These Advent reflections by the abbess of a Poor Clare monastery, an accomplished spiritual writer, focus our attention on the coming of Jesus into our lives. There is a double movement to this coming: both our active preparation to be ready for him and our patient waiting for the Lord to arrive in his own good time. There is also an art to this simultaneous preparation and waiting, and no one knows better than the beloved Mother Mary Francis how to encourage us in our attempts to master this art.
Meditating on passages from Scripture about the coming of the Messiah into the world and our hearts, Mother challenges us to persevere in overcoming our faults and keeping our eyes on the Lord who has called us to himself--for it is he, through the gifts of his grace, who will complete in us the work of sanctification that he has begun.

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One Saturday night last winter one of our maintenance men came in the side door of the rectory and found the radiator there had a broken pipe and the area was filled with steam and hot water. The first thought was, “Oh no, it is Saturday night, I can’t turn off the heat because it is freezing outside and the pipes will freeze if I do. Who can we call?” Fortunately we got one of the plumbers who does work in the rectory who sealed off the pipe that was leaking within an hour. As resourceful as we are and as much as so much information is readily available on the Internet, we still need the help of other people. How good it is to have people we can trust mechanically, technologically, medically, psychologically, educationally, and spiritually.

A few hours before I began writing this column, I looked out of one of the front windows of the rectory and saw leaves falling from the maple tree outside. There was a constant, gentle descent of the leaves as the tree became more and more barren. The leaves have served their purpose and the life of the tree continues. Next spring its buds will come forth and the leaves will once again adorn it with their rich, green color. Today we celebrate the thirty-third Sunday of the Church year. Next Sunday will be the final Sunday as we will celebrate the feast of Christ the King. The following Sunday will call us to begin our preparation for the celebration of Christmas as we begin the new Church year with the first Sunday of Advent.

The Story of a Holy Muse - Meet an inspiring woman with fierce courage and unwavering faith, willing to follow the path of beauty and truth-no matter the cost. Saint Cecilia's remarkable story will come to life in Augustine Institute Radio Theatre's most recent audio drama featuring award-winning actors and cinematic sound and music.

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As we honor our veterans on Veterans’ Day, listen to the story of an American hero, Admiral Jeremiah Denton. Admiral Denton spent more than seven years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. In this moving presentation, he recalls how, through the power of prayer, he withstood extreme torture rather than betray God or his country. For his valor, he was awarded the Purple Heart, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, the Navy Cross, and the POW Medal. He is now a champion of various humanitarian causes. To download this audio talk, go to the link below or search for Admiral Denton.

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There is an old proverb: “Man plans, God laughs.” I have found this to be true.

In 2014, my religious order asked me to come to the United States. I received my visa on March 4, 2014 and was invited by the Diocese of Rockville Centre to work in a parish. However as an educator, I hoped to attend a university to study the American educational system while in the U.S. I thought that a hospital chaplaincy position would better accommodate my studies. The diocese said I would have to wait for such a position. After eight months, a hospital chaplaincy position opened up. I arrived in the U.S. and shortly thereafter I was told there was an emergency need for an associate pastor at a parish in Smithtown. This was not what I had expected and I was somewhat disappointed. God had other plans for me.

There are many questions that go through our minds every day. We ask ourselves: “What do I do in this situation?” “Will I really make any difference?” “Does anyone really care what I do?” Our challenge as followers of Jesus is to ask the very simple question that is represented by the four letters on elastic bracelets that some people wear: WWJD (What Would Jesus Do). In the Gospel reading for the past three Sundays and today, we see people asking Jesus profound or foolish questions. Three Sunday’s ago, the rich young man asked Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus told him to share his resources with the poor. Our relationship with God involves far more than just saying prayers and avoiding the sins the commandments tell us to get beyond. Two Sundays ago two of Jesus’ apostles asked a foolish question: “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.... Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” They were looking for places of honor, power, and prestige in an earthly sense. Jesus’ response made it clear to them and us that real glory is seen in the powerful and simple things we do in love for one another, day in and day out. Last Sunday Bartimaeus, a blind man, said to Jesus, “Master, I want to see.” Not only did Bartimaeus get physical vision with his eyes, he saw the goodness and love of God and immediately followed Jesus. His spiritual vision was vibrantly clear. In today’s Gospel a scribe asks Jesus, “Which is the first of all the commandments? Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all you mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Well-known author, psychologist, and priest Fr. Benedict Groeschel draws on his own years of personal experiences in dealing with people's problems, tragedies, and"darkness" as he offers help and guidance for any Christian troubled or burdened by life. If you are struggling with fear, anxiety, grief, loss of loved ones, hurt, anger, or anything that makes life difficult or the road through it dark, then this book was written for you. Fr. Benedict offers practical suggestions on how to keep going and even grow with the help of God's grace, even when this help seems remote.

When I was with my first pastor after I became apastor myself, he would usually introduce me to thosepresent and say, “I taught him everything he knows,but not everything I know!” He had a good sense ofhumor and he was a great brother priest to me. Intoday’s Gospel Jesus cures a man named Bartimaeuswho is blind. Just because he was blind does notmean he did not know anything about Jesus. In spiteof those in the crowd telling him to keep quiet, hepersisted in crying out to Jesus, “Jesus, son of David,have pity on me.” When Jesus asked him, “What doyou want me to do for you?”, Bartimaeus replied,“Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “go your way:your faith has saved you.” The Gospel tells us,“Immediately he received his sight and followed Himon the way.” More than physical vision, which almostall of us are blessed with, we see things through ourhearts and minds. There are some things, situations,and people we see that delight us and there are thosethings, situations, and people who make us angry,upset, or uneasy. Bartimaeus cried out in faith and wascured. He saw not only the people and world aroundhim, he also saw Jesus. His vision was not just of thephysical presence of Jesus, most importantly andjoyfully he saw and experienced the love of God. Hisjoy was so powerful that the Gospel tells us that oncecured, Bartimaeus followed Jesus on the way.

Last week we celebrated the feast day of Pope St. John Paul II, anamazing pope and now Saint. In this audio talk you will discover thefive great loves of Pope Saint John Paul II as Jason Evert, renownedCatholic speaker and author, shares remarkable stories about thissaint’s life from those who knew him, including bishops, studentswhom he taught, and Swiss Guards who interacted with him daily.Jason presents a wealth of insights about this holy man whopromoted devotion to Divine Mercy and Marian consecration, helpeddefeat communism in Europe, wrote the Theology of the Body, andembraced young people like no other. To listen to this audio talk, goto the link below or search for St. John Paul II.

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Every once in a while we need to slow down and think about what is important in our lives. We look at our responsibilities, expectations, hopes, and dreams. While it is so much more life-giving to see the blessings we have, we do need to be realistic concerning what is not good for us and the world we live in. Our society today seems heavily determined to get us to focus on what is not good, unacceptable, or displeasing to us. We do not live in a utopia, but we do have the tools to rise above and get beyond what is not good, divisive, or hurtful.

An inspiring feature film on Saint Pope John XXIII, starringEdward Asner in an acclaimed performance as the belovedpontiff, who came from common stock and was known for hissimplicity, courage, and love for humanity. Shot on location inRome and Italy, and produced by the Italian film company LuxVide, makers of Pope John Paul II and Saint Rita, this movietells the whole life story of John XXIII from his youth through hisyoung priesthood, episcopacy, life as cardinal, and eventuallyhis life as Pope.

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” This is the question the rich young man asks Jesus in today’s Gospel passage. As we hear Jesus’ response we see that the path through life to heaven involves far more than just avoiding evil. We are called to share who we are and what we have with love and generosity. Our parish family has done that in many ways in the fifteen years I have been blessed to be here.

If God is all-good and all-powerful, then why is thereevil? This is perhaps the most vexing challenge thatnon-believers pose to Christians. Our world of violence,greed, and suffering seems incompatible with the Godof the Gospel. How can we answer the challenge?

As we celebrate Respect Life Sunday today, I share with you the above pictures of my great niece Paige. At just over 24 weeks she was taken from her mother’s womb because she was not receiving nourishment in the womb and would have died there. She came out weighing fourteen ounces and being ten inches long. During her first eight months she was in the care of two hospitals and now is finally home with her parents. As you look at the picture on the left, you see her father’s hand putting her mother’s wedding ring over her foot onto her leg. When you look at the picture on the right you would not readily see the same ring on her pajamas unless the arrow was pointing to it. She is a miracle.