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Hope, Pilgrimage, and Jubilee

Over the Jubilee Year,  we will explore the themes of Hope, Pilgrimage, and Jubilee, always ending with a question for you to consider over the week.

This year, Pope Francis has invited specific groups to join the Jubilee through particular gatherings and celebrations. Next weekend, the Pope has invited all those involved in communications in particular to observe a jubilee celebration. At St. Rita’s, there will be a special blessing after all Masses next weekend (January 25/26).

In today’s Gospel, we hear about the wedding feast at Cana. Celebrations are a key part of Jesus’ ministry. So much so, that He began His public ministry at a wedding celebration. Jubilees, likewise, are important moments in our Church. A time to right our relationships and celebrate our faith journeys.

Pondering Point

How do you celebrate with Jesus? Do you remember Him at celebrations or parties?

A Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Heavenly Father,

Help us to prepare our hearts in these final moments of waiting. May we open ourselves more fully to Your love, and allow that love to guide us in all that we do. Grant us the grace to be instruments of Your peace, compassion, and joy, especially to those in need around us.

Lord, as we light the fourth candle of Advent, symbolizing love, we pray that Your love will be evident in all our thoughts, words, and actions. May the love of Christ, which surpasses all understanding, fill us with warmth, and may it shine brightly in the lives of those we encounter.

We pray for a spirit of unity and goodwill, that through the coming of Jesus, we may grow closer to You and to one another. Prepare our hearts for the birth of the Savior and let us rejoice in the promise of His coming.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Eucharistic Communion and Seeing Those in Need

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that receiving the Eucharist “commits us to the poor” (1397). Why is this so?

Receiving the Eucharist means that we enter into union with the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. And being in Holy Communion with Jesus himself means something profound. Let’s consider one facet of this great mystery.

The Eucharist is Jesus himself. He is the Eternal Word, living in Trinitarian communion with the Father and the Holy Spirit. But out of love for us, in order to save us from sin and death, the beloved Son of the Father chose to take upon himself a radical poverty: the weakness of the human condition of his beloved creatures.

Continue reading this article by Dr. James Pauley here.