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Letter of Father Lester,11/26/2022

Dearest Parishioners and Friends,

“

The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord.”
~ ~ ~ Henry Newman

Happy New Year! Some may find my greetings early, but for us Catholics we begin the new liturgical year on Sunday with the Season of Advent. We are given a time to have a deeper encounter with Jesus as we await His coming on Christmas. According to Church tradition, there are three comings of the Lord. The first, when He was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem to fulfill the ancient prophecies made by God to His people, Israel. The second coming is the saving presence of Christ in each new generation of believers as they live out their daily lives in obedience to His teaching. The third is the final coming which will be at the end of time when He returns in glory as Judge, and to make all things new. Our life then is Advent, a time of waiting in faith for the final coming of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

Our Advent reading book is “Holy Moments” by Matthew Kelly. Be sure to get a copy from the Vestibule when you come to church this weekend. There will also be Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Wednesdays during Advent at St. Anthony from 9am to 6pm, and at St. Joseph, McCloud from 11am to 12noon. I encourage you to spend more time in prayer and consider attending one or two weekday masses. There will also be a 4pm Sunday mass at St. Anthony to allow for more people to attend mass during this special time of the year.

I invite you and kindly invite others to our Advent Communal Penance Service on Tuesday, December 6 at 5:30pm. There will be four priests assisting me in hearing confession.

I would like to thank you for always finding time to read our parish bulletin and my weekly letters. You are helpful in calling our attention when there are errors such as incorrect dates, and I’m so grateful, for it means that you appreciate our best effort to communicate and to connect with you always.

I pray that Advent may be a grace-filled time for you and your families, and that you may experience all the blessings of our Lord Jesus who is our Hope and the Light of the World.

In Christ,
Fr. Lester

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Readings for November 27th , 2022

Isaiah describes his vision in which all nations are gathered together by God in peace.

Excerpt From the First Reading:
Isaiah 2:1-5
This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills.
stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say:
      "Come, let us climb the LORD's mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths."

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"Sunday Connection" from Loyola Press

Be prepared, salvation is near.

Excerpt taken From the 2nd Reading:
Romans 13:11-14

Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;

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First Sunday of Advent, Cycle A from "Catholic Culture"

Jesus tells his disciples that the coming of the Son of Man will catch many people unprepared.

Excerpt taken From the Gospel of:
Matthew 24:37-44

Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming,
He would have stayed awake and not let His house be broken into.

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