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“O Adonai, Come” (Exodus 3:1-15; Revelation 5:1-14; John 8:48-59)Today we continue with the second of the seven O Antiphons of Advent, “O Adonai.” You can see it there in your hymnal, opposite Hymn 357, and it is also printed in your bulletin. Let us pray that antiphon together: “O Adonai and ruler of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the Law on Sinai: Come with an outstretched arm and redeem us.” I suppose the first thing to ask about this antiphon is, “What is this strange word, ‘Adonai’? That’s not English,...

December 1, 2010Wednesday of the First Week of Advent Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 25:6-10aOn this mountain the LORD of hostswill provide for all peoplesA feast of rich food and choice wines,juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.On this mountain he will destroythe veil that veils all peoples,The web that is woven over all nations;he will destroy death forever.The Lord GOD will wipe awaythe tears from all faces;The reproach of his people he will removefrom the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken.On that day it will be said:“Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!This is the LORD...

November 30, 2010Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Rom 10:9-18Brothers and sisters:If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lordand believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,you will be saved.For one believes with the heart and so is justified,and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.The Scripture says,No one who believes in him will be put to shame.There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;the same Lord is Lord of all,enriching all who call upon him.For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.But how can they...

November 29, 2010Monday of the First Week of Advent Reading 1Responsorial PsalmGospel Reading 1Is 4:2-6On that day,The branch of the LORD will be luster and glory,and the fruit of the earth will be honor and splendorfor the survivors of Israel.He who remains in Zionand he who is left in JerusalemWill be called holy:every one marked down for life in Jerusalem.When the LORD washes awaythe filth of the daughters of Zion,And purges Jerusalem’s blood from her midstwith a blast of searing judgment,Then will the LORD create,over the whole site of Mount Zionand over her place of assembly,A smoking cloud by dayand a...

  A Simple Way to Pray around the Advent Wreath Prayers for Every Day During Advent By: Theresa Keller For many Catholic families, the Advent wreath is a treasured tradition. In the darkest days of winter, as we gather around the dinner table, the candles remind us of the light of Christ. This is the perfect time for family prayer. The suggested Scripture passages are taken from one of the Mass readings for the day. The accompanying prayers can be read by different members of the family on alternating days. On Christmas Day, you can continue your family prayer time...

“O Wisdom, Come” (Proverbs 8:12-31; Colossians 1:15-20, 28; 2:2-3; John 1:1-5, 9)The Advent hymn we just sang, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” goes back about 900 years, to the 12th century. But the texts on which this hymn is based go back a few centuries before that, even--maybe 1200 years ago or more. They are known as the Great “O” Antiphons, and you can see them printed there on the facing page in your hymnal (LSB 357). What is an antiphon, you ask? An antiphon is a little framing verse that is sung before and after a canticle or a...

November 28, 2010First Sunday of Advent Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Is 2:1-5This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz,saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.In days to come,the mountain of the LORD’s houseshall be established as the highest mountainand 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...

History, Customs and Folklore of Advent Directions In 490, Bishop Perpetuus of Tours officially declared Advent a penitential season in the Frankish Church of Western Europe, ordering a fast on three days of every week from November 11 (the feast of St. Martin of Tours) till Christmas. This forty days' fast, similar to Lent, was originally called Quadragesima Sancti Martini (Forty Days' Fast of Saint Martin's). The Readings for the Eucharistic Liturgies were taken from the Masses of Lent. By contrast, the Advent season of the Roman liturgy, developing a century after that of the Frankish Church, was a...

"And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD" - Isaiah 11:1-2 "Behold, a Branch is Growing" 1.Behold a branch is growing As of loveliest form and grace, As prophets sung, foreknowing; It springs from Jesse's race And bears one little Flower In midst of coldest winter, At deepest midnight hour. 2. Isaiah hath...

“In Case of Rapture This Car Will No Longer Have a Driver.” So reads the bumper sticker. The owner of the car obviously believed in a “secret rapture”, the doctrine so popular with dispensationalists today. This doctrine holds that Christ will return and secretly take the Christians away with Him for seven years while the sinners left on earth suffer “great tribulation.” Then Christ will return, they believe, and live on earth for 1,000 years before the unbelieving dead are raised to judgment. Christ’s coming is one of the clearest and most emphatic doctrines in the New Testament. It is...

December 24, 2009                                 Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent                             Mass in the Morning           Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 12 Sm 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 When King David was settled in his palace,and the LORD had given him rest from his enemies on every side,he said to Nathan the prophet,“Here I am living in a house of cedar,while the ark of God dwells in a tent!” Nathan answered the king,“Go, do whatever you have in mind,for the LORD is with...

December 23, 2009                             Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Mal 3:1-4, 23-24 Thus says the Lord GOD:Lo, I am sending my messengerto prepare the way before me;And suddenly there will come to the templethe LORD whom you seek,And the messenger of the covenant whom you desire.Yes, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.But who will endure the day of his coming?And who can stand when he appears?For he is like the refiner’s fire,or like the fuller’s lye.He will sit refining and purifying silver,and...

The Journey To Bethlehem is Not Comfortable! December 21st, 2009 by Gary Zimak During the season of Advent, we are all invited to travel our own personal “road to Bethlehem”. When we arrive at our destination on Christmas Day, we will hopefully be closer to the Lord than when we began the journey.  Over the course of these few weeks, we have the opportunity to look at our lives and attempt to find ways of becoming closer to Christ.  One of the biggest mistakes we can make is to “take the easy way out” and do nothing or choose only...

December 22, 2009             Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent     Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 11 Sm 1:24-28 In those days,Hannah brought Samuel with her,along with a three-year-old bull,an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh. After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull,Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:“Pardon, my lord!As you live, my lord,I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. Now I, in turn, give him to...

December 21, 2009                                     Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent       Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a Hark! my lover–here he comesspringing across the mountains,leaping across the hills.My lover is like a gazelleor a young stag.Here he stands behind our wall,gazing through the windows,peering through the lattices.My lover speaks; he says to me,“Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one,and come!“For see, the winter is past,the rains are over and gone.The flowers appear on the earth,the time of pruning the vines has come,and the song...

A Scriptural Reflection on the Fourth Sunday of Advent Readings: Mi 5:1-4aPs 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19Heb 10:5-10Lk 1:39-45 The readings for this fourth Sunday (and final day) of Advent emphasize the lowly origins of Jesus — both geographical and familial — and the loving sacrificial work that He, as Lord and Savior, would undertake for the sake of Israel and the entire human race. The ascent from lowliness to greatness via the startling path of sacrifice is hinted at in the reading from the prophet Micah. His message followed a basic pattern similar to that of his contemporary Isaiah: the...

“Luke’s Lead-up to Christmas: The Visitation and the Song of Mary, the Magnificat” (Luke 1:39-56)This Advent, during our three midweek services and now on this, the Fourth Sunday in Advent, we’re working our way through Luke chapter one, on our way to the Christmas Gospel in Luke chapter two. We’re calling this series “Luke’s Lead-up to Christmas,” and so far we’re looked at: “The Annunciation of St. John the Baptist” to Zechariah; “The Annunciation of Our Lord” to Mary; and “The Nativity of St. John the Baptist and the Song of Zechariah, the Benedictus.” Now today we take up the...

December 20, 2009                                     Fourth Sunday of Advent         Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Mi 5:1-4a Thus says the LORD:You, Bethlehem-Ephrathahtoo small to be among the clans of Judah,from you shall come forth for meone who is to be ruler in Israel;whose origin is from of old,from ancient times.Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the timewhen she who is to give birth has borne,and the rest of his kindred shall returnto the children of Israel.He shall stand firm and shepherd his flockby the strength of the LORD,in...

December 19, 2009                                 Saturday of the Third Week of Advent   Reading 1Responsorial PsalmReading 2Gospel Reading 1Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a There was a certain man from Zorah, of the clan of the Danites,whose name was Manoah. His wife was barren and had borne no children. An angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her,“Though you are barren and have had no children,yet you will conceive and bear a son. Now, then, be careful to take no wine or strong drinkand to eat nothing unclean.As for the son you will...

Today is the last Friday of Advent. Advent in itself is a time of prayer, abstinence, and alms-giving. Do most people remember Advent as a holy season? Since Fridays have always been a day of mortification and prayer, it would be special to honour our Lord. Take the time to say a prayer, give to the needy, visit a shut-in, abstain from your favourite treat, or simply skip a meal. Its that simple and it is for a worthy cause.