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December 3, 2021I love the season of Advent, because it reminds us that we are a people who value tradition, and at the same time we are forward-thinking. In this new season, we look back to remember the extraordinary event of the Incarnation and theophany (visible manifestation of God) and think about how we can prepare ourselves to see God. John the Baptist will be featured prominently in the Gospels this week and next. His challenging message of repentance and the need to change is balanced against the hopeful messages of the prophets and Paul in the first and second readings. Repentance is changing our view and our minds about who we are, so that we can easily be prepared to accept Jesus and His teachings when He comes again.
As we continue with the season of Advent, we also celebrate another major figure of our faith. Mary’s Immaculate Conception was declared as an official dogmatic teaching in 1854 by Pope Pius IX. It is celebrated this Wednesday, December 8. It was considered controversial at the time to make this teaching dogmatic (i.e., divinely revealed), but the belief was widely held that Mary must not have had the effects of original sin in her body; this was a gift from God. It is also a precursor to receiving the gift of the Annunciation later in her life. What I always admire about Mary is her free acceptance of the will of God without knowing what it would do to her in her life. It is a practice that I have heard some people use and call “the Scary Prayer.” In fact, a few others in the Bible have used it, including Moses and the prophet Jeremiah. It basically says, “Lord I am willing to do whatever you want me to do without knowing the outcome, the changes, or the effect it will have on my life.”
Mary is singular in her immediate “yes” and in how she lives her life. We can see that when God chooses us to do something for Him, it will glorify Him directly, and us indirectly. I have a great devotion to Mary, and believe that she is always helping us, through the example of her yes and trust in God. She also helps us realize that we are not made only for ourselves and our own destinies.
A popular spiritual writer of our time, Richard Rohr, wrote a book about achieving spiritual maturity. One of his points was that we must recognize that “our lives are not only about us.” Mary, from the youngest age, realized this; even before her wedding and before all that she experienced. Her Immaculate Conception signals that she was being prepared to do God’s will. The good news for us is that we are welcome, too, to say yes to God’s will. Like Mary and so many others, God is there alongside of us to help us. I hope that this Advent is an opportunity for all to accept the invitation to be on a path of discipleship. We are all called to hear God’s word, and must not forget that God wants the very best for us. If we ready the way for God in our hearts, He will ready a way for us in His grace.
Peace, Fr. Murray
Building News: This week we finished the bell project, and soon we will have the memorial plaque dedicated and mounted. I plan to invite Bishop Mark O’Connell to both churches for these events. We also had a leaky oil tank removed at Immaculate Conception and had new basement windows put in the rectory. They were in very bad shape and were quite porous. Now that they’ve been replaced, we have some lightly used mouse traps available if anyone needs them.
Nos disculpamos, pero la versión en español de la columna del pastor no está disponible aquí. Puede leerla en el boletín, en este enlace: https://parishesonline.com/find/mqoa/bulletin/file/03-1283-20211205B.pdf
