Newsletter - 30 November
Dear brothers and sisters
“Your Lord is coming” (Mt 24:42). This is the foundation of our hope. It is what supports us even in the most difficult and painful moments of our life: God is coming, God is near and is coming. Let us never forget this! The Lord always comes. But how will the Lord come? And how will we recognize him and welcome him?
Very often we hear it said that the Lord is present on our journey, that he accompanies us and speaks to us. But perhaps, distracted as we are by many things, this truth remains merely theoretical for us. Yes, we know that the Lord is coming but we imagine that he will come in a spectacular way, perhaps through some miraculous sign. But Jesus is concealed in the most common and most ordinary situations. He does not come in extraordinary events, but in everyday things. He is there, in our daily work, in a chance encounter... It is right there that we find the Lord, who calls to us, speaks to us and inspires our actions.
And how can we recognize and welcome the Lord? We must be awake, alert, vigilant. Jesus warns us: there is the danger we may not notice his coming and may be unprepared for his visit. Saint Augustine said: “I fear the Lord who passes by” (Sermons, 88, 14.13), that is, I fear that he will pass by and I will not recognize him! Jesus says that, when he will come, “two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left” (v. 40). In what sense? What is the difference? Simply that one was vigilant, he was waiting, capable of discerning God’s presence in daily life, whereas the other was distracted, lived day to day, and did not notice anything.
In this Season of Advent, let us awaken from our slumber! Let us try to ask ourselves: am I aware of what I am living, am I alert, am I awake? Do I try to recognize God’s presence in daily situations, or am I distracted and a little overwhelmed by things? If we are unaware of his coming today, we will also be unprepared when he arrives at the end of time. Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us remain vigilant! He is there, but waiting alert.
Pope Francis, 27 November 2022
Focus of the week
RORATE MASS FOR ADVENT
During the Fridays of Advent (Dec. 5, 12, and 19) we will be celebrating the “Rorate Mass,” at 7:00 a.m. This is a Mass in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is traditionally celebrated in candleligh tjust before dawn. The name comes from the opening words of the Entrance Antiphon, “Rorate caeli desuper,” Latin for “Drop down dew, ye heavens.” (Isaiah 45:8).
The Mass will last 30 minutes and will be followed by a simple breakfast in the large hall.
Notices of the Week
Download the newsletter to check out the notices of the week