Faith Reflection: Mercy—The Beauty of Our Young
As I was reading through my Twitter feed this past Sunday I was enjoying the Advent theme that many of the tweets had. In particular the tweets from Archbishop Gomez. Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Burns made me stop and think about the opportunities the beginning of the new Liturgical year brings. I’ll weave a quick summary of what they reminded all of us as we wait in joyful anticipation of the coming of our Lord Jesus.
Advent, they said, is a good time to take note of things that separate us from God and to increase our desire to strengthen our relationship with Him, doing his will in all things. Advent reminds us that our world and our own lives are a mess—that’s why God sent His only Son into the world, He is what we need to make our world and ourselves whole again.
Advent is that time of waiting that helps us fight the temptation to attend only to external things, from putting up decorations to baking and shopping for gifts. When we slow down, turn down the volume of our lives, we can’t help but remember that this season is a celebration of God’s love, that our lives are part of something bigger and that He is that perfect gift we seek. Our lives are the empty manger awaiting the birth of Christ; when we do small acts of kindness and service we have given Him a place to rest and we let His mercy and love touch the lives of others.
I chose Sophia’s essay this week because she focuses tightly in on that turning down the volume theme our bishops tweeted about. Listen to our 7th grader, listen to our bishops, be still and know that He is God—and that he is coming. This is what Advent is for. May it be a beautiful time of waiting and preparing.
Youth and Their Needs Today
by Sophia Ruiz
Our youth have a lot of concerns and joys. Some concerns are just minor and our joys are happy. So, what are our concerns and joys?
One concern is that everyone is so caught up with their phones and when someone is in church they may be using their phone, or their ringer may go off. Everyone should have respect for God whether they like it or not. Before Mass starts someone should politely ask the people to silence their phone—that would make Mass more enjoyable. Everyone should have respect no matter who that person is.
Everyone should have respect for God. If someone doesn’t have that much faith they should still be respectful and know they are in someone else’s house; none of us should be using our phones during Mass. Let’s try to be respectful!
This month Cinema for the Soul will be on Thursday, December 21, at 7:00 pm in the parish hall the night after our Christmas program. The movie, Christmas Angel in the House, is about a couple wanting to have a family and the tension this is causing in their marriage as they try to adopt a child. Enter a 7 year old boy who steps into their lives saying he’s been sent by the foster agency. Dressed in a suit and tie, wearing a dapper hat, and carrying both a brief case and a teddy bear (he is only 7 years old after all), this little angel is wiser than his years, and the Morrison’s life will not be the same. In British with no subtitles.
Thank you. Mrs. Alhadef