From Fr. Mike ...

I trust everybody had a nice Thanksgiving with family and friends this weekend. It is a

nice weekend for us all to take time to thank God.

 

We now move on to a new Liturgical Year and Season with the First Sunday of Advent.

A very special thanks to Kevin and to the combined choir that sang at the Thanksgiving Day Mass this past Thursday.

Also thanks to Kevin and Diane Kraft for their leadership with the Art and Environment Commission for this new season of Advent. You are all special gifts to the parish community.

 

Advent is about hope. It calls us to vision a new world, new Jerusalem as the Book of

Revelation would tell us. This is not a penitential season. It is the season for waiting

for the coming of the Savior at the end of the world. Our readings, music, homilies and

church environment focus on preparing for the coming of Jesus, much as St. John the

Baptist did in the desert when his voice called out, "Prepare ye the way of the

Lord!" The prophet Isaiah who envisioned a time of peace and tranquility in the world is

the main Old Testament book that is utilized, since Isaiah really was looking for the end

of the world, and that that end would be so different than the one we live in today. We

continue that same message as we light an Advent candle each week, so that the light of the

candle shines in the darkness of the world, and leads us to Christ, the fulfillment of all

things. Thus Christmas, a past historical event, is celebrated annually at the end of Advent,

the real end to the season is the Second Coming when all is restored in Christ.

 

As we look to this Season of Advent, a reminder that we will have our Parish Advent

Penance Service on Tuesday, December 15th, at Our Lady of the Sierra Church at

6:00PM. This allows for advance planning on everybody's part.

 

We know that we get caught up with all the Christmas activities at this time of the year,

yet we need to remember that the Church does NOT celebrate Christmas until we gather

for the Christmas Eve Mass. Until then, it's Advent and the art and environment in our

churches reflect that faith experience. We cannot fight the secular world with the Christmas

season, but we can do so when we gather to worship on Sundays. Each week, another

candle is lit, another step towards the fullness of light, Christ Himself. I pray that this

season will give you courage and hope especially in these difficult times with the recession

and war.

 

This coming week, the Women's Guild of the parish will begin their main fund-raising

activity with the annual Sees Candy Sale. This sale assists these wonderful women in

providing for the needs of the parish. I encourage everybody to join in and support the

Women's Guild on Sundays at church or in front of CVS Drugstore here in Oakhurst.