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In this second Sunday of Advent the Liturgy bring us to meditate on the figure of St. John the Baptist. St. John the Baptist is the Herald, the Forerunner, Prophet of the Lord. Once “the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites (to him) to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ … He said: ‘I am the VOICE of one crying out in the desert PREPARE the way of the Lord, make straight his paths’” In ancient times, when a king was going to visit one or some cities of his kingdom, He would send a herald before him (like a month before) to prepare the people for the visit of the king: to fix roads, bridges and walls of the city, swipe the streets, decorate houses, etc. Now THAT COMING is the coming of the Lord. And the HERALD is Saint John. There is no other way to better prepare than the one offered by Sacred Scripture itself. Saint John prepared the people by fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah, who used geographical features to describe the process of conversion “1- Every valley shall be filled and 2- every mountain and hill shall be made low. 3- The winding roads shall be made straight, and 4- the rough ways made smooth. 5- And all flesh shall see the salvation of God”

1- “EVERY VALLEY SHALL BE FILLED IN” VALLEY is something low, a depression of earth. It is a symbol of OUR WEAKENESSES. It should be FILLED IN. It means to practice the virtue which is opposed to my weakness. For instance: If I eat and drink without control: temperance. If I get angry or upset all the time: patience. If I look after myself all the time with vanity: modesty. If I give in to lust: chastity. This is the proper time to discover our weakest point and fight it.

2- “EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL SHALL BE MADE LOW” MOUNTAIN and HILL is an elevation of land, something high. It is a symbol of our PRIDE, EGO. It should be MADE LOW. It means to practice of the virtue of humility. If I have a strong temperament and impose my will: deny your will before others. If I want the first place: look for the last one.

3- “THE WINDING ROADS SHALL BE MADE STRAIGHT” WINDING ROADS is something that is not straight but turns around in many curbs. It symbolizes when we GO AROUND the will of God. It should be made STRAIGHT. It means to “seek first the kingdom of God” and everything else will be given.

4- “THE ROUGH WAYS MADE SMOOTH” ROUGH WAYS are those stony roads. They symbolize THE HARDNESS OF OUR HEARTS. When the will clings, attaches to his own judgment and persists in his own judgment, it is called hard like a rock “stony hearts” This should be made SMOOTH,  How is it done? By CONTRITION ‘giving up our will’. It finishes by saying: 5- “and all flesh shall see the salvation of God” This Salvation is in Christmas: the Baby Jesus.

Let us ask through the intercession of St. John the Baptist and Our Blessed Mother to help us prepare for Christmas.  

Fr. Gaston Giacinti, IVE.

WEEKLY NEWS

Sunday December 7th at 1pm Potluck at the Hall of Sacred Heart for the welcoming of M. Asterone and the farewell of M. Almah.

Monday December 8th Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. There is no 8am Mass. The Mass will be at 11am at Sacred Heart followed by a Potluck in the Hall.

Friday December 12th  Advent Confessions at St. John from 5pm to 6:30pm followed by the bilingual Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe and then we are all invited to a Convivium at the Holiday Inn organized by ptbo ballroom (No Confessions at Sacred Heart that day).

Friday December 19th Christmas Play at 7:30pm at St. John’s School.

Saturday December 20th at 5:30pm Wish Tree Mass with the presence of Bishop Daniel Miehm at Sacred Heart

POSADAS will be at 6:00pm:

Tuesday Dec. 16th at St. John

Wednesday Dec. 17th at Sacred Heart

Thursday Dec. 18th at St. John

(no Posadas on Friday Dec. 19th and Saturday Dec. 20th)

Sunday Dec. 21st at Sacred Heart

Monday Dec. 22nd at St. John

Tuesday Dec. 23rd at Sacred Heart

Wednesday Dec. 24th Christmas Eve

3:00pm Confessions at St. John

4:00pm Holy Mass at St. John

5:30pm Holy Mass at Sacred Heart

12:00am Holy Mass (Latin) at Sacred Heart

Thursday Dec. 25th CHRISTMAS DAY

8:00am Confessions at Sacred Heart

9:00am Holy Mass at Sacred Heart

10:30am Holy Mass at St. John

12:00pm Holy Mass (Latin) at Sacred Heart

Outdoor Christmas decorations As Christians we have the call to evangelize, let us use Christmas decorations that talk about the real reason for Christmas, which is the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The sisters are selling outdoor Christmas lawn signs at $20. To order please call 705-977-6279. Take advantage of these meaningful signs for your houses and as gifts for Christmas.

Blessing of Bambinelli 3rd Sunday of Advent

All are invited to bring your Baby Jesus figurines from your homes to Mass on Sat Dec 13 and Sun, Dec. 14 to be blessed.