theROCK

Rejoice in the Lord Always

Gaudete Sunday in Advent is a day to celebrate the joy of anticipating Christmas. The name comes from the Latin word Gaudete, which means, "rejoice." The day's theme is a shift in focus from "The Lord is coming" to "The Lord is near." The excitement for the birth of Jesus was tangible in Mary and Joseph, let us recall our own excitement when we were children, anticipating the beautifully decorated church with lit trees adorning the sanctuary. There is a certain peace in knowing the church draws us into the real reason for Christmas, namely the birth of Jesus. How do we celebrate Advent and the coming of Christ in the form of a newborn child?

Amid the stress of cleaning, baking, decorating, shopping, wrapping, and getting ready for company, often there is little time to experience the joy and peace of Christ’s coming.  Living in a culture of immediate satisfaction, it is very hard for us to slow down, to immerse ourselves in silence and prayer. 

This past summer, as part of a course I took, we attended a 10-day silent Ignatian retreat. We participated in daily Mass, Adoration, and an hour of spiritual direction. Outside of that. . . total silence. Of the five chapels on campus, I found a tiny chapel dedicated to the Annunciation of Mary. A simple but beautiful tabernacle was in the center. I had to silence so many things I carried into the retreat: work, and what was not completed before I left, the news of my younger sister, diagnosed with cancer, and suffering multiple injuries after being hit by a car, and the shock that her 30-year-old son had died unexpectedly. I knew I had to focus on what God had in mind, not what I was carrying. After all, he knew what was heavy on my heart.

I was reminded of today’s scripture from the second reading: “Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition…then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus” (Phil.4: 6-7). When the 10 days were over, there was an amazing wealth of PEACE in my heart, a peace that I have never experienced. In that peace, I experienced, to this very moment, unexplainable JOY.

It is counter cultural to slow down and place ourselves in silence before Jesus. I invite you dear friends to come to the church or chapel and just sit quietly before the tabernacle and allow God to silence your heart and fill you with JOY. He is waiting, and longs to fill you with his love.

The Sorrow and Glory of Holy Week

The interesting thing to ponder about Holy Week is that, in the moment, only Jesus knew what was going to happen. The apostles and disciples did not. They were coming into Jerusalem to observe the Passover as they did every year throughout their whole lives. Nothing different. Same old, same old. The only difference is that they were unsure of where they were going to celebrate it, but Jesus had that covered. The second difference is that they were greeted with a parade, and Jesus was the star! Imagine what that had to have been like. They proceed to go about their business in the city as usual to prepare for the feast during the early days of the week. You would think that they would have noticed how Jesus is on edge, and he isn’t exactly explaining why. His responses are cryptic at best. The Jewish leaders are really poking at him, which is making everyone a bit agitated. To be there in the moment had to be frustrating. I am sure the hope was that once everyone could settle into the Passover festivities, all would be well. The prayers are said. The songs are sung. Then the meal begins, but Jesus starts to do “it” different. He talks about the bread being his body and the wine being his blood. Then he tells Judas to go off and do what he needs to do. He tells Peter that he is going to deny him. It is all so strange. To be there, one couldn’t help but think that something was about to go wrong. In fact, unbeknownst to everyone, everything was about to go right.

The beauty of hindsight. Jesus had led everyone to it so that he could lead them through it. Looking at the events of Holy Week and then at Easter and the Ascension from the perspective of placing yourself “live” in the story, makes it the most sorrowful and yet the most glorious of experiences. This is why I LOVE my faith. Jesus is awesome! To experience the worst of humanity to bring about the best of humanity is more  than my feeble words can relay. God is so good! Thank you God!

Welcome to Advent!

I love the feel that Advent has. There is a joy, an energy that rivals nothing else. When we can keep Advent separate from Christmas, it makes Christmas all the better. Advent is a time of hopeful anticipation. It is a time to prepare for Jesus coming. In retrospect, it is the preparation Mary and Joseph took in awaiting his arrival. For us it is waiting for the day of Christmas. It is also the waiting for his triumphant return. It is this last point that we must always focus on – are we ready? Scripture tells us that we will not know the date nor will we know the time, but will we be ready? That is what we should be spending our time doing during Advent. That is what we should be spending every day preparing for. We should be preparing the way for the Lord every day! We are to take a renewed interest in our relationship with God, with Jesus, with the Holy Spirit to claim the joy that is there for us always. With that in mind, I share this video with you. I hope you enjoy it as we work to get ready for Jesus this Advent.

Advent in 2 Minutes

Advent is like springtime in nature when everything is renewed, fresh, and healthy. Advent refreshes us, makes us healthy and able to receive Christ in whatever form he may come to us. At Christmas, he comes as a little child, small, helpless, and in need of his mother and all that a mother’s love can give. His mother’s humility enabled her to serve. If we really want God to fill us, we must empty ourselves through humility of all the selfishness within us. – Mother Teresa of Calcutta (Thirsting for God, 2000)