Pastoral Messages by Fr. Rick 12-5-21
Pastoral Message from Fr. Rick 12/5/21
Adoration of the Blesses Sacrament Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM. Come to the silence and feel the LOVE.
Offering Envelopes – Your personal offering envelopes are ready for pickup after Mass in the gathering space. Also, our 2022 Parish Calendars are available.
Sacrament of Reconciliation – Advent is a great time to get renewed and reconciled. As usual, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is available almost anytime by appointment or perhaps consider going during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament on Thursdays from 4:00 to 5:00 PM.
Advent Book Discussion and Meditation – I ordered 15 copies of The Domestic Monastery by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser to help us open up some ‘new space’ in our lives during Advent. The book consists of 10 short meditative chapters (lots of pictures) that can help us get more focused on our family, community and Kingdom building. We are meeting on Thursdays at 3:00 PM. We have already met once, but you can still join us.
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Wednesday, Dec. 8 is a Holyday of Obligation this year. We will have Mass at the regular time of 8:00 AM.
Catholic Community Services – As mentioned last week and in the Mass today we are taking up the annual special collection for Catholic Community Services of Utah. Being in southern Utah for most of the past 20+ years I have not put so much emphasis on this collection because their services are so focused in northern Utah, and parishes in the south usually try to support the more localized outreach efforts often addressed by organizations such as Care and Share. However, this year there is an even greater emphasis on refugee resettlement with special attention given to Afghan refugees who have been so supportive of our military efforts for 20 years. So please consider being especially generous this year if you can. If you didn’t bring your checkbook, you can pick up an envelope in the church and send your money directly to CCS or make it out to St. Christopher’s with the memo to CCS. Also, even though we live 300 miles from the center of their outreach efforts we may have or will have family and friends living in northern Utah who will one day appreciate their services. CCS is one of two main organizations utilized by the State of Utah to facilitate refugee resettlement.
Moving into Advent Space: This Saturday morning in praying the Liturgy of the Hours on the Feast Day of St. John Damascene I was especially taken in by a reading of Chapter 7:7-14 from the book of Wisdom: Please give this a read every day over the next week making the quiet time to let it sink in a bit:
I prayed, and prudence was given me;
I pleaded and the spirit of Wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepter and throne,
And deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
nor did I liken any priceless gem to her;
Because all gold, in view of her, is a bit of sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire.
Beyond health and beauty I loved her,
And I chose to have her rather than the light,
because her radiance never ceases.
Yet all good things together came to me with her,
and countless riches at her hands;
I rejoiced in them all, because Wisdom is their leader,
though I had not known that she is their mother.
Solomon Prays for Help to Speak Worthily of Wisdom
Sincerely I learned about her, and ungrudgingly do I share—
her riches I do not hide away;
For she is an unfailing treasure;
those who gain this treasure win the friendship of God,
being commended by the gifts that come from her discipline.Living Joy – As we anticipate next Sunday, Gaudette Sunday, this Living Joy retreat might give us some actual steps to move toward the joyful life that God intends for us: (See our website for easy one-click access) https://coaching.reallifecatholic.com/living-joy?utm_source=Real+Life+Catholic&utm_campaign=80610853ad-Living+Joy+Email+%237+%E2%80%93+12%2F4&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_461aff6699-80610853ad-109626221&mc_cid=80610853ad&mc_eid=03b7e70377