December 10, 2023
Reconciliation
Advent is a season of preparation. We are preparing both for the celebration of the Lord’s birthday and for His return in glory. In between this first and final coming of the Lord is the preparation for meeting Him each and every day in prayer and good works.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation (also referred to as Penance or Confession) is a way of meeting the Lord now and preparing for the celebration of Christmas as we await His return in glory. At the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the church revised the way we celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In 1973, a new ritual was promulgated that not only revised the rite for individual confession but also added a rite for reconciliation of several penitents with individual confession. This emphasized the relation of the sacrament to the community.
With a communal celebration of Reconciliation, with private confession and absolution, the Assembly is nourished by the proclamation of the Word and spiritual song. People receive the support and prayer of the community as they confess their sins to one of several priests present. Communal reconciliation reminds us that our sin affects others and that others will forgive the wrong we’ve done.
Our parish Advent Communal Reconciliation Service will be Saturday, December 16 at 10:00 AM. If you cannot make that, St. Barbara’s in Black Diamond is having the communal service on Thursday, December 14 at 7:00 PM. St. Theresa’s in Federal Way has theirs on Friday, December 15 at 7:00 PM.
December 3, 2023
St. John the Baptist Women’s Commission
One of the strong concerns we heard during our parish synod listening sessions in January and February of 2022 centered on the role of women in the Church. The Parish Leadership Team incorporated that concern in our new parish priorities, which states:
We recognize, respect, and are enriched by the experiences and perspectives of women and those who are marginalized or underrepresented.
To help us live out this priority, the parish staff recommended, and the Parish Leadership Team has endorsed, the formation of a St. John the Baptist Women’s Commission. The purpose of this Women’s Commission is to support, empower, and form Catholic women in spirituality, leadership and service. The areas of focus will be:
- Mentoring, formation, discussion, and sharing;
- Opportunities to recognize and to involve women in leadership and ministry to the Word, Altar, and Service; and
- Form liaisons with other regional, national, and universal groups of Catholic women so that our parish can advocate for the voice of women.
Are we listening correctly to the parish? The test will be in parishioners’ desire to be a part of this commission, either in roles of leadership or in the various activities that the commission will support. In January, we will begin recruiting for this new commission, which is open to both men and women.
Does this announcement spark something exciting in you? If so, please plan on attending an information session after the first of the year. Together, let us build something from the ground up.
November 26, 2023
Advent Gospels The season of Advent begins next week. On the four Sundays of Advent, the Catholic lectionary presents a series of Gospel readings that prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ. The Sunday Advent readings all rotate on a three-year cycle, but they always follow the same pattern. This Advent, we begin reading from the Gospel of Mark. The Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent always tells of the reign of Christ at the end of time. It echoes the theme of this Sunday, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. Advent starts with the message that we await the second coming of Christ. This entire season is not just a reminder of a past birth but an anticipation of future glory. The Second and Third Sundays of Advent always have Gospel readings about John the Baptist. John proclaims the nearness of the kingdom of God and serves as the prophet who bridges the Old and New Testaments. John foreshadows Jesus in his birth, his preaching, and his death. John’s message on these two middle Sundays of this season inspires us to follow Christ. The Fourth Sunday of Advent always tells part of the story that just precedes the birth of Christ. These familiar episodes set the stage for the story of Christmas. The Gospel readings of the four Sundays of Advent come to us in reverse chronology. We start with the end of time. We continue to the period when Jesus was an adult. We end in the days before his birth. Like a funnel, Advent opens with a giant theme, the grandness of Christ the King, and it ends with a humble and poor child lying in a Bethlehem manger.
Advent Gospels
The season of Advent begins next week. On the four Sundays of Advent, the Catholic lectionary presents a series of Gospel readings that prepare for the celebration of the birth of Christ. The Sunday Advent readings all rotate on a three-year cycle, but they always follow the same pattern. This Advent, we begin reading from the Gospel of Mark.
The Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent always tells of the reign of Christ at the end of time. It echoes the theme of this Sunday, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King. Advent starts with the message that we await the second coming of Christ. This entire season is not just a reminder of a past birth but an anticipation of future glory.
The Second and Third Sundays of Advent always have Gospel readings about John the Baptist. John proclaims the nearness of the kingdom of God and serves as the prophet who bridges the Old and New Testaments. John foreshadows Jesus in his birth, his preaching, and his death. John’s message on these two middle Sundays of this season inspires us to follow Christ. The Fourth Sunday of Advent always tells part of the story that just precedes the birth of Christ. These familiar episodes set the stage for the story of Christmas.
The Gospel readings of the four Sundays of Advent come to us in reverse chronology. We start with the end of time. We continue to the period when Jesus was an adult. We end in the days before his birth. Like a funnel, Advent opens with a giant theme, the grandness of Christ the King, and it ends with a humble and poor child lying in a Bethlehem manger.
November 19, 2023
Thanksgiving and Welcoming Refugees
In one sense, Thanksgiving Day remembers the first refugees arriving to this land. Those pilgrims came in search of religious freedom. If they had not been helped by the Native Americans, they would have all died of starvation and exposure. The welcome and assistance they received meant their survival. It also established our American identity of welcoming refugees and immigrants.
The U.S. has always been a haven for the world’s refugees, and the Catholic Church plays a large role in that welcome. Welcoming refugees is the American way and an important part of our Catholic tradition.
The U.S. Bishops have declared that America’s immigration system is broken and in need of comprehensive reform. Yet, only a few in Congress seem ready to address this need. Too many simply want to close the door. During his visit to the United States, Pope Francis implored all Americans to remember the Golden Rule and help refugees:
“Our world is facing a refugee crisis of a magnitude not seen since the Second World War. This presents us with great challenges and many hard decisions. We must not be taken aback by their numbers but rather view them as persons, seeing their faces and listening to their stories, trying to respond as best we can to their situation. To respond in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal. We need to avoid a common temptation nowadays: to discard whatever proves troublesome. Let us remember the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Mt 7:12). (Speech to U.S. Congress, 9/24/15)
This Thanksgiving Day, can we not only remember the welcome those first refugees received, which was the origin of this civil holiday, but can we also look at what welcome we can offer the refugees seeking freedom today?