Adventus
Advent is upon us, and that means that Christmas is not far!
Hopefully, the weather will “play ball” and deliver beautiful days with just enough rain for the garden and stock and safety at the beach, river and on the roads.
This hopeful wish is, of course, open to frustration, but we live in hope.
Hope marks the season we’re entering, even if it is marked by a frantic rush to get things done before Christmas begins. Hopefully, it will be a season where people put each other first before consuming goods and services. A time of graciousness, tolerance and generosity.
As finances get tighter for many, it is an opportunity for those with enough, or more than enough, to be generous.
My mother, sometimes to my consternation, would invite a stranger home for Christmas dinner. They would be someone she’s met at Church. Each year, someone she barely knew, and I didn’t know would be sitting at our table!
The lesson was that we had plenty and could share with a person away from their home at Christmas. Making room for the stranger at the table meant sitting on a stool, so they got the chair. In the end, the stranger became a friend, the conversation was more extensive, and there was enough food for everyone.
Making Space for Each Other
Sharing and making space for each other and the stranger takes effort and patience. It requires an act of gratitude of mind and heart.
Making space for one another and listening to each other are Christian virtues. In a world where my neighbour is my enemy (because they get the chair and first serving of the food), being taught to be generous is an important lesson. Learning to listen to each other is a virtue we all need to learn. It is not easy. Listening to another only happens when I quieten my mind and give my attention to him or her. It means putting down the IPad and the phone and being present.
Parishioners Reflect
This Advent, several parishioners have been asked to give a Reflection after the Gospel at Sunday Masses at the Cathedral and Our Lady of Lourdes. This continues the pre-Covid tradition.
Church documents concerning priesthood establish that the homily belongs to the ordained ministry. However, the Directory for Masses with Children establishes the principle that someone other than the priest may give the homily. In the documents concerning Liturgies of Word without or with Communion on Sundays, a lay minister would give the Reflection. While maintaining the principle that the homily is a constitutive element of ordained ministry, these documents allow for exceptions based on pastoral need and the care of the People of God. We have chosen to exercise this exception for pastoral reasons.
Some may object and feel the need to complain.
However, I would ask you to consider this a synodal response that enables the voice of the Holy Spirit to be heard through the ministry of those anointed at baptism to be priests, prophets and leaders.
Being gracious in our response, listening with attention and being open to God’s wisdom are essential if we are all to pastor each other.
Joe Grayland