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Linaioli Tabernacle, St John the Baptist , Fra Angelico  [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Luke 3:1-6 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition)      In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord,     

This Sunday we will enter the season of Advent. Have you given much thought to what you might do to enrich your soul this Advent season? Yes, I know that it is a busy time of year, with all the shopping, parties and entertaining that we do. But, it is also a time when we should take stock of why we have this season. What Happens During the Advent Season? Advent exists to prepare us for the celebration of the Incarnation of God made man. It is a time for us to wait, prepare, repent, rejoice and ultimately receive the Word made flesh. We: Wait  in anticipation of the celebration of the birth of Our Savior and Redeemer. If God had never become man, then Jesus would not have died on the cross for our sins. It is through His Death and Resurrection that we are saved. Repent  for our sins and develop contrite hearts. We go to Confession. It is in the sacrament of Confession that Christ will cleanse our souls of our sins and reunite us to Him. Rejoice ! We take time during Advent t

Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee , Rembrandt  [ Web Gallery of Art ] We begin Year C, which highlights St Luke's Gospel Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition)      Jesus said to his disciples: ‘There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.  People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  Then they will see “the Son of Man coming in a cloud” with power and great glory.  Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.   ‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed

The leftover turkey and fixings are still in the fridge. Yet, I have to ask. Have you got your Christmas shopping done yet? You know, you only have 29 days until Christmas! And the race is on… This year we have the longest possible timeline to prepare for Christmas with Thanksgiving falling on November 22 nd . What will we do with all that extra time? Rather than four weekends to shop for presents, we have five weekends this year. Bonus! Are You a Tortoise or a Hare? Do you see yourself as the tortoise or the hare in this year’s race to get everything done before Christmas day? If you are the tortoise, you patiently pace yourself, making a point not to lose the essence for the real reason for the season. You want to savor each moment; even finding some time to embrace the spiritual side of the holiday season. Perhaps you might attend an Advent mission at your Church or read a good book about the season of Advent. Then, maybe you are more like the hare, rushing to scratch off

4th Sunday of Advent, 2017 By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas December 24, 2017 Good! Now try to imagine yourself describing the scene in which the Angel Gabriel seeks and speaks to Mary as one that could be played out spectacularly on film or a TV program, it would begin with the panoramic vision or an overall view of the world that solemnly zooms in and spotlights in one tiny little place. We could imagine the overview from the film score to the mission behind Google Earth.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

The Annunciation, El Greco [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel Luke 1:26-38 ( NRSV, CatholicEd ) In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be

If I thought my faith depended on feeling cheerful, I'd be worried.If I thought my faith depended on feeling cheerful, I'd be worried. Since I'm a Catholic, I think faith is willingly and consciously embracing "the whole truth that God has revealed." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 142 - 150 ) Faith is easier when my emotions are in sync with my reason. So is acting as if what I believe matters. Emotions can tell me that something needs attention, but "...conscience is a law of the mind...." (Catechism, 1777 - 1782 ) More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

St John the Baptist, Donatello [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel John 1:6-8, 19-28 ( NRSV, Catholic Ed .) There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, ‘I am not the Messiah.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the prophet?’ He answered, ‘No.’ Then they said to him, ‘Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord”’, as

Recently, I experienced a situation on the interstate in which I really had to reach for my big girl jeans. via GIPHY  I was stuck in traffic. It was standstill and a tractor trailer had flipped, blocking the entire interstate. On a curve, and on a hill. Cars were creeping slower than Christmas, and it. was. terrible. We waited for 30 minutes (at min), we had a full car as I was on the way home from school pick-up, and I believe everyone in the car had to use the restroom except those wearing diapers. I was about to sprout some real tears. Read it here

Most people think of Advent as the time for preparation for the celebration of the incarnation of Christ; when Jesus entered humanity. Advent is just that, but it is also a time for healing and forgiveness, as we see in today’s Gospel from Luke 5:17-26, In this Gospel reading, we learn of the power and authority of Jesus to forgive sins. We hear about the paralyzed man lowered from the roof into the place where Jesus was preaching. Jesus not only forgives the man of his sins, but because of the confidence in God, expressed by his friends, Jesus also heals the man of his paralysis. What sin may be paralyzing you; preventing you from embracing the joy and peace of the Christmas season? Now is the time to seek... Read more...  

St John the Baptist, El Greco [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings , (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland,) Gospel Mark 1:1-8 ( NRSV, Anglicised CatholicEdition ) The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight”’. John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, ‘The one who is more powerful