Third Sunday of Advent

 Yesterday was the Third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday, which means joy or gladness for the imminent return of Christ. On this day, priests wear pink, which represent this joy in Jesus. The priest tells us that we must distance ourselves from everything that takes away this joy in Jesus, such as worldly pleasures that are only fleeting, money, sex, fame, drugs, and anything else that robs us of this joy. Instead, let us rejoice in Christ!

Second Sunday of Advent (December 4, 2022)

 Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. Today's Gospel speaks to us about Saint John the Baptist, who calls us to repent of our sins to prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus, for the Kingdom of Heaven. The priest told us that we must not confuse remorse with repentance. Remorse makes us feel bad about our sins, but it doesn't last long. On the other hand, if we are truly repentant, we will experience a change in our way of thinking, a true conversion of heart. And we will change our behavior, turning away from our sins. This is why Saint John the Baptist calls us to repentance. We must then, in repentance, approach the source of grace, who is Jesus Christ, and confess our sins in the confessional. Let us also remember what we declare in the Act of Contrition, where we promise: "to avoid occasions of sin, to confess my sins, and to do penance..." And thus we will receive Jesus with a heart worthy of Him.

Today it was also my turn to read the first reading, where the prophet Isaiah speaks of a beautiful promise when Jesus comes, among other things, that the lion and the horse will graze together. This represents the peace that can only come in the presence of Jesus. With the hope of this peace, I share with you a small painting I did a few years ago, which exemplifies the peace that can come to our hearts if we have a true conversion and allow Jesus to reign in our lives: it is a lamb beside a lion, under a star, which could well be the Star of Bethlehem.

Second Sunday of Advent

 Today, Saint John the Baptist invites us to repent of our sins and demonstrate it through our actions. For what is faith without works? We must therefore attend to the poor, comfort the afflicted, visit the sick, and so on. 

Today, Isaiah also tells us that a shoot will spring from Jesse, who was the father of David. This shoot is none other than Jesus, who is a descendant of David through Joseph. The Gospel of Luke shows us Jesus' entire genealogy back to Adam, if you'd like to read it. I believe it's in chapter 3.

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, December 8

 Already celebrated by the 11th century, this solemnity is inserted in the context of Advent-Christmas, uniting the messianic expectation and the glorious return of Christ with the admired memory of the Mother.

In this sense, this liturgical period should be considered a particularly suitable time for the worship of the Mother of the Lord.

Mary is the all-holy one, immune from all stain of sin, almost formed by the Holy Spirit and made a new creature. Already prophetically foreshadowed in the promise made to the parents of the victory over the serpent, Mary is the Virgin who will conceive and give birth to a son whose name will be Emmanuel.

 The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was proclaimed by Pius IX in 1854.

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who truly is full of grace and blessed among women, in view of the birth and saving death of the Son of God, was from the first moment of her conception, by a singular privilege of God, preserved immune from any stain of original sin, as solemnly defined by Pope Pius IX, on the basis of a doctrine of ancient tradition, as a dogma of faith, precisely on the day that is celebrated today.

Not the memory of a Saint, we commemorate today: but the highest and most precious solemnity of Her who is called Queen of the Saints. The Immaculate Conception of Mary was proclaimed in 1854 by Pope Pius IX.

But the history of devotion to Mary Immaculate is much older. It predates the proclamation of the dogma by centuries, even millennia, which, as always, has not introduced anything new, but has simply crowned a very long tradition. Even the Fathers of the Eastern Church, in extolling the Mother of God, had used expressions that placed her above original sin.

They had called her: "Ashamed, guilty, beauty of innocence, purer than the Angevins, purest lily, unpoisoned seed, cloud more splendid than the sun, immaculate."

In the West, however, the theory of the Immaculate Conception encountered strong resistance, not out of aversion to the Virgin, who remained the most sublime of creatures, but to uphold the doctrine of Redemption, accomplished solely through the sacrifice of Jesus. If Mary had been immaculate, that is, if she had been conceived by God outside the law of sin, the doctrine would have been incompatible with the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Original sin, common to all the children of Eve, meant that she would not have needed Redemption, and therefore Redemption could no longer be called universal. The exception, in this case, did not confirm the rule, but rather destroyed it. The Franciscan John Duns Scotus, called Scotus because he was a native of Scotland, and known as the "Subtle Doctor," managed to overcome this doctrinal obstacle with a subtle but convincing distinction. The Virgin Mary, too, had been redeemed by Jesus, but with a preventive Redemption, before and after time. She was preserved from original sin in anticipation of the merits of her divine Son. This was fitting, it was possible, and therefore it was done. John Duns Scotus died at the beginning of the 14th century. After him, the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception made great progress, and devotion to her spread ever more widely.

From 1476 onwards, the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary was introduced into the Roman calendar. In the squares of Italy, celebrated preachers wove praises of the Immaculate Virgin: among them, Saint Leonard of Port Maurice and Saint Bernardino of Siena, who with his witty and moving voice said to the Sienese: "Now tell me: what shall we say of the knowledge of Mary being filled with the Holy Spirit, having been born without any sin, and thus remaining always clean and pure, always serving God?"

In 1830, the Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré, who then promoted a "miraculous medal" bearing the image of the Immaculate Conception, that is, the one "conceived without sin." This medal sparked intense devotion, and many bishops petitioned Rome for the official definition of this dogma, which was already in the hearts of almost all Christians.

Thus, on December 8, 1854, Pius IX proclaimed the "woman clothed with the sun" exempt from original sin, all pure, that is, Immaculate. It was an act of great faith and extreme courage, which aroused joy among the faithful of the Virgin and indignation among the enemies of Christianity, because the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was a direct denial of the naturalists and materialists. But four years later, the apparitions of Lourdes appeared as a wondrous confirmation of the dogma that had proclaimed the Virgin "all beautiful," "full of grace," and without any stain of original sin. A confirmation that seemed like an expression of gratitude for the abundance of graces that flow from the heart of the Immaculate Conception upon humanity. And from the devotion to the Immaculate Conception came the immediate spread, in Italy, of the feminine name Concetta, in Spain that of Concepción: a name that repeats the highest attribute of Mary, "sine labe originali concepta", that is, conceived without stain of sin, and, therefore, Immaculate.

Source: (Parish Archives)

Mary's Advent

 

I've been wondering how Mary experienced Advent. And since writing helps me think, I started writing here. First, Mary had trust, and more than trust, faith in the words the angel communicated to her, words that came from God. She believed she would be the mother of Emmanuel, God with us. She believed and offered her fiat, which changed the course of history. So, to await Jesus, to await Christmas, we must first believe that God became man. And we must have trust in God despite everything. Mary trusted despite what her "yes" implied; she didn't stop to think about what would happen. She trusted and said "yes" to the Lord's will. Mary, the Virgin Mary, was not passive. Despite her pregnancy, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth to help her. And she was able to transmit her joy to the baby in Elizabeth's womb. Likewise, we must not remain unmoved by the coming of Jesus. We must share our Christian joy with others, bring Jesus to those who need him, offer help, comfort, advice, and joy. It seems the Bible doesn't tell us much about Mary, but the angel called her "full of grace." Perhaps we won't reach Mary's level of grace, who was conceived without original sin, but we should still aspire to a state of grace to receive Jesus this Christmas. The purple color we see in churches this Advent season is a sign of penance. And many parishioners, as well as priests, often wear purple vestments to Mass. Let us then do penance for our sins, go to confession, and prepare ourselves to worthily receive Jesus this Christmas and celebrate his birth with renewed faith, joy, and acceptance of God's will, which at this time is that Jesus be born and remain in our hearts, not only during Christmas, but throughout our lives.

First Sunday of Advent

 

Today we begin the Advent season. The deacon explained that Advent comes from the Latin word "aventus," which means coming. This means that Advent prepares us for the coming of Jesus this Christmas. The deacon told us that when we await the visit of a relative we haven't seen in a long time, we are very happy, but we also prepare the house so that when they arrive, they will find it clean and tidy. Likewise, we must prepare our souls and our hearts for the coming of Jesus. We should go to confession and avoid occasions of sin, and read the scriptures. I realized something: the Gospel of Saint Luke has 24 chapters. If we start reading one chapter a day, beginning on December 1st, we will arrive at Christmas knowing whom we are celebrating. I also read something on Facebook today that might be helpful for this Advent season; it's a quote from Saint Augustine: "Live your life in such a way that you are not afraid to die." In other words, if we live like this, we will be prepared to receive Jesus this Christmas and also for the Second Coming of Christ.