The Nativity of the Lord: Christmas

The readings for Mass vary, depending on what time you go to celebrate the feast! But please click here and choose your time, in order to prepare the Scripture ahead of time.

May you have a blessed and holy Christmas Season!

Wondering about Mass Times at St Andrew? Please click here. The Christmas Eve masses get very full, and begin as soon as the Church reaches capacity.

December 23: O Emmanuel

Please click here for today's O Antiphon

December 22: O King of All the Nations

Please click here for today's O Antiphon

December 21: O Radiant Dawn

Please click here for today's O Antiphon

 

December 20: O Key of David

Please click here for today's O Antiphon

December 19: Flower of Jesse's Stem

Please click here for today's O Antiphon

December 18: O Lord (Adonai)

Please click here for the O Antiphon post for December 18

December 17: O Wisdom

Please click here for the posting on the O Antiphon for December 17

A little background.....
As we reach the latter part of Advent, we encounter seven traditional and ancient antiphons (responses) in the Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. You may recall that in Jewish practice the day begins at sundown, so praying these antiphons during the vespers of December 17-23 takes us to the beginning of Christmas Eve. Each of these prayers is a plea for Jesus' coming, addressing him by an ancient Scriptural name, and petitioning for a particular act of salvation from him.

Here's an interesting bit of information, found at catholic-resources.org:

In the traditional arrangement, when viewed from Christmas Eve backward, the first letters of the Latin texts (Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia) spell out the phrase ero cras ("I come tomorrow").

Please come back each day this week, as we bring our Advent preparation to its joyful conclusion!

O antiphons

Today in our RCIA session we talked a little about the "O Antiphons" which appear in Evening Prayer during the Octave of Christmas (the week leading up to the feast) ... you'd probably recognize them as the verses of "O Come O Come Emmanuel". So this week, I'll repost the entries of two Advents ago... which I should have done starting last night. Oops.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Here are the readings for the Fourth Sunday of Advent,
December 18, 2011:

2 Samuel 7: 1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16
Psalm 89: 2-5, 27, 29
Romans 16: 25-27
Luke 1: 26-38


If you were to look through the Gospel of Mark (the earliest written of the 4 Gospels) and compare it to the Gospel of John (composed a good 30-40 years later), you'd quickly notice big differences in writing styles, the account of the Last Supper, even of the person of Jesus. In those intervening decades, some people had moved from a simple recording of the amazing events that Jesus accomplished to a pondering of who WAS Jesus that he was able to do all these amazing things. Our Gospel today (from Luke) gives us the story of the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she had been chosen to give birth to the Son of God, and Mary's acceptance. That gives us a bit of insight into the source of Jesus' abilities.

Imagine! A young, unmarried small town girl, undertaking a mysterious pregnancy in a culture founded on honor and shame. In retrospect, we recognize God's hand in so many ways supporting and reassuring both Mary and Joseph.

• When have you felt called to do the impossible? 
• How did you respond?
• Where was God in that process?
• What difference does it make for you that God became human in Jesus?

The topic for the Catechumenate this Sunday will be Jesus and the Incarnation.
There will be no RCIA meetings on December 25 or January 1. Please check the bulletin or parish website (www.saintandrew.org) for mass times for these Holy Days.

Third Sunday of Advent

Here are the readings for the Third Sunday of Advent,
December 11, 2011:

Isaiah 61: 1-2a, 10-11
Luke 1: 46-50, 53-54
1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24
John 1: 6-8, 19-28


There's something interesting happening with the responsorial psalm this week: it doesn't come from the Book of Psalms! Instead, it is taken from the Magnificat, the song of Mary in response to Elizabeth's words of blessing, in which Mary blesses God for using her as the means of fulfilling the eternal plan of salvation. And God's plan is one of setting things right, echoing the words of the writer of Isaiah in the first reading (and proclaimed later by Jesus as he begins his own ministry).

• What is your role in God's plan of salvation?

The topic for the Catechumenate this week is Mary.

Immaculate Conception of Mary: December 8

This Thursday is a Holy Day, and masses are celebrated at 

6:30 and 9:30am and 7:30pm.

For some background on the Immaculate Conception of Mary, 

please click here.

 

The readings for the day may be found here.

Second Sunday of Advent- Year B

Here are the readings for the Second Sunday of Advent,
December 4, 2011:

Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11
Psalm 85: 9-14
2 Peter 3: 8-14
Mark 1: 1-8


Such beautiful words are recorded in the reading from the book of Isaiah today! "Comfort, give comfort to my people... speak tenderly"  Some days are so harsh we yearn for a tender word, the consolation from one who knows and loves us. The psalm, too, anticipates good news when "Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss." Oh, what a relief!!
After nearly a month of readings warning us to be alert, to prepare for the end, we are bathed in words of reassurance. The Season of Advent is a time of preparation, but NOT a time of penitence (we often confuse it with Lent, since both share the purple hue)...  a preparation for the good and audacious news of Incarnation: of God-become-human.

• Where in your life are the paths to love and goodness and path crooked?
• Have you put obstacles in the way?
• Why would you WANT to make it harder to live in love and peace, anyway?!

The Mystagogia Session is this Sunday, at 10:45AM in the small chapel.
We will celebrate a Rite of Acceptance and Welcoming with adults at the 9:30AM Mass this Sunday.
The topic in our Catechumenate session is Advent and the Liturgical Year.