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November 29, 2020 Pastor’S White Board Advent – Something for Us to Do

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November 29, 2020 Pastor’S White Board Advent – Something for Us to Do OLD ST. MARY’S CHURCH FEAST OF FAITH What Is the Mass? What is the Mass? There is no simple answer to that question. The Church uses many different images and terms to describe our most important prayer. The Mass is the celebration of the Eucharist, a Greek word that means “thanksgiving.” It is the Lord’s Supper. It is the Breaking of the Bread. It is the memorial of the Lord’s passion, death, and resurrection. It is the Holy Sacrifice, in which the sacrifice of Christ on the cross is perpetuated. It is the holy and divine liturgy, the sacred mysteries. It is the source and summit of our Christian lives, the new covenant, the work of the Holy Spirit, the paschal mystery. The many different words and images that we use when we speak of the Mass are not signs of confusion, but of wonder at what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1328) calls the “inexhaustible richness” of the Eucharist. The Mass, our greatest prayer and our deepest mystery, is celebrated every day, many times a day, the world over. The Eucharist is both “bread from heaven” and “daily bread.” The Mass is our everyday miracle. —Corinna Laughlin, Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co. OLD ST. MARY’S CHURCH - 1500 S. MICHIGAN AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL 60605 CHICAGO’S FIRST CATHOLIC PARISH ESTABLISHED IN 1833 THE PAULIST FATHERS SERVING OUR PARISH SINCE OCTOBER 12, 1903. Page Two Old St. Mary’s Church November 29, 2020 Pastor’s White Board Advent – Something for us to do We arrive at Advent, skipping quickly past Thanksgiving (this whole year has been one of rushing past everything except the virus), back to a new beginning to the Church Year and our ongoing call to come to Christ as we look back to what has been, see where we are at now, and look forward in hope. I found this quote by Dorothy Day. “This morning to ward off the noise I have my radio on – Berlioz, Schubert, Chopin, etc. It is not a distraction; it is a pacifier. As St. Teresa of Avila said as she grabbed her castanets and started to dance during the hour of recreation in her unheated convent, ‘One must do something to make life bearable!’” [The Dorothy Day Book, Margaret Quigley & Michael Garvey, eds. Templegate Publishers, Springfield, IL, 1982.] As was true for Dorothy Day and St. Teresa, the world we live in has darkness, coldness, and many people in need. We can barely see an end to the pandemic. We can barely glimpse the joy of Christmas gatherings with the sting of "non-gathering" at Thanksgiving so fresh. What can we do to make life bearable? Unlike the Hallmark Channel would have us believe, or other formulaic Christmas shows that take us to "soft and mushy" and everything working out with happy endings, Christmas is a tough feast. I am not saying you should not enjoy it, not saying it is not full of joy, but if you do not look at Jesus first, everything else misses the point and the full joy of what Christmas means escapes us. The season of Advent is also harsh. It recalls millennia and centuries of people waiting. The prophets held up the hope that the messiah would arrive and change the hard-edged world to a place of delight. We will hear about that in the upcoming weeks, if we are alert, if we keep watch, if we trust in the Lord. While we rejoice at the birth of Jesus – because we know who he is – Israel thought the Messiah would be a full-on uncontested King. The reaction: “Baby? In a manger?” would be more one of disappoint- ment than excitement. If you think about it: that he was just a boy child born in poor surroundings, that he grew up of humble means, that he was an itinerant preacher, that he got on the wrong side of the authorities, that he was persecuted and sentenced to death, - this is the reality of Christmas. Like our pandemic, or our political climate, the early part of this story is not the happiest. Then there is the resurrection. It changed everything. Every prophetic word of hope now was fulfilled, everyone who dwelled in darkness came into the great light of God’s love. That is what we have to hold on to and makes Christmas a formidable antidote to the struggles of the world. This Advent, we are called to do something to make life bearable. We cannot be pessimists, even if we are a bit sad or scared. We can do something – we can check into our faith imagination through prayer and pull out our spiritual castanets and dance around, our spiritual music that inspires cheer – we can do something if we believe and make Christmas live in a whole new way. And if you are looking for “something” check out the article on the Parish Christmas Tree – an opportunity for us to bring our lives together even if we are caring for each other by socially distancing. May God bless us all as we enter Advent and keep our eyes on the prize of Christ. Fr. Brad NOVEMBER 29, 2020: FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT Page Three MASS PARISH STAFF OUR PARISH MISSION SCHEDULE Father Bradford Schoeberle, CSP Founded in 1833, Old St. Mary’s parish is the MASSES Pastor, ext. 29 LIVESTREAMED first Catholic parish in the Chicago area. Guided [email protected] for more than a century by the vision of the Paulist Fathers, we are a diverse and Father Patrick Johnson, CSP SATURDAY: welcoming community dedicated to serving Associate Pastor, ext. 20 5:00 pm [email protected] the spiritual needs of the Loop, South Loop and SUNDAY: the greater Chicago area. Father Stuart Wilson-Smith, CSP 8 am & 11 am Associate Pastor, ext. 25 As a unified Church and School community, Old [email protected] and 6 pm St. Mary’s Parish promotes the mission of the Father Daniel Mc Cotter, CSP Paulist Fathers to welcome those who have Paulist in Residence DAILY MASS: been away from the church, to build bridges of 8:30 am- MONDAY respect and collaboraon with people of Maryellen Harrington THROUGH FRIDAY diverse backgrounds and religions, and to Director, Lifelong Faith Formation, promote jusce and healing in our society. ext. 26 BAPTISMS: [email protected] PLEASE GO TO OUR Scott Williams, WEBSITE TO REGISTER MASS INTENTIONS Director of Liturgy and Music, YOUR CHILD(REN)FOR ext. 14 BAPTISM. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28 - 5:00 P.M. [email protected] YOU WILL BE CONTACTED † Alice Fuller NOW THAT WE ARE Diana Smith SCHEDULING BAPTISMS School Principal SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 29 AGAIN. 312-386-1560 [email protected] 8:00 A.M. † David E. Alcorn PARISH PHONE: Dawn Burns 312.922.3444 Business Manager, ext. 23 11:00 A.M. Melissa Martinez [email protected] PARISH WEBSITE: Patti Murphy www.oldstmarys.com MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30 - 8:30 A.M. Facility & Parish Events Coordinator † Jerry Dollear [email protected] SCHOOL PHONE: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1 - 8:30 A.M. Renette Coachman 312.386.1560 † All Souls Bulletin Editor [email protected] SCHOOL WEBSITE: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2 - 8:30 A.M. Vanesa Jackson www.osmschool.com † Br. Stanislaus Sobczyk, FSC Receptionist Mamie Smith Receptionist Christopher Smith, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 3 - 8:30 A.M. Counselor-in-Residence † Virginia Marzullo Sandra Leonard By appt. only Receptionist 847-868-2369 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4 - 8:30 A.M. Dennis Davis Maintenance [email protected] † All Souls Page Four Old St. Mary’s Church November 29, 2020 TODAY’S READINGS HOW DO WE COME TOGETHER AS PARISH EVEN AS THE PANDEMIC KEEPS US APART? FIRST READING - We are the clay and you, O HOW ABOUT A PARISH CHRISTMAS TREE? Lord, are the potter: we are the work of your hands (Isaiah 63:16b-17, 19b; 64:2-7). PSALM - Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved (Psalm 80). SECOND READING - God is faithful; by God you Here's a thought. As Catholics we use symbols were called to fellowship with the Son to convey meaning that cannot be grasped in (1 Corinthians 1:3-9). other ways. Let's make our parish Christmas GOSPEL - God is faithful; by God you were Tree (or Trees if need be) an act of defiance called to fellowship with the Son (1 Corinthians against the pandemic and any forces wishing 1:3-9). to keep us apart. READINGS FOR THE WEEK I'm inviting every household of the parish to create their own tree decoration for the parish MONDAY: Rom 10:9-18; Ps 19:8-11; Mt 4:18-22 Christmas tree. Something homemade - a TUESDAY: Is 11:1-10; Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17; family Christmas chain, a repurposed old orna- Lk 10:21-24 ment, a handmade or cutout new ornament - something your family can make together. WEDNESDAY: Is 25:6-10a; Ps 23:1-6; Mt 15:29-37 THURSDAY: Is 26:1-6; Ps 118:1, 8-9, 19-21, When you finish the ornament, make sure your 25-27a; Mt 7:21, 24-27 names are on it, and then take a picture of it (or a picture of the ornament with all of you - FRIDAY: Is 29:17-24; Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14; Mt 9:27-31 whatever you feel safer with), and bring the ornament in to the Commons on the week- SATURDAY: Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-6; ends or drop off at the parish during the week Mt 9:35 — 10:1, 5a, 6-8 to be hung on our large tree(s) around the crib SUNDAY: Is 30:19-21, 23-26; Ps 147:1-6; scene by Christmas 2020.
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