Christmas

O holy night!  The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

4th Sunday of Advent

In our 3rd and final installment of this homily series "Invested" (I know it was supposed to be 4, but I wasn't able to preach last weekend - I apologize), I encourage you to consider this question: do you come to Mass as a spectator or as a player?  The Second Vatican Council encourages us to "full, conscious and active participation" in the Mass.  The interaction in Mass that we have as Catholics is a great gift meant to keep us fully engaged as we worship God together.  So what do you consider your role to be in Mass - spectator or player? 

2nd Sunday of Advent

Investing means we're putting something down in hopes that the return will be worth the investment.  So what's the return of investing your time, attention and energy in Mass?  That God wants to speak a word to you that will empower you to engage all of next week with strength, confidence and faith (instead of being tired out and worn down come Tuesday evening).  The Mass is heaven come down to earth and God has something special to say just to you.  The more you invest, the louder His voice will sound.