Archive for December 18th, 2023

Do Whatever He Tells You

December 18, 2023

3rd Sunday of Advent
Dcn. Dick Kostner

Today we celebrate “Rejoice” Sunday Take notice of the pink candle on our Advent wreath. We are getting close to celebrating the birthday of Jesus the “Light” of the world. We celebrate this birthday by decorating a tree with bright lights overshadowing the darkness we experience in the world we live in. For this Deacon, the fact that I was called to preach on this Sunday, displays the fact that God does have a sense of humor for he knows how much I like to be vested in bright pink. Usually this happens only twice a year but this year I will be gifted with this color for four Masses instead of only two.

As people faith we are very much aware of how dark it is living in this world. How can we be joyful always as St. Paul calls us to do in our Second Reading? How can we be joyful when our loved ones are dying or seriously ill? Or joyful about the cost of living, or being laid off or fired from our job? Or joyful that crime is at an all time high with people not caring about the rights or feelings of others? Or, to put it bluntly, what is joyful about this world going to hell in a basket?

The answer is easy. Nothing! That’s the point of our readings this Sunday. There is nothing great about what our readings refer to as “darkness.” Darkness is a part of the world that we live in. No I am not saying that there is no good in this world and that God does not love this world. It was through the love of our Creator that we were gifted with the birth of a new King and a new world or Kingdom where “darkness” cannot exist. A world gifted with a light so bright that evil darkness cannot sneak in. One of the revelations I received while studying to get my masters degree in Pastoral Studies was that we do not have to wait for death to occur to witness and partake in the Kingdom of God for it shows its presence within our present world.

We are surrounded with darkness in this world, that is why Jesus made the statement that his Kingdom was not of this world. The new Kingdom, the new world of Jesus is a place of love and respect. It is a place where sin and darkness cannot exist. And guess what? All of us have been given an invitation to become a citizen of this new Kingdom by its King. All of us have been given the mission of being a light shinning in the darkness of a world heading for the dark city scripture calls “Gehenna”.

How do we get to shine bright and experience the new Kingdom of God? Well, we can’t shine if we are dirty so we need to get cleaned up. Jesus gives us the necessary soap and water to accomplish this task. He gives us Sacraments to not only clean us up but also also provide us with the battery power to make our light shine bright. Jesus also gives us the help and support of his faith family to help us not only get clean but to stay clean so that our light will maintain its brightness.

We only have a short time to get ready for the Christmas Party of light. We are called to be the lights of Christ which will decorate the tree of everlasting life and let the Kingdom shine through. We have in our Parish many mentors of light both living and deceased that will help us be a bright light so pray for their help. Are we ready? We might think we are not ready but that’s OK. Jesus himself maybe felt he was not ready for public ministry when his mother asked him to perform his first miracle of changing water into wine to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage for a young couple. But his mother knew better and he gave in to her wishes. It is here that Mary gives us the key to the Kingdom of God when she proclaims to the servants and to us “Do whatever he (Jesus) tells you.” St. Paul and St. Peter likewise also maybe felt they were not the right people to take on being the light of Christ, but they gave it a try, and look how bright the Kingdom of God got from their acceptance of the challenge to help light up the world.

It’s our time now to make a decision on whether we will join other parish family members this Christmas, on becoming one of the lights on the Christmas tree to present to Jesus on his birthday, of the tree of life in the Kingdom of God. It is a matter of life and death on how we will proceed as a follower of Jesus. The bottom line folks is for us to listen to the words of Mary, and “Do whatever he tells you.”

One of my most blessed gifts of ordination is when on a dark and scary night of darkness I, as a Deacon of Christ, am able to provide to my people of Bloomer at the Easter Vigil, the light of salvation, by proclaiming for all the parish to see “THE LIGHT OF CHRIST!”

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Silence in the Sacred Liturgy

December 18, 2023

3rd Sunday of Advent
Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran

According to the “General Instruction of the Roman Missal,” which are guidelines on the celebration of the Holy Mass, it is recommended that silence be observed on five different occasions during Mass. Those moments are:

  • In the beginning and at the penitential rite
  • At the start of certain prayers when the priest says, “Let us pray”
  • After each of the Scripture readings
  • After the homily
  • After all have received Communion

Thirty seconds of silence would be an appropriate time for each of the above. Let us look at each of those times we are invited to be silent during the Mass.
First, we called to be silent before mass begins. We need some time to recollect ourselves to enter into prayer. The church encourages us to come to the church at least five to ten minutes before mass and sit in the presence of the Lord in silence, offering the family, near and dear ones in the hands of the Lord. During this time, the silence must be practiced in the church, in the sacristy, and the vesting room, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred celebration devoutly and fittingly. If we cultivate silence, we will hear the voice of the Lord.

The next place of silence is during the Penitential Rite. We all are invited to take a movement of silence to call to mind our sins. That is, we acknowledge our unworthiness to be in God’s holy presence. We prepare ourselves to take part in the Holy Eucharist before praying together to the Confiteor or the “Lord, have mercy.”

The words “Let us Pray” are followed by a period of silence. This prayer is commonly called the “Collect.” The priest “collects” the thoughts, intentions, petitions, and prayers of every one of us, who have been collected from our homes for this celebration of Mass. This moment of silence helps us to focus our worship on Christ. The priest is a mediator between God and man and brings all our petitions to God.

We are directed to have a brief movement of silence after readings. This allows all of us to ponder on the Word spoken so that the Word of God can seep into our being.

Once again, we are invited to be silent after the Homily, which is the time when a priest or deacon explains the readings and teaches us how to live in the light of the gospel. The readings and the homily contain advice, an exhortation, or an admonishment; we can ask the Lord how it applies to our lives. The period of silence is a time when the Lord can make alive and active the word of God in our hearts. We need only to ask him for this: “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

After Communion is another opportunity to be silent. It is a time to offer our prayers of Thanksgiving to the Lord for having fed us with his very self in the holy Eucharist. We can ask the Lord to fill us with his love, to help us love our brothers and sisters, to help us see the world as he does. We can give him thanks for the great blessings he has given us.

Finally, even after the Mass, we are invited to be silent inside the church out of respect for those of us who would like to pray after mass. Those of us who would like to talk with our friends and family members may kindly move the gathering area and spend our time there.

Specific periods of silence are recommended by the Catholic Church to encourage us to have internal and external silence for all the participants at Mass. It can be a challenge to be silent, internally and externally. Indeed, silence at mass is an active, not a passive disposition. Achieving this silence is worth the effort because it helps us to be fully attentive to the Holy Spirit.

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