On December 6th we celebrate the Second Sunday of Advent. Can you believe we are less than three weeks until Christmas and the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is just two days away on December 8th?
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a Holy Day of Obligation. The Bishop's dispensation from Sunday Mass also holds for Holy Days of Obligation as well, due to the pandemic. Never the less we will have one Mass here on the 8th. The Mass will be at 8:15 AM.
This solemnity celebrates the fact that Mary was conceived without sin, which is only right and proper for the woman who gave birth to Jesus, the Son of God and the Savior of the world. This Mass as with our Sunday Masses will be masked with social distancing. If you are ill, please stay home.
Later in the week on Saturday, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In December of 1531, Mary appeared in the Americas at Tepeyac in Mexico. She told Saint Juan Diego that she came as mother to all the people of the Americas. She spoke to him in his own language and looked and dressed as an indigenous woman who was pregnant. She was bringing Jesus and Christianity to the Americas. Hail Mary full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Our first reading for the Second Sunday of Advent is from the Prophet Isaiah. In it God says: "Comfort, give comfort to my people." In this time of pandemic, this is a prayer we can say every day. Isaiah also introduces us to "A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord." This is fulfilled in our Gospel reading with the appearance of John the Baptist. John the Baptist is one of the main characters in Advent. He preaches repentance and baptizes and says "One mightier than I is coming after me." Prepare ye the way of the Lord! as the old song says. We need to listen to John and prepare the way of the Lord. Prepare for Jesus' coming at Christmas, at death, at the final judgement, and mostly in our neighbors whom we see each day.
In the second reading St. Paul tells us: "But according to his promise we await new heavens and anew earth in which righteousness dwells." We also work for this new heaven day in and day out by our good deeds. Our good deeds are summed up in the Responsorial Psalm: "Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss. Truth shall spring out of the earth, and justice shall look down from heaven."
I thank the Broden Family for mentioning us in Tom's obituary. We have received several donations in his memory. May he rest in peace!
I also thank Cheryl Ashe and Francine Henley for their video work with our Mass. Several people have emailed me that they watch it and enjoy it. Be sure to tune in to the Advent Service we will have next week on zoom.