Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

    In our rapid course through Advent we come already to Gaudete Sunday.  We hear in our Scriptures the call to rejoice in anticipation of the coming of our Savior.  Whenever we welcome someone to our homes one of the things we do almost instinctively is “turn on the lights”.  We want to see our visitor and be seen by them.  How odd it would be to just sit in the dark.  They may think we haven’t paid the electric bill.   Light is a means of welcoming.  Even with people whom we may encounter in a dark mood don’t we usually encourage them to “lighten up!” 

    The spiritual life is very much the same.  The weight of the world can descend upon us from time to time and gloom starts to take over but Christ has given us the remedy to overcome the shadows, namely Confession.  Sin always is a darkness that keeps the light from shining in us, the Light that comes from Jesus, Himself.  He came to cast out the darkness and pervade our souls with a brightness the world cannot give.

     As we draw closer to Christmas see how many lights are starting to shine around us whether it be from decorations. or candles or other sources.  We crave light even if artificial because it dispels all that brings what is contrary to joy.  So rejoice and let the Light of Christ permeate your souls and radiate He Who is to come.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     We hear in today’s second Reading from Paul’s letter to Philemon: ” May God Who began the good work in you bring it to fulfillment…”.  Have you ever asked yourself the question; “what is the good work God has begun in me?”.  It certainly is a fine point for our Advent reflections and preparation. Since the past two weeks of Scripture have been about the end times now we have the opportunity to set our sight on the future and what we are going to do about it.

     Today’s Gospel sheds light on our future and our answer.   We see that John the Baptist understood well the work God had planned for him.  With great diligence he prepared the way for the coming of the Messiah and had the ultimate joy of announcing Him to the world; “Behold the Lamb of God…”  He was chosen for this great responsibility.  John’s dramatic lifestyle evokes a lot of attention.  It was his hook that caught the attention of low and high alike to pay attention.   Our call, thank God , is much more subtle.  People, hopefully detect a peace and serenity in us even in the midst of hectic times.  This attribute comes from a solid prayer life and a continual focus on our relationship with Christ.  We may be surprised by this but there is no doubt that others perceive our closeness with the Lord.

    If, perhaps, we are not too sure about our “carrying on the good work that God has begun in us,” a good and thorough Confession and time before the Lord in Adoration can rectify our ability to witness to the Messiah.  It’s important to remember that this Season goes by so fast that it is easy to miss the opportunity to renew our spiritual lives.  Have a most productive and fulfilling Advent.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

    Now that we have given thanks to God for all the many blessings we have received its time to fix our hearts and minds on that wondrous event of our Lord’s coming in the flesh.  This holy season of Advent allows us to be introspective and evaluate the spiritual progress made this past year and prepare us for new beginnings.  It is a new liturgical year and should be marked by a quiet sobriety.  However, we know that the opposite is what happens .  So how do we make the most out of this holy season?

     First, we recognize, as did our spiritual ancestors, that it is a time of waiting.  Not only are we waiting to celebrate the birthday of our Savior but we are awaiting His second coming in glory.  This begs the question: “Are we prepared should He come?”  As we would greet any visitor to our homes by cleaning up the place, since Christ seeks to visit our souls its only logical that we get them in order as well.  The Lord provides the cleaning supplies for that, namely the Sacrament of Confession.  That should be on the top of our Christmas preparation list.  Plan early to get that task done before being swept away by other lesser concerns.

     Secondly, slow down and pray.  Meditate, as did our Mother Mary, on the wonder of God’s love.  Think of Her preparation for the birth of Her Son, Her having to break the News to Her beloved Joseph, Her tending to Her cousin Elizabeth, Her and Joseph’s arduous trek to Bethlehem in the final days of Her pregnancy.  How did You do it Mary?  Only by the grace of God.  And isn’t that how we do it too.

A Blessed and Fruitful Advent.

Blessings,

Father Langan

November 23-24

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

On this final Sunday of the Church’s liturgical calendar we celebrate our Lord Jesus Christ as King of the Universe.   This is not a title earned but rather the very nature of Who He is as the Word by Whom the Father created the Cosmos.  For us  as Americans, who established a republican form of government, the concept of kingship is foreign to us.  We may perceive kingship as having to do with finery and majesty, palaces and wealth and a lot of bowing and scraping to another human being who often does not deserve the reverence they receive.  In the course of human history few and far between are those who worthily bear that title.  But we joyfully submit to the King Who came not in regal array but in the poverty of a stable and Whose only throne was a cross.  To This One we give our all.

 Happily, then, we acclaim Christ our King.  How best then do we serve our King?  By obeying His laws which we know are not burdensome but rather free us from the shackles of self destruction.  The world He created has to know this.  We , after all, are His ambassadors.  The world comes to recognize Christ  through the good done by His subjects.  We must all ask ourselves the question: “how am I advancing the Kingdom of Christ?”  Am I a builder or a tearer down?  Hopefully always the former.  Each one of us has the gifts and the capacity endowed by the Lord Himself to work for the betterment of the world, not on a grand scale but in the little, humble ways we are directed by a prayerful life. ” Here I am Lord, do with me what You will.”  Simple but powerful, make it part of your daily talking with God.

A blessed and abundant Thanksgiving to all.  Remember to start your festivities with Him at the ultimate Thanksgiving, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Quickly we are approaching the final days of Ordinary Time and soon will be in the Holy Season of Advent.  “Tempus fugit”  Time flies as the old Latin proverb declares.  As the end of both the Liturgical and civil year comes we turn to thoughts of the end times.  Though not part of our everyday speech, words like Eschton and Parousia come to mind.  They refer to the end times and the second coming of Christ.  They are not meant to frighten us but rather to put things in perspective, namely that this world is passing and  rather than place all of our attention on this world we should always be in a state of preparedness for the next.

      When our hearts are fixed on Christ and His words we really have nothing to be anxious about.  Time is God’s gift to us in order to prepare ourselves for something beyond our imagination.  Sadly, too many squander this gift of time on things that don’t matter or worse, they are destructive and harmful.  We see this so clearly on a daily basis. Our personal remedy is to keep our heart, mind and soul fixed on Christ.  When others see that we have made this our priority they will observe the peace and joy that resonates in us and will long for what we possess.  The end times free us from endless worries because we believe all is in God’s loving hands.  So do not let your hearts be troubled.

With Blessings,

Father Langan