Fourth Sunday of Advent: “For nothing will be impossible with God”

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“For nothing will be impossible for God” Painting by: Rev. Ronald Patrick Raab, CSC

Gospel LK 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas: Bulletin cover and column

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Dec. 24, 2017 Bulletin Cover

Dear Followers of the Messiah,

This extremely short Fourth Week of Advent is a challenge for our reflection since it falls on Christmas Eve morning. It will be overlooked by many of us. Yet, it provides for us spiritual food and hope as we are quickly led into the Christmas Season.

In Luke’s gospel we hear of the Annunciation of Mary. The message of this text is completely different from the gospels of the first three weeks of Advent. The challenges of the ancient prophets of John the Baptist and Isaiah, the finger pointing into the direction of God, the stirring up of our imaginations about what God can do for us, the waiting and watchfulness, is all being replaced with a quiet reality that God is inviting Mary to become the Mother of Jesus. Gabriel, an angel, is the messenger of such news of beauty and justice. Gabriel is also telling Mary not to be afraid! This message of fearlessness is the place in which we need to land, the message that we all need to take to heart before we celebrate Christmas.

“Do not be afraid…” is also a message for us to end the Advent season. God is at work in every heart. The Holy Spirit is shaping our families, our homelands and our workplaces. God is revealing love in ways in which we may not initially understand, just like the love that was revealed to Mary. Our first reaction to change is usually fear. Imagine how Mary’s life was changed! We fear anything that will rattle us out of our usual ways of seeing the world or that will challenge us to face issues among us that we are blind to, or that we will have to give more to God and to our neighbor than we are willing to give.

The summation of the Advent season is that God is at work among us, and that love can replace fear. Hope can satisfy even the bitterest heart. Beauty can transform our tragedies. Mercy can mend the most fragile heart. The Holy Spirit can lead the loneliest people into a new relationship that can set us all free. What we have been waiting for in these Advent days is to be released from all the fear in our lives that keep us from truly living. This is God’s action within us, exactly as it was in the life of Mary.

So we come to the conclusion of Advent and find our lives immersed in the Incarnation, the promise of Jesus born in our lives. Thank you for your lives of faith. Thank you for all the ways you support our community with love and kindness and as ministers of Eucharist to the sick, as educators of our youth, as believers that faith changes us. Merry Christmas! Thank you for your lives of prayer and service. I am so grateful for this holy place, the three churches we call home.

Peace and all good in Christ Jesus,

Fr. Ron

 

On the Margins: Luke 1:26-38

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On the Margins from Mater Dei Radio, Portland, OR

Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 24, 2017

LISTEN NOW: CLICK HERE

Gospel LK 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

Matthew 1: 18-25 Painting and prayer

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“Do not be afraid” Painting: Ronald Raab, CSC 2016

Loving Father, help us not to be afraid when your Son desires to make a home within us. Help us not to fear “God-with-us”. Open up our controlling and self-centered lives so we may all welcome to earth the love you desire for us. Your love is not to keep us safe and secure but to risk everything in order to follow you through the example of Joseph. Your love within us is to keep the immigrant safe, the hungry feed, the child housed and the abused mother safe. Your infinite love and mercy helps us protect the vulnerable and support the feeble. Your love gives us a key to open prison doors, a support to heal the sick, hope to squelch racism and insight to stop human trafficking. Your love helps us not verbally bash people behind their backs and your angel guides us to moments of reconciliation. Faithful God, open us to the surprise and message of angels and saints that your love is more than a dream. Amen

Gospel  MT 1:18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
He had no relations with her until she bore a son,
and he named him Jesus.

 

 

Third Sunday of Advent 2017

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John the Baptist, Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2016

God of heaven and earth, we turn toward you desiring the love you offer. We rejoice in your compassion toward us on earth even when we stumble in despair. You liberate the lonely, you inspire the destitute, you offer compassion to the broken. Allow all of us in our incompleteness to know we are already in union with your presence. In these Advent days, inspire us to give thanks for your presence even in what we ache for, to offer you praise even when our voices are locked up in doubt, to offer you glory most especially when we struggle to find our way in the darkness. Help us listen to Isaiah, John the Baptist and Paul as we journey toward our comfort of heaven right here on earth. Amen

On the Margins: John 1: 6-8, 19-28

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On the Margins from Mater Dei Radio, Portland, OR

Third Sunday of Advent, December 17, 2017

LISTEN NOW: CLICK HERE

Gospel JN 1:6-8, 19-28

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him
to ask him, “Who are you?”
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, “I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘make straight the way of the Lord,'”
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.

Third Sunday of Advent: Cover art and column

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Dec. 17, 2017 Bulletin Cover

Dear Believers in the Mystery of Christ,

This Third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday,” which means “Rejoicing.” We are now more than half way to Christmas. Notice the pink candle is lit on the Advent wreath. Half way to the celebration of the Incarnation helps us to rejoice in the fact that God is already here, but not yet. God is working in our midst, yet we wait for the fullness of his presence in heaven. God has been born among us, yet we wait for his return. In these great moments of paradox, we rejoice in the beauty of God’s eternal actions within our lives.

The second reading during Mass today is 1Thesolonians 5:16-24. This text proclaims, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. Do not quench the Spirit.” Our sense of rejoicing is a call to action and prayer. We are invited to fall in love with God ever more in the Advent season. This love is not naïve or without a lot of work. We fall in love with God in our relationship with Divine hope for our world. This means that we examine deeply our need for God’s action, for healing and hope, for integrity and justice, for a real relationship with the Holy Spirit that is far deeper than just living out the rules of religion and calling it God.

We are to model our lives of prayer for our children and for people who do not believe in God. Our prayer is to become a beacon of hope for our world, for outcasts and refugees, for people living outside and people who cannot speak up for themselves, for people lost in despair. Our prayer is to be a light in the darkness, kindness in the midst of oppression, healing when the world is exhausted from its own efforts. Most importantly, our prayer is to lead us into beauty and awe.

People will be drawn to us when we live out such a prayer. Beauty itself is contagious; it is a source of wonder for the world. This prayer leads us into living a life of rejoicing and a new reliance on the Holy Spirit. Let us make sure we discover such beauty during these Advent days of searching and longing, days of hope and relying ever new on God’s wondrous presence and healing for our world.

This past year weighs heavily upon us with natural disasters and mass shootings. These are burdens heavy on our hearts this Advent season. These texts call us to become people of hope and steady prayer, allowing God to use us for good and to help us witness to the beauty of life. We pray that our lives may find rejoicing in God and that our families may not resist the hope God is pouring out to us in our daily lives.

Let’s us follow the example of John the Baptist, who pointed his life, his soul and his purpose into the direction of the coming of Christ Jesus. We rest in the beauty of Jesus manifest in our hearts.

Blessings,

Fr. Ron

 

 

Second Sunday of Advent 2017

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John the Baptist: Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC 2017

John, I ache to stand with you in the wilderness of my own life. My body craves to be washed in the waters you pour over me waiting for the real waters of the Spirit. Not for me to make a home in Jesus but to allow Jesus to make a home in me. I hear your call today and Isaiah’s challenge but my heart is not ready to give up on my own authority, power and self-sufficiency and my inability to pay attention and to listen, to really listen. I capture a hint of Jesus, the Savior at the end of your finger, when I give in to his shepherd’s tenderness, when I finally rest and quit hiding, when I let go and stop trying build up, when I quit resisting and allow the Holy Spirit to guide me. John, I follow your finger pointing toward the cross, your deep desire for us all to repent, your deep awareness that only your cousin brings us salvation. Today, guide me with your commanding voice, your selflessness, your un-attachments, your pure attention, your dissatisfaction to worldly goods, and your precious view of Jesus, our Savior.

On the Margins: Mark 1:1-8

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On the Margins from Mater Dei Radio, Portland, OR

Second Sunday of Advent, December 10, 2017

LISTEN NOW: CLICK HERE

Gospel   MK 1:1-8

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way.
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.”
John the Baptist appeared in the desert
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
People of the whole Judean countryside
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.
John was clothed in camel’s hair,
with a leather belt around his waist.
He fed on locusts and wild honey.
And this is what he proclaimed:
“One mightier than I is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 2017

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Immaculate Conception. Painting by: Ronald Raab, CSC, 2017 

Gospel  Lk 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.