Advent? Yeah, I've Heard of That

     Let’s call a spade a spade, Advent is kind of that unknown season. You light a candle each week for the four weeks leading up to Christmas, and somehow prepare yourself for Jesus’ coming. But why and how are we supposed to do that?
    Why do we light four candles a week apart? Jesus is known as The Light of the World. This is because he brought (and continues to bring) us out of sin (darkness). Each candle represents a thousand years of waiting for our Savior, The Light of the World, to arrive. Each candle represents what we should focus on that week. 1. Hope, 2. Love, 3. Joy, 4. Peace. The third week is represented by a pink candle to remind us to shift our focus from repentance to an exciting anticipation of our Lord.
    So how do we do this Advent thing? It’s a new year in the Church, so it’s time to start fresh. Get to confession. It gives you hope for a better life because you no longer have that spiritual baggage we tend to collect. Do acts of service. Help with the Giving Tree, shovel a neighbor’s driveway, volunteer at a soup kitchen, etc. Acts of service helps us love more (another word for “love” is “charity”). Get excited!! You have two choices, see the bad or see the good. If you don’t get that one gift you really wanted, be thankful for what you did receive. Don’t forget to add that you get to spend time with your families without homework. Make sure you spend time in prayer to relax. It could be reading the birth of Christ, listening to Christmas music, or spending time in silence. These are just a few strong suggestions to fully experience Christmas…not just a watered down Hallmark version. Have a joyful Advent this year.

 

The Mass as a Wedding Feast

I know what you’re thinking, “come on, Jason. I’ve been to weddings, there’s no partying that goes on at Mass.” Well duh, that happens after in Heaven. But let’s set the scene. The Bible begins with the wedding of Adam and Eve, and it ends with a wedding feast in the book of Revelations. The Bible is known as “the greatest love story ever told.” How could we connect it to a wedding though?
Well, there’s no doubt that God’s crazy about us. He’s been wooing us for over 10,000 years. His favorite words to us are “come back” and “don’t be afraid.” Jesus’ first miracle was helping to keep a wedding party going, but that’s not what’s impressive to me. What impresses me is God’s commitment to us no matter how much we act like a runaway bride.
God leads the Israelites out of slavery. They begin to worship a golden calf. God forgave them. When they were complaining about not having meat, God gave them quail. So much that they ate until they were sick. An adulterer was about to be stoned; Jesus said “Let he who is without sin throw the first stone.” When the woman was spared, he encouraged her to live a sinless life. The entire Bible is filled with God calling us to return to him.
Mass is an invitation for us to be united with Christ through the Eucharist. When we don’t attend Sunday Mass, it’s rejecting God’s open invitation for communion with him. It’s like leaving a groom at the altar. God has already planned the photographer, live band, banquet hall, sent the invitations, all we need to do is accept his offer by walking down the aisle to receive him and sharing the experience with others.

Sacrifice...What's That?

Sacrificing seems to be a thing of the past. Now a sacrifice is looked at as giving up your smartphone for 20 minutes #FirstWorldProblems. When we sacrifice something, it’s more of that thing being taken from us rather than us giving it away. That’s not a true sacrifice. A sacrifice is giving something without expecting anything in return.
In Genesis 4:2-7, Abel sacrificed the best of his flock. He did this because God blessed him with so much, and he wanted to show his gratitude. His brother, Cain, just gave “an offering.” Cain was jealous of Abel because Abel received more blessings than Cain due to the quality of sacrifice. So much anger grew in Cain that he murdered his brother Abel because Cain felt he wasn’t receiving enough attention from God.
This scripture passage confused me for years. If God loves each of us fully, why was he nicer to Abel than to Cain? God revealed the answer while I was in seminary…it wasn’t Abel’s sacrifice that pleased God, it was Abel’s trust in God. Cain didn’t receive as many blessings because he was relying on himself to provide. He never gave God the opportunity to care for him. Cain was always like “I got this.”
10,000 years later and nothing has changed. When you attend Mass, how much do you participate in the sacrifice? Are you saying your part of the dialogue? Are you focusing on the readings, what’s happening on the altar, etc? Or are you checking your phone, planning this week’s events, daydreaming, checking out the cutie three rows in front of you? What you put into Mass is typically what you get out of the Mass. It’s not because God doesn’t want to reveal himself to you, it’s because you’re wearing blinders not even allowing God to work in you.
This week in Mass, leave your phone, wallet, purse, whatever distracts you during Mass, in the car. If you feel sinful, go to Reconciliation (we all sin, this just shows your humility in admitting it). If you get distracted by looking at people, sit near the front, close your eyes, pinch yourself every time you look away. Once you get rid of these distractions (it may take a month or more), you will experience the Mass in a new light, and it is awesome.

A Guide To: Staying Awake During Mass

    Let’s face it, Mass is no extra innings of Game 7 of the World Series. The likelihood of dosing off is much higher when watching the priest celebrate Mass, but why?

    Mass was never supposed to be a spectator event. The Mass is a prayer that we should be actively participating in. This goes beyond the responses (many of us can say them in our sleep). There is listening involved as well.

    The things said at Mass can often go in one ear and out the other. The reader may have a monotone voice, or big words may throw us off or cause our mind to go off on a tangent. So how can we change this? Take a look at the readings ahead of Mass (it takes less than 10 minutes at USCCB.org). Reflect on them. If you want to go further, think of a homily, then compare it to the priest/deacon’s homily. That’s half the Mass right there. What about the rest of it you ask?

    Right when you sit/kneel in the pew, pray, “Alright God, what do you want me to get out of Mass today?” Then listen. The second part of Mass has some silent time to reflect on what God shared with you. You may be thinking “what if God doesn’t give me a word/phrase?” He will. He wants you at Mass. The question is, are you prepared to hear it?