more on appreciating the world we have now.

Bishop's Day of Reflection

This Saturday was the Bishop's Day of Reflection, a time set aside for all those adultspreparing for Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist as well as those who willbe recieved into communion with the Catholic Church to et to know their bishop and to reflect on the meaning of the Lord's Prayer. Over 400 people gathered to listen to the bishop and Sr. Barbara Thiella or to Sr Gloria (in Spanish) break open the Our Father line by line and lead reflections on how it calls us to live as Christians.
The day began with calebration of the Rite of Continuing Conversion. This celebration recognizes the Christians who want to complete their initiation and the bishop accepts them and offers prayers and blessing for their continued faith journey.
The folowing day, those who will be fully initiated this Easter Vigil were asked to enroll their names in the Book of the Elect and were prayerfully sent to thwe bishop who will recognize and recieve them as ready for baptism. It all was overwhelming sometimes; to see so many journeying in faith and joining our faith community.

Mardi Gras & Lent

Lent is here!
Tuesday is Mardi Gras and the next day starts Lent. Both are connected. Carnival is a "farewell to meat" meaning a chance to celebrate life and the plenty God provides. It helps mark the transition to Lent, a time to consider our mortality and our dependence on God so that we can reform our lives to more closely follow Christ. Sometimes, we lose the lenten transition in the hectic ordinariness of our days and weeks.

Celebratuion Mardi Gras, even in a small way then entering the lenten fast helps us be mindful of the change of focus and keeps the preparation for Easter in a spiritual focus.
Our Parish has a number of adults and older childer preparing for full initiation into the Catholic Church at Easter. Please keep them in your prayers. More on their journey later.

What a weekend

This weekend I attended both a funeral Mass, a baptism and a wedding ceremony. I was impressed that, in each case, our church was such a source of strength for those involved. From the grief that was comforted by the Mass and the prayers of the church to the joy of new life, both of the infants baptized and the couple joined in sacramental marriage, God was truly present. There were no petty devisions which, if they existed, were put aside in the common sharing of life and faith.
What then blocks us from that unity in the regular daily lives we lead? How do we lose that unity in Christ that was so present to me this weekend? I would like to hear your thoughts on this.

Lent is near, are you ready? Lent starts with Ash Wednesday. This year it is on March 9th. Check the parish web site  ( http://www.st-anthonys.org/ ) for times of Masses and ash services.

Coming Home

Many people stay away from the church simply because they have been away awhile and either don't know how or when they can come back. The when is easist. NOW! The how is simple too. Just come in to Mass on any day. Believe me, no one will know you've been away. We need all our family to celebrate the Sunday liturgy.

ARISE - together in Christ

Where can you join in a small group to share & grow in your faith. Well, that's what ARISE is all about. Groups meet in the homes of parishioners weekly for 6-8 weeks during each season. It's a chance to grow in faith in a safe and comfortable way. Join in!!! Contact Susan @ 825-0371.