“Your kindness should be known to all.” Philippians 4:5

Luke the evangelist returns today with what I like to call “Rules of Thumb.”  His storytelling centers on the preaching—once again—of our friend John the Baptist who was asked by a restive crowd what people should do to prepare for the Messiah. 

John answers them, not as a politician but as a missioner.  If you have two cloaks, he says, share one with someone who has none.  If you have extra food, give some to the person who has little.  Even the dreaded tax collectors asked John for advice.  These were predators who routinely bilked people with threats, keeping what they stole.  John told them what they probably knew in their hearts:  don’t exploit people or harm them; be satisfied with your wages.

“Rules of Thumb” come about when people recognize an injustice and commit themselves to ending it.  What better time than Advent to take an inventory of the soul and decide how our baptismal call to serve can guide us in the New Year.  Big reforms are always welcome but ending climate change or extremes of wealth may be beyond our personal reach.  John the Baptist is saying small-scale changes are meaningful, too.  Let charity, especially for the poor, help you do the hard work of day-to-day living.

Friend, when the crowds heard John preach, they were “filled with expectation.”  We are filled with expectation, too, because we know the promise of the Christ Child is at hand.  May the next two weeks be rich for you in prayer and preparation, and all the small gifts of caring and service that honor your call to mission.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Father ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Lance Nadeau, M.M.

Third Sunday of Advent

We long for peace and thirst for justice

O God of Mary, Joseph and John.

Give us the sight to recognize injustice

and the courage to right the wrongs we see.

Help us help others, especially those who

have lost hope and joy of life.

May we build a better world by

being better ourselves.

Even as we await the return of Christ

may we discover anew all the wonders

and miracles with which You have blessed us.

Remove from us, Lord, anything that keeps us

from knowing, loving and following You

more and more everyday.

Fill our hearts with a fervent expectation

of Your kingdom here on earth

beginning with us, here and now.

Amen.

Prayer by Father Joe Veneroso, M.M.

“I will raise up for David a just shoot; he shall do what is right and just in the land.” Jeremiah 33:15

Advent… a time of expectant and hopeful waiting… the time we prepare ourselves for the birth of Our Lord and Savior.  Could there be a more important moment in the life of the soul?

Today we begin our journey toward Christmas and the miracle of Bethlehem.  We can be secure in our hope because we have the promise of the Christ Child… we have the wisdom of scripture… and we have one another.

On the first Sunday of Advent I draw special meaning from today’s readings, and I hope you do, too.  Jeremiah says the time is at hand when a descendant from the House of David will bring righteous judgment and justice across all the land. 

This was reassuring in the prophet’s time, and remains especially so now.  We are, at times, confronted with seemingly impossible challenges.  But scripture tells us never to despair because one called by God will redeem us.  I also find solace in Luke’s Gospel, my favorite evangelist.  He says rather than be afraid of change, stand tall and embrace it “because your redemption is at hand.”

We have endured a lot of tests this year.  So Advent begins with a plea from the psalmist for God’s ways to be made known to us, and for our vigilance and humility to guide us toward justice.  We pray during Advent for the strength to overcome whatever obstacles may come our way, knowing that in the Christ Child we have the promise of salvation.  And as always, we take comfort in the prayers we offer one another.

Friend, we have such wonderful traditions at this time of year.  When you light the first of four candles in your Advent wreath, know you are beginning the most hopeful journey of the liturgical year.  Embrace the gift of love we are about to receive on Christmas Day.  We may not know all that the New Year will bring.  But we know that God will be with us for the journey in the presence of the Christ Child.  May your Advent be full of expectation and joy.  I am walking in hope beside you.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Father ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Lance Nadeau, M.M.

First Sunday in Advent

My heart longs for Your love, O Lord,

and my heart for Your peace

and my soul for Your grace.

Come into my life again

as You came to holy Mary

and Joseph in Bethlehem.

Help me to prepare a place for You,

welcoming and warm, in my family,

among my relatives, with my friends and neighbors.

Open my eyes to see Your presence

in everyone I meet today: among the poor as well as the privileged,

the weak as well as the powerful.

During this holy season of waiting

grant me the patience to keep silent

when I should, and the wisdom to speak

at the proper time that my words and actions,

my thoughts and prayers this Advent might

glow as a candle in the growing darkness

to lead others back to You.

Amen.

Prayer by Father Joe Veneroso, M.M.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.” Revelations 1:8

Today we celebrate the joyous feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of All—a day on the Church calendar commonly known as Christ the King. 

We may think of a king as someone with great power.  But today’s feast day has a different meaning.  The Church is asking us to acknowledge the power of Christ to forgive our sins… deliver us from evil… and to grant us eternal life with the Father and all the saints of heaven.

Today’s feast day is another way of saying that God is greater than anything we can imagine.  God’s love is immense and eternal, not subject to measurement.  God’s grace is infinite, too, a wellspring of divine favor that renews our spirit and refreshes our soul.  So in honor of Christ the King, today is a good day to renew our consecration to the living Christ whom we venerate in the Eucharist.

One practice that can help us comprehend, in human terms, the enormity of God’s love is developing the habit of being grateful.  Our celebration of Christ the King just happens to fall a few days before Thanksgiving, our great national holiday.  If you want to glimpse who God is, practice gratitude.  Everything we have comes from God.  To live that thankfulness is our calling.

Friend, even though we can’t completely grasp the concept of eternity or infinity, it’s good to remember this:  God is the alpha and the omega in whom we are fulfilled.  Be joyful and messengers of gratitude.  I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving in the company of those you love.  May the blessings of our faith be the gift you share without measure.  I wish you a rich harvest.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Father ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Lance Nadeau, M.M.

Prayer for 3^rd Sunday

Christ, our Savior, Lord, and King

the Beginning from which all life and

love flow and the end toward which all things

grow we give You thanks for all that is,

all that was, and all that will be.

In You we live and move and have our being.

Without You we can do nothing

for without You we are nothing.

May Your praises fill the Earth

as they do the heavens

and help all Your children know

Your loving-kindness and forgiveness.

Into Your most merciful hands

we commend the souls of all

our departed family and friends.

And from the wellspring of Your heart

may we receive every good blessing

we need to follow You more faithfully

through Jesus, Your Son and our Lord.

Amen.

Prayer by Father Joe Veneroso, M.M.