Prepare the Way of the Lord! Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year C)

Light the fourth candle on your Advent wreath or light four single candles. Open your Bible and

set it beside the candle. Prepare the room for prayer, even if you are alone. Quiet music can help

to settle yourself and others after a hectic day.

Begin in prayer:

Leader: + In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Leader: By signing ourselves with the cross in blessing, we also make a commitment to live in such a way that

others might see the goodness in us that is God’s presence.

All:

All: Amen

Reflection: At the Threshold of Fulfillment

There is always excitement at this time of the year. It is as if everything is hope-filled

with a promise. We hope for animosities to be set aside, for estrangements to be

reconciled, for the world to be a gentler place. In the days just before Christmas the

possibility of newness is in the air. We believe the future God has prepared for us is

open to us. Advent is the season when we stand at the threshold of fulfillment.

However, it is the fulfillment of an event that has already taken place. That event is

the birth, life, ministry, passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We

remember it, and we ritually re-enact it, so that we will never take it for granted.

Each year we pause to celebrate these events, not because they have not yet

occurred, but because they have happened and are happening now before our eyes.

The celebration of anticipation, which is a central part of Advent, is also a

celebration of our anticipation of our own transformation.

Conversation or Meditation

Who is a person in your own circle of family and friends to whom you would

go (as Mary did to Elizabeth) if you wanted to talk over the important

developments in your life? Re-read this week’s Gospel. What words or phrases

strike you in this story? What touches your own heart? How has God surprised

you in your own life? Who are the people who have visited you and brought

you some kind of surprise? Did this cause you to “leap for joy”? As Advent

draws to a close, we make room in our own homes and hearts for Christmas,

relatives, and especially for Christ. Do you feel really ready to welcome Christ

into your life, knowing this means you must be ready to die to yourself in

forgiveness, humility, and generosity?

Closing Prayer

Leader: Come visit us in peace, Lord.

All: And we will rejoice with hearts renewed.

Leader: Come and visit us in our families, Lord.

All: And we will rejoice with hearts renewed.

Pray together the Our Father. Exchange a gesture of peace with

all who are present.

In the spirit of the season, seek reconciliation

and forgiveness from someone with whom

you are estranged. Do it this week, before the

Feast of Christmas arrives! Hurry!

What do you hope for this Christmas?

Before you begin celebrating this Feast, look

into your heart. Have you cared adequately

for the poor, vulnerable, and lonely people in

your society?

The story of Mary visiting

her relative Elizabeth is

found only in the Gospel of

Luke. Elizabeth will have a

son (John the Baptist) who

is the last great prophetic

figure and witness of Ancient

Israel to its covenant with

God. Mary will have a son

(Jesus) who is the savior of

humankind. Mary’s

greeting of Elizabeth causes

the child in Elizabeth’s

womb to leap with joy.

Elizabeth was filled with the

Holy Spirit and proclaimed

her faith in the child Mary

was carrying. In the case of

both David and Elizabeth’s

unborn child, it was their

realization of being in the

presence of God that caused

them to rejoice.

“And the Grinch,

with his Grinch-feet

ice-cold in the snow

stood puzzling and

puzzling, ‘How

could it be so?

‘It came without

ribbons! It came without tags!

‘It came without packages, boxes or bags!’

And he puzzled three hours, ‘till his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before!

‘Maybe Christmas,’ he thought, ‘doesn’t come from a

store. ‘Maybe Christmas … perhaps … means a little bit

more!’”

The New Evangelization is about how the average Catholic (all of us!) can help bring people back to the

Catholic Church; how we can re-engage and welcome people who have left for various reasons; and how

we can welcome those who are un-churched and seeking a spiritual home to call their own.

Be a part of casting the net when it comes to the New Evangelization. Everyone is invited to participate in

discussions to share ideas on how we can be a more welcoming Church. These gatherings will be held on

Thursday, January 28 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, January 30 at 10:00 AM at St. Peter the Apostle Church.

You can choose which day and time is more convenient for you to attend.

PLEASE PRAY FOR VOCATIONS TO THE

PRIESTHOOD AND RELIGIOUS LIFE

For more information, call Fr. Pat Woods at the

Office for Vocations (705) 674-2727, X-250

Are You Being Called?

Call Fr. Pat for more information.

Excerpts from Misericordiae Vultus

(The Face of Mercy)

“How much I desire that the year to

come will be steeped in mercy, so

that we can go out to every man

and woman, bringing the goodness

and tenderness of God!

May the balm of mercy reach every-

one, both believers and those far

away, as a sign that the Kingdom of God is already pre-

sent in our midst!”

“Above all, let us listen to the words of Jesus who made

mercy as an ideal of life and a criterion for the credibility

of our faith: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall ob-

tain mercy” (Mt 5:7): the beatitude to which we should

particularly aspire in this Holy Year.”

“As we can see in Sacred Scripture, mercy is a key word

that indicates God’s action towards us. He does not limit

himself merely to affirming his love, but makes it visible

and tangible.”