In this Second Sunday of Advent, the readings of Sacred Scripture continue us on a journey of two directions yet with a unifying concern. Our journey in Advent is of remembrance, which is of the past with a look to the present—Jesus’ birth and its influence in our lives, the celebration of Emmanuel—God made man in the birth of the infant Jesus at Bethlehem more than 2,000 years ago. It is also a journey of the future viewed in the present, an understanding of how we live today so as to inherit the future and eternal life of Heaven.

Our Catholic tradition is one of Reason, the Intellect, and of Faith, Belief in God. We are a faith of the heart and mind, which must manifest itself in action—a lived-faith experience. Our Catholic faith founded by Christ and His Apostles has been expressed throughout the ages in the intellectual thought of men and woman like St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Ambrose St. Hildegard of Bingen and St. Catherine of Siena. It is also a Church of action seen in the works and determination of St. Theresa of Calcutta, St. Joan of Arc, St. Térèse of Lisieux and St. Damien of Malaki. This mixture of Faith and Reason is seen in the good works of the Church as well as in the studies and successes of her Wisdom, a gift from God, evidenced in the founding of the world’s first universities and in the sciences of astronomy and genetics to name few of her achievements. Sadly, many people think of the Church in terms of ritual and rules and regulations only.

Advent commands us to consider the whole of the Church, her teachings and actions. It requires us to look inwardly at our own faith and reason, as part of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church built of living stones—you and me—and ask what is our part, our contribution, to this living institution and all her good works and thoughts: from the intellectual understanding and expression of the Creed and Gloria to caring for the sick, the hungry, the ignorant and want. We are a faith that is historic, current, and eternal, a faith that from its history and teachings, we move forward in Catholic Action to make the world and our lives a better place in the here-andnow, while preparing ourselves for the Eternal Life of Heaven.

In this Sunday’s Gospel of Mark, we hear of John the Baptist and his preaching of  epentance—a powerful and important theme of Advent. But it is more than a remembrance of a long-ago warning, rather it is a current reminder of how to act and live our faith today. We should ask ourselves, how do “I” proclaim the Good News of Christ? How do my words and actions declare Christ’s Mission and Ministry? How do I live my faith and advance Christ to others?

By Baptism we are all called to preach the Good News, to spread the faith. We might not be called to a far off land or even in a local church, but nonetheless we are called to preach Christ by word and deed around our dinner tables and family rooms, amid the work environment through our moral choices, in the community by our shared concern for one another. Soon in many homes this coming season we will watch the famous Dicken’s A Christmas Carol. When we see the Ghost of Christmas Present unfold his robes and expose the sins of Ignorance and Want, we will see the meaning of our Advent Giving Tree: the requirement of Christ to care for those less fortunate. Will we be like Ebenezer Scrooge and at first not care? Will we hold the attitude of the “surplus population…or…work houses?” In the world of indifference and complacency, will we be caught up in our own concerns to the point where the needs of others remain unseen to us?

The change that took place in Ebenezer Scrooge is the gift of the Holy Spirit. The transformation and conforming of our very hearts and hands to the life of Christ: in an attitude of caring and sharing.

As year’s past, our parish has the opportunity to once again participate in the Advent Giving Trees in our church. The trees decorated with envelopes offers us the chance to bring Christ’s Spirit to those in need and of want, to those who hunger, thirst or are in need of medical care or some minor help to keep the heat and lights on in these times of uncertainty.

We will support once again that unique Catholic organization known as the Knights of Malta. The Malta House of Care provides medical diagnosis and treatment to working class and unemployed people who are in great need. Providing mammograms or insulin, heart medication and monitoring, surgeries and ongoing treatments for all kinds of maladies and more, this Catholic organization is not just the medical doctors, nurses and technicians who give of their time to assist and treat, but it’s care is given wrapped in compassion and dignity. Just think of the inability to visit your own doctor and the fear that a medical visit can instill, then consider the uneasy feeling of asking for help. Compassion and dignity is a part of medical treatment—asked anyone who has been in the hospital.

We will also support our parish’s own Neighbors in Need Fund, which supports the purchase of food gift cards, assists in paying electric or heat bills, helps with auto repairs so that one may continue working, and gives aide to local charities who carry on the Christian mission of  assisting the poor, whether those organizations are Catholic or not.

And in the best of our longstanding Catholic tradition—we serve through the Malta House of Care and our Neighbors in Need fund all of God’s children. No Baptismal or Confirmation certificates required, no proof of parish membership—when want or ignorance are present, the Church provides. The need has been greater in the midst of this pandemic: some have lost jobs, others have had hours reduced, and all of us are in the midst of uncertainty and anxiety. I am confident that the people of our parish will once again count their own blessings and act with faith and reason, seeing the good that is being done and wanting to be part of this wonderful, caring and amazing Catholic tradition. I invite you to participate in this great program. Stop by the church and take an envelope off one of our Advent Giving Trees and return the envelope with your donation to the Church, or go to www.stcatherine.info and make a donation through
FAITH DIRECT online giving. You may call the parish office, 658 1642, for any assistance.

Our Advent Giving Tree program runs through the Feast of the Epiphany in early January. Thank you in advance for your generosity and most of all, for your lived faith and reason. May God continue to bless you and those you love with His abundant grace.