Advent 2010

We are well into the season of Advent, which began last Sunday. A good resource for prayer during Advent is the Creighton University Combined Ministries website:

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Advent/

The Advent Wreath

(from About.com)

The Advent wreath is a popular Advent custom that originated in Germany. It consists of four candles (three purple and one rose), surrounded by evergreen branches. The candles represent the four weeks of Advent, and the number of candles lighted each week corresponds to the number of the current week of Advent. The rose candle is lit on the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday. So, one purple candle is lit the first week, two the second, two purple and one rose the third, and finally all four in the last week of Advent. The light of the candles signifies the light of Christ, who will come into the world at Christmas.

The History of the Advent Wreath: While the Advent wreath is a feature in many Catholic homes and even Catholic churches during the season of Advent, it actually originated among the Lutherans of Eastern Germany in the 16th century. It was quickly adopted by both Protestants and Catholics throughout Germany, and it was brought to the United States by German immigrants in the 19th century. The Advent wreath has deeper origins as well, extending back to pre-Christian customs of burning lights during the darkest months of winter. Medieval Christians retained the custom while seeing such lights as a symbol of Christ.

Making Your Own Advent Wreath: It's very easy to incorporate the Advent wreath into your preparations for Christmas. You will need four candles—traditionally, three purple and one rose, though you can substitute white. Then, you will need some evergreen boughs to arrange around them. They don't even have to be in a circle; you can place them in a straight line—say, on the mantel over the fireplace.

How to use the Advent Wreath:

Begin with the Sign of the Cross

You might read the day’s gospel reading, and then pray the following prayer:

Lord God, let your blessing come upon us as we light the candles of this wreath.

May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation. May he come quickly and not delay. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

On Oct 30, 2010, the Opera Company of Philadelphia surprised shoppers at Macy’s in Philadelphia with a surprise performance of the Hallelujah chorus from Handel’s Messiah. They secretly enlisted the help of 600 singers and the Wanamaker organ, the largest pipe organ in the world.

It is a great moment to enjoy on this Solemnity of Christ the King!

Click on the link below to watch the video:

http://bit.ly/9UV5Pc

The Jesus Prayer

"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner"

In the Gospel this Sunday, we hear the prayers of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. The Pharisee, self-righteous and proud, is not justified, while the Tax Collector, broken and bowed before the Lord, humble and sincere, prays, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” He is justified before God. Try praying this prayer slowly, when you are alone, when you can’t think of what to say to God. Use it as a sort of mantra for meditation. The prayer invokes the name of the Lord, praises him as the Son of God, and asks for his mercy. It is the prayer of the humble man or woman who knows that the Lord alone offers peace, compassion and mercy.

Prayer of St. Francis

This prayer is attributed to St. Francis, born in Assisi in 1182. Born into a wealthy family, he was a carefree, impetuous young man until a vision of Jesus speaking to him from the cross of San Damiano Church told him to "rebuild my church." He renounced his wealth and dedicated his life to radical simplicity and evangelization.

Whether or not Francis actually wrote this prayer, it captures his spirit and has "inspired" many Christians over the years.

Prayer of St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace

Where there is hatred let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy.

Oh, Divine Master grant that I may not

so much seek to be consoled as to console;

To be understood as to understand;

To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

In pardoning that we are pardoned,

And in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Sunday, Oct 10, 2010

Today, 10/10/10 we had a wonderful presentation on prayer by Peggy. She began with a story, "Mom's Empty Chair." Here it is:

MOM'S EMPTY CHAIR

A woman's daughter had asked the local minister
to come and pray with her mother.
When the minister arrived,
he found the woman lying in bed with her head
propped up on two pillows.

An empty chair sat beside her bed.
The minister assumed that the woman
had been informed of his visit...
'I guess you were expecting me, he said.

'No, who are you?' said the mother.
The minister told her his name and then remarked,
'I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew
I was going to show up..'

'Oh yeah, the chair,' said the bedridden woman
'Would you mind closing the door?'
Puzzled, the minister shut the door.
'I have never told anyone this,
not even my daughter,' said the woman.

'But all of my life I have never known how to pray.
At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer,
but it went right over my head...'

I abandoned any attempt at prayer,'
the old woman continued, '
until one day four years ago, my best friend said to me,
' Prayer is just a simple matter
of having a conversation with Jesus.
Here is what I suggest..
'Sit down in a chair;
place an empty chair in front of you,
and in faith see Jesus on the chair.

It's not spooky because he promised,
'I will be with you always'..
'Then just speak to him in the same way
you're doing with me right now...'

'So, I tried it and I've liked it so much
that I do it a couple of hours every day.
I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking
to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown
or send me off to the funny farm.'

The minister was deeply moved by the story and
encouraged the old woman to continue on the journey.
Then he prayed with her, anointed her with oil,
and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called
to tell the minister that her mama
had died that afternoon.
Did she die in peace?' he asked.

Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock,
she called me over to her bedside,
told me she loved me and kissed me on the cheek.
When I got back from the store an hour later,
I found her .

But there was something strange about her death.
Apparently, just before Mom died,
she leaned over and rested her head on the chair
beside the bed. What do you make of that?'

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said,
'I wish we could all go like that.'