Can you believe it? Christmas is finally here! Well… not quite!
Before we reach Christmas, we are blessed with the season of Advent. This is the time in which we patiently and prayerfully prepare for Christmas. For four weeks the Church invites us to more fully enter into the beauty of Christ’s birth into the world.
One of the ways we can do this is through small acts of generosity. It can be so easy to go through life focused on the things in front of us that we forget about the people around us. We all could use a little reminder to spread love and kindness to our family, friends, and neighbors. The greatest gift we can share with others is the gift of faith we have received.
Surely this can be difficult, scary, and maybe a little awkward. Of course, it’s easier to stay in our comfort zones. But the Lord has called us to something greater, and He has led by example.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?"
(Luke 15:4)
We’ve heard this verse so many times that we might not realize just how radical it is. The shepherd has a hundred sheep, yet when he loses only one of them, he leaves the rest behind in search of the lost one. How crazy is that?
Of course, the Shepherd is none other than Jesus Christ. The Lord goes out of his way to find the lost sheep, his heart is set upon the lost and lonely. He calls us to do the same.
This Advent, let us try and be like Christ, the Good Shepherd. Let us look for those who might have wandered away from the flock, and through small acts of love and kindness, invite them back to the Shepherd.
Stay tuned for a few short emails over the next few weeks with reflections and challenges, inviting you to extend generosity to your family, friends, and neighbors during this Advent season.
Can you serve the Parish for St. Nicholas Day Barn Mass?
This Saturday, December 4 at 11:00 am, we are meeting in the barn of Karen Metzger to clean it up for our Barn Mass and St. Nicholas Celebration that will be Monday, December 6 at 6:00 pm. I just returned from the barn and it is pretty immaculate for a barn - according to this city girl. But we still need some help doing some clean up to get ready. If you are able to meet us, the address is 4820 N 150 W, Lebanon. We plan on being there until 1:00 pm, but it may not take that long. Please join us if you can. There will be a few brooms there, but if you could bring one (not your family's kitchen broom, but maybe the garage broom) that might help. Thank you for serving your parish!
