Most people in America are familiar with this passage, even though they rarely crack open a Bible. Let’s start looking at the most obvious feature of the story. Who does God announce the birth of His Son to? Who does He invite to come and see the new Baby? A collection of sheep herders! There […]
Solemnity – Humble Shepherds – “A†– December 29, 2013 Read More »
When we meet together on Christmas Day for this great solemnity it can seem quite noisy, or at least there may be plenty of talking, music and singing. Just imagine sitting in church and never uttering or hearing a word – there would be only silence. But the Lord, the God of Israel, is a
Christmas Day – December 25, 2013 Read More »
Tonight the Gospel presents us with the family: Mary, Joseph and their newborn child, Jesus. And we are told that this scene is a sign which the shepherds guarding their flocks at night must seek out. The angels tell them that in that child they will find a Savior: “A Savior has been born to
Christmas Eve Mass of the Shepherds – “A†– December 24/25, 2013 Read More »
The Hebrew sacred scriptures are brimming with the expectation of the justice and peace, the Messiah and the reign of God that will one day come to this world. The Christian sacred scriptures are full of the same expectation and hope. We hear the word “Emmanuel†in our readings twice this Sunday, first in the
Fourth Sunday of Advent – “A†– December 22, 2013 Read More »
The most famous story of Charles Dickens is A Christmas Carol published in 1843, whose central character bears the name that has come to personify all that is mean and misery – Scrooge. The surviving partner of a London firm of moneylenders and now an old man for whom life means no more than making
Third Sunday of Advent – “A†– December 15, 2013 Read More »
December 24, 2013 – January 1, 2014 Tuesday, December 24th, 2013 – CHRISTMAS EVE 10:00PM – Mass of the Shepherds (Pasterka), and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Wednesday, December 25th, 2013 – NATIVITY OF OUR LORD 9:30AM, Holy Mass in Shenandoah 11:00AM, Holy Mass in Frackville Thursday, December 26th, 2013 – Feast – St.
Schedule of Services During the Christmas Season Read More »
The realities of planting and growth are never very far from biblical texts. The prophetic vision of Isaiah sees the coming Messiah as just that kind of kingdom and is compared to that ruthlessness that all farmers and gardeners know: what is fruitful is nurtured, but what fails to bear fruit is harshly treated. Images
Second Sunday of Advent – “A†– December 8, 2013 Read More »