Advent III – Gaudete
This Year’s Advent Wreath
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Daily Sermons
December 5 – Bp. Dolan – St. Sabas – Silence!
December 6 – Fr. Lehtoranta – St. Nicholas and the Gifts of God
December 7 – Fr. Lehtoranta – Our Lady’s Message to America
December 8 – Bp. Dolan – Days of Deception
December 9 – Bp. Dolan – A Practical Saint
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✠ The Bishop’s Corner ✠
The snowflakes fell quietly, unexpectedly on the Holy Day evening, a pure white coda of the beautiful feast of the Immaculate Conception. A little taste of Winter for us which will perhaps yet yield again to Autumn.
We had a beautiful feast day, and an excellent attendance for another quiet Worker’s Mass, which draws its share of busy retirees, as well as another splendid High Mass. The sun came out for the Introit. Our Lady is clothed with the sun: This is how Fray Chavez phrases it:
Clothed With the Sun
Woman supremely blest
In woman’s prime desire
To be most richly dressed:
Incomparable attire,
Blinding, iridescent
In robe of cloth-of-sun,
With Pleiad-plaited coronet,
And slippered with the crescent!
Gown sun-spun,
Crown star-set,
And the moon
For her shoon!
Woman supremely fit
To be so clothed, the one
Found truest, best, immaculate.
The evening Mass grows worryingly lighter, even for a Holy Day. First Friday in December was a sad affair. No new souls to make their Nine, very low attendance all day long, and many men missed their Guard of Honor. Some never called. They just did not come. But those who did found Our Lord in state, “awaiting, calling and welcoming” those who visited Him. Could you help?
Today is already our rejoicing Sunday, Gaudete. Christmas soon will be here. Keep the Ember Day generously. Come, Lord Jesus! Refresh us, renew us, focus us this Advent, prepare us for Thy coming.
The Novus Ordo church continues to disintegrate before our eyes. Bergoglio is intent on destroying the marriage bond, or what is left of it after almost fifty years of phony annulments. Consider the contrast: Mary Immaculate, who knows no sin, and the false pope, who winks at any sin at all, and hurls abuse at those who hesitate to go along with his brave new church.
But what a sin against Faith, and of scandal, for so many Catholics willingly to worship under his photo, and worse, with the lie of his name inserted in the most sacred spot of the Mass. Who will stand up for the Faith, and confess it? Who will walk out, rather than betray it?
The cats themselves reproach our cowardice, our slackness in the Divine Service. The intrepid Puccini, fresh from having his stitches removed by the vet (an admirable cat, he did not chew them out himself) was out in the cold and snow Friday morning, driving off the invading Persian, and protecting us from the foe.
Fr. Cekada has a checkup tomorrow, and continues daily to progress. He was up and out walking as well, but has not yet driven off any invading cats. Fr. McKenna was up at 4:00 AM on Friday for a long flight to Spokane, in the face of an expected snowstorm. There he will be checking on two sick priests, and visiting the faithful of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, who keep their patronal feast tomorrow. We send them our prayers and good wishes. May Our Lady keep especially her priest sons in her care.
I confide you all to the Immaculate One, and pray her to go home with you today, and stay, and bring you back soon!
—Bishop Dolan