Fourth Sunday of Advent Angels We Have Heard on High

8:38 PM in advent, angels, Aqua, fourth, have, heard, high, of, on, sunday, we

Angels we have heard on high
Sweetly singing oer the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.

Gloria in excelsis Deo.
Gloria in excelsis Deo.

In a #sharethegift video, The Piano Guys, Peter Hollens, David Archuleta, and The Mormon Tabernacle Choir get together to sing "Angels We Have Heard On High"

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Third Sunday of Advent Meeting Emmanuel

11:21 PM in advent, Aqua, emmanuel, meeting, of, sunday, third

For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. But be glad and rejoice for ever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress.    from Isaiah 65

We worship a God who approaches us -- not as a distant deity, but in the birth of child -- a child born to poverty, to exile, to oppression, and to the daily threat of violence from a government that exploited the people it governed and a political leader who held absolute power over peoples lives. If we ask where God is today, the anticipation of Advent, the expectation of Emmanuel/God With Us, born today, leads us into the midst of all our brokenness and suffering.

Emmanuel/God With Us, invites us into the places of pain and struggle -- to meet our neighbors and to encounter the healing presence of God. Emmanuel/God With Us invites us to act with expectancy, to live and to love as though Gods new creation is now -- doing justice and loving kindness, that we might taste and share the beauty and the joy and the peace of being with God.   -excerpt from "Meeting Emmanuel" by Rev. Dr.Teresa Chávez Sauceda, Program Manager for Advanced Pastoral Studies, San Francisco Theological Seminary

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First Sunday of Advent Hope Overcomes Fear

12:47 PM in advent, Aqua, fear, first, hope, of, overcomes, sunday

We begin the Advent season with an excerpt of a reflection from Rev. John Rausch, a Glenmary priest who was recognized by Pax Christi with a Teacher of Peace award this year. An instrumental version of  Bernardette Farrells song Bread of Life follows (via jazzairwaves).

Advent allows a step back from our preoccupation with economic worries and the cares of the world. It raises our eyes to see the new liturgical year as the hopeful dawn of salvation that will ultimately reach completion with our participation. Fear about the “end of the world” gets replaced by excitement about the fullness of God’s Reign. Your “ransom,” “liberation,” and “redemption” are at hand!  -Rev. John Rausch 

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Second Sunday of Advent A Growing Inner Stillness

8:08 AM in a, advent, Aqua, growing, inner, of, second, stillness, sunday

Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Advent does not lead to nervous tension stemming from expectation of something spectacular about to happen. 

On the contrary, it leads to a growing inner stillness and joy allowing me to realize that he for whom I am waiting has already arrived and speaks to me in the silence of my heart. 

Just as a mother feels the child grow in her and is not surprised on the day of the birth, but joyfully receives the one she learned to know during her waiting, so Jesus can be born in my life slowly and steadily and be received as the one I learned to know while waiting.  - Henri J.M. Nouwen

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Advent Reflection God is Present with Our Neighbor

5:29 PM in advent, Aqua, god, is, neighbor, our, present, reflection, with

In todays text, (Luke 4: 14-30)  I hear Jesus telling the people whom he is physically with (God with us) that God is also present with our neighbor. I sense an invitation to consider that Gods abundance necessarily means that there is room for someone else, other than us, to also be blessed by God. Our willingness to accept the breadth of Gods abundance means that we can dispel our notions of scarcity that keep our fists clenched.   -Rev. Ruth T. West, San Francisco Theological Seminary   (from Advent Reflection, Blessings Just for Us?)

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Pax Christi Advent Reflection for International Human Rights Day

7:17 PM in advent, Aqua, christi, day, for, human, international, pax, reflection, rights

Isaiah 41:13-20 | Matthew 11:11-15 “The afflicted and the needy seek water in vain,their tongues are parched with thirst.” (Is 41:17)

Today when we celebrate International Human Rights Day, there are people afflicted and needy who are looking for water. The scarcity of water is one of the main problems in our world and it has gotten progressively worse in recent years. An important reason for this problem with water is greed. Some of us live as if we own natural resources, but the reality is that God created everything for all people.

Our concern must lead us to use natural resources in a sustainable way. Our concern must lead us to share, protect and save the sources of water. We need water to live; most of the body is made of water. Having access to drinkable water is a human right. Taking care of God’s creation is a human duty!  -Nelson Araque, Catholic Climate Ambassador  (via Pax Christi)

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Advent Wait for the Lord

11:01 PM in advent, Aqua, for, lord, the, wait

Wait for the Lord,

whose day is near.

Wait for the Lord:

keep watch, take heart. 

-Jacques Berthier (Taizé) 

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