Father Kubicki???s Prayer Reflection

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. John the Apostle. He was also called the apostle whom Jesus loved and stayed with the Blessed Mother at the foot of the Cross when Jesus died.

Today is the Sunday after Christmas when we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family. Since we are following the gospel of St. Luke this year, we hear in today’s gospel how Jesus stayed behind at the Temple when he was with his parents on pilgrimage in Jerusalem.

Today is the most solemn celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The world needed a Savior after mankind fell in to sin. The greatest gift ever  is that God sent His only son Jesus to redeem mankind.

Amidst all of the preparations and celebrations, hopefully most of us have found some quiet time to reflect during this Advent, on the birth of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Today is the second to last day of the Advent O Antiphons. “O come, Desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of all mankind; bid every sad division cease, and be thyself our Prince of Peace.    

Today’s O Antiphon is: “O Come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer, Our spirits by thine advent here; Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, And death’s dark shadows put to flight.”

Today’s O Antiphon is: “O come thou key of David come, and open wide our heavenly home, make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery. This verse comes from chapter 22 of the book of the prophet Isaiah.

In these last days of Advent, the Church gives us some beautiful verses to increase our longing for the coming celebration of the birth of our Savior on Christmas. Today’s O Antiphon is: “O come thou rod of Jesse’s stem, from every foe deliver them. From death and sin thy people save, and give them victory o’er the grave.

Today’s O Antiphon is: “O come thou holy Lord of might, who to thy tribes on Sinai’s height, in ancient times didst give the law in cloud and majesty and awe.” This verse is a reminder of the old testament scene when God gave the ten commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai.

As we begin our final preparations for Christmas, the Church gives us some beautiful poetic texts called the O Antiphons. They appear in the popular Advent song titled; “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.”

One of the great figures during the Advent season and one whom we meet in today’s gospel at Mass is St. John the Baptist. Today’s gospel from the 7th chapter of St. Luke has Jesus talking to the crowds about John who was a cousin of his.

Advent is filled with so much anticipation and hope for true peace in our world and in our families. This peace we seek can only be found in the heart of Jesus who’s birth we celebrate on Christmas.

Today, the Church celebrates the feast of St. John of the Cross. St. John was a Carmelite who wanted to leave his order so he could pursue an even stricter life of contemplation and penance.  St. Theresa of Avila convinced him to stay and to be a reformer of the Carmelites.

Today, the Church honors St. Lucy, a holy virgin and martyr of the 4th century. She is the patron saint of those with eye problems because her name is derived from the Latin word for light.

Today is the third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday. The Latin word Gaudete, is an imperative – a command. It means Rejoice! because Christmas is near.

This is a time of year when folks have all sorts of family traditions which bring the pleasure of anticipation and familiarity. The same is true for our Church, our Christian family which has many traditions.

The season of Advent helps us prepare for the beauty of Christmas. Our Lady is a great model and guide to help us through this time of waiting for this most blessed feast.

In Mexico, on this day in 1531, a Our Lady appeared out of nowhere to a Native American named Juan Diego. She told him that she wanted a Church built at that sight and a few days later she gave him a sign to show the bishop, roses which were growing out of season.

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the The Immaculate Conception, a day when we celebrate how our Immaculate mother Mary was preserved from sin.

The saints often have fascinating stories and St. Ambrose is no exception. It was through his preaching that the great St. Augustine renounced his heresies and wild living and became a Christian.