Message from our Administrator

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, peace be with you! Having just completed the Thanksgiving weekend, we enter our Advent journey to prepare for the celebration of the birth of the prince of peace, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Despite all the noise of the season, with stores inviting us to rush out and purchase all kinds of good things, we must not forget that Advent is, at heart, a quietening down time; a time to prepare our hearts to join the shepherds and wise men who, prompted by grace, find Jesus, a beautiful newborn baby, in a stable at Bethlehem! It is a time for prayerful anticipation, which, I think, is beautifully expressed in the First Reading of the First Sunday of Advent Mass. Please read it prayerfully and slowly over the next few weeks and your heart will, indeed, be open to share the joy and peace of Christmas. It is from the prophet Isaiah, who lived about 700 years before Christ and is known as the Christmas prophet. It is he who prophesied that Mary would bear a son, who would be known as Emmanuel, God is with us!

I now offer you this beautiful reading to make it your own this Advent, as your heart swells with hope for a peaceful and Christ centered Christmas.

“This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: ‘Come, let us climb the Lord's mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.’ For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord” (a reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, 2: 1-5).

We are invited, every Advent season, to “stream” toward the Lord’s mountain, Jerusalem, a metaphor for coming to Christ, who will offer us a share in his peace. All our readings at Mass for Advent are Christ calling us that he “may instruct us in his ways.” In a world at war with itself, his message has never been more urgent! For people of faith and hope, which all Christians are, we need to use the time of Advent to reset our minds and hearts to thoughts of peace, inclusion, tolerance, compassion, forgiveness and justice.

In that way, our hearts and homes (yes! very importantly, our homes, too) will be places of welcome and openness to all. This is the challenge facing us now, in a world of technology which has driven us to individualism and isolation from one another, even within families. It’s a time to remind ourselves, again, that Google is not God! The best Christmas gift we can receive and give, which is Christ’s gift to us, is his peace.

What a gift it would be if we truly believe that, through prayer, we can cause it to happen that “they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.” This is the challenge we face this Advent and Christmas: To be open and tolerant, not closed and condemning those who may differ from us religiously, politically or nationally!

I earnestly invite you to find time daily to pray for world peace during Advent, not a vague prayer but an urgent prayer, knowing that Christ died for our peace! He took on himself all our sins and offered us the grace to live as families with hearts filled with hope that we will leave a better world for our children than we ourselves inherited!

Again, as I have done in previous messages, in this time of Eucharistic Revival, I invite you to drop into your local church during the week to pray for a few moments, with Jesus, truly present in the tabernacle, for peace this Christmas. If this is not possible, pray a rosary or a Chaplet of Divine Mercy, or any other prayer in your heart, for peace. It is Christ’s gift to us each Christmas. I pray that his year, you will open and share the gift so that others, following your faith-filled example will do the same in 2023!

I close by again leaving you the beautiful eucharistic prayer, “O Sacred Banquet, in which Christ is revealed, the memory of his passion is celebrated, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us. Lord Jesus, present to us in the Eucharist, we place our trust in you; make us signs of your presence" (emphasis added this time!).

Remember, as we celebrate Christ’s birth at Christmas, we anticipate, in hope, our own entry into everlasting glory with him in heaven! As we celebrate, please remember those who are hurting or grieving the loss of a loved one at this time. I pray that you, your family, and friends will experience the peace of Christ, which is “beyond all understanding.”

I will, of course, hold all of you in my heart and prayers at my Christmas Masses. To all a very happy and blessed Christmas and prosperous New Year.