The Incarnation – Part III
(We continue to benefit from Paul Peterson’s paper on the Incarnation. I hope you didn’t miss the first two sections that were offered here over the past two weeks; if you did, you’ll find them on our parish web site under my name. As Paul concludes his reflections, he helps us to understand how the Incarnation allows us to become one again with God. I invite you to reflect on his presentation; it will lead you even closer into the mystery of the Incarnation and its importance in our eternal […]
THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” We tend to think that Jesus endured a trial only at the end of his life before the Sanhedrin and the Roman leaders. But, if we read the Gospels more carefully, we see that Jesus was on trial for the entirety of his public ministry, from friend and foe alike. Every time he did or said something – healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sins, asserted that he was one with God – we hear […]
INCARNATION – PART II
(As I mentioned last week, Paul Peterson, one of our parishioners, recently shared a brilliant paper he had written on the mystery of the Incarnation. With his permission, I am offering it to you for your reflection and inspiration as we prepare to celebrate our Lord’s birth at Christmas. Last week, he offered some very worthwhile reflections on the mystery of the Incarnation. As we hurry toward Christmas, we benefit this week from his reflections on the eternal plan of God in the Incarnation.)
Saint Paul’s first experience of Jesus Christ […]
Second Sunday of Advent
“In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” And, what was the first thing that people did when they heard John’s message? They acknowledged their sins. Why? Because John preached a message of repentance. And, John did this to prepare for the coming of our Lord. If you examine the New Testament, you will find that the first word of the gospel message is “repent.” As we hear today, “Repent” is the first word we hear from John the Baptist. […]
Incarnation – Part 1
(Advent is the time when we await the coming of our Lord, both in time as the son of Mary and at the end of time as the Risen Lord who draws all the faithful to our heavenly Father. This is a good time to reflect on one of the great mysteries of our faith: the Incarnation. Paul Peterson, one of our faithful parishioners who was a civil engineer and a religion teacher – he taught for 11 years at Bishop Shanahan High School, Downingtown – recently shared a paper […]
Homily – December 1, 2019
As you probably know, the word Advent has a Latin root; so many of our church terms are Latin in origin. Adventus in Latin means to await the arrival of someone or something of great importance. That’s what Advent is: we await the arrival of Jesus, our Lord and God. That’s pretty important, isn’t it!?! Most of us think of this season as a time of preparation for the birth of Christ, which we celebrate at Christmas. And, it’s important to do that since Jesus came to lead us back […]