FM's Message | Sunday, December 3rd, 2023

Happy Advent and Liturgical New Year. It is time to turn our attention to another year of grace and to remember that because God has not sent his Son Jesus for the second time, we will once again reflect on the events of Jesus and dedicate ourselves to renewing our faith and preparing for the celebration of the coming feasts of Christmas, the celebration of the Holy Family, and Epiphany Sunday. This month, we also remember Mary three times, at the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, the feast of our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, and the feast of Mary the Mother of God on January 1. We honor Mary in all her roles and titles throughout the year, but for us, it is important to remember that Mary was also a disciple among disciples and apostles. She is so important, but humbly followed her son to give us all an example of what humility and discipleship look like.

This new year also introduces the Gospel of Mark to us and allows us to see the story of Jesus through this second of the Synoptic Gospels. The first three Gospels are commonly referred to as the Synoptic Gospels because they have the “same view” of Jesus. That is to say, the Gospels recall the story of Jesus through very human experiences. They are different than the Gospel of John in which one can see the divinity and theology of Jesus much more clearly.  The church’s Sunday cycle for readings is simple. ABC, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. (The gospel of John is interwoven into all three years allowing for more of the scriptures to be read and to be used in a complementary manner.) This year, we will be using the readings from Year B, the Gospel of Mark, and then the complementary Hebrew Scriptures and the letters of Paul. The letters are read all three years to allow us to hear them but do not necessarily complement the first reading and Gospel. By doing this, we are exposed to large parts of the Bible, in a slow careful way. This was brought about after the Vatican II Council’s call for a reform of the Liturgy.

The Gospel of Mark has a definite sense of expectation and anticipation in it. A little bit like when an excited child tells a story, “and then, and then, then”. As Jesus goes from one place to another, everyone wonders who this might be. They are astonished by what happens in the miracles and teachings and wonder how Jesus does all he does. It is called the Gospel of the Messianic secret because of this brilliantly interwoven theme. It is only Peter and then a Roman centurion present at the crucifixion who reveal the “secret”. We will wait until halfway through Easter and then on Palm Sunday to hear the secret revealed. Of course, we know that Jesus is God and the Son of the Father. This entire Gospel teaches us that we do not accept Jesus entirely unless we also accept the scandal of the cross. I look forward to breaking open this great Gospel and learning what we can to apply it here in our lives, for the parish, and for our efforts to evangelize and heal.

Effective December 1, Deacon Jesús Pena’s service at this parish has come to an end. I am grateful to him for his presence during these past years. I am sure that he will be serving God close by here. We wish him well in all his future endeavors. Ad multos annos.

Finance committee. We had a meeting of the finance council this past week. I am grateful to the committee for the work that they do in advising me and making sure that by supporting me and with Michelle’s careful eye, the parish is going along well financially.

Peace,
Father Murray

Building news: The work on the tower also gave us the opportunity to install bird fences on the portions of the front of the church that had supported our resident hawks. They have moved up on the tower, so we will still see them, but not as much as they were seen on the front of the church. The tower project was covered by our insurance company because of the wind damage. It was very exciting to go up on the lift to see the view. I did get word from the builders about the schools. They hope to start in April of this year and to be completed by December of 2025.
The tree work scheduled is a little delayed. We have installed a new soundboard at St. James and should be ready to go for the Christmas mass.