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December 9, 2018
Real Closeness
The gospel for the Second Sunday in Advent us meant to anchor us to an important fact: Jesus Christ is a real person!
Luke’s passage begins with a set of facts rooted in history. We hear about the prominent figures of the era in that part of the world: Tiberius Cesar, Pontius Pilate, King Herod and Philip his brother. We also hear about the leaders of the religious establishment: Annas and Caiaphas, along with Zechariah the priest who also happens to be the father of John the Baptist.
It's a history lesson ideal for fact checkers, which is what historians and biblical scholars do. But it’s also meant to grab hold of us: Jesus Christ isn’t a legend, or literary character, or a figure of ancient mythology. He’s a real person, rooted in history, and rooted in a time and era.
As Luke’s gospel unfolds, we begin to experience how this person isn’t just fully human but fully divine, because Jesus is also the second person of the Trinity. He is Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”
As Catholics, nothing expresses this reality more than the Eucharist. Jesus’ own body and blood become really present to us and enter into us. The almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing God of creation and God of the universe—born into human history—found a unique way to descend into our very souls. And his presence within us allows our soul to feel its worth, just like we sing in that beautiful Christmas song about a holy night. Jesus Christ becomes close to us, as close as our very being.
Jesus Christ lived in human history, and can find a place to be within each one of us. Oneness with God isn’t a hope or wishful thinking, but a reality. Advent—the time of expecting Christ—always leads to Christmas.
Advent News
Praise, Worship & Adoration!
On Monday, December 17, from 7:00—8:15 PM, Deacon Allen will host an evening of praise and worship with the opportunity to adore Christ in the Eucharist. Fr. Mike will also be on hand to hear individual confessions.
Our Advent Communal Reconciliation Service (with individual confessions) will take place on Tuesday, December 18 at 7:00 PM at St. Matthew’s in Schaumburg. Reconciliation is an incredibly graced filled opportunity to prepare for Christmas.- An Important Note about 6:00 PM Mass on December 23: We will not be offering the 6:00 PM Mass on December 23 so that we can ready the church for Christmas. All other Masses are unaffected.
- Keep Christ (and Mass!) in Christmas: As we begin to make plans for Christmas, we’ve posted the Mass times on the front cover and on our website. It will be great to spend this very holy day together. Please invite your family and friends to be with us!
–Fr. Mike