We are not very good at inviting. I can’t tell you how many conversations I have had with Catholics recently when that phrase came up. Why is that? Can we grow deeper in holiness by inviting?

Some of you may be thinking you could never ask someone. I ask people if they will come to an event or program at our church and there is hesitation. I imagine they don’t get asked to go to a church event very often. I get it; this isn’t a normal request nowadays. It is not like, “let’s go get a casual cup of coffee,” instead it is, “let’s go get some spiritual nourishment and possibly talk about things that may make us uncomfortable.” Right?

It may be hard to invite, but it may be equally hard for the person to accept. If we enter into this invitation with sensitivity to the person on the receiving end, we might be more successful. Frankly, people might not want to be asked, as much as we don’t want to ask them. However, Jesus’ ministry would not have gotten very far without inviting. He asked, too. He said to go make disciples, which requires invitation. It is now our turn to invite. Go make disciples in the new year!

Katie Price is the Coordinator for Stewardship at the Cathedral.

Do you practice good stewardship with your family? Stewardship is about more than offerings to a church or charity. It is about continually giving of ourselves in a way that gives glory to God. Sharing our gifts with those in our immediate family honors God and is evidence of your gratitude for these people in your life.

How can we effectively accomplish this? One way is to reflect on how the 6 characteristics of an Everyday Steward are present in our family relationships. Are we mindful when we are with our family members? Do we focus on them and their needs rather than our phone or TV? Do we hold up our family in prayer? Their concerns should be our concerns. Do we find ways to show how grateful we are for having them in our lives?

When we find ourselves lacking in gratitude, we should reflect on what life would be like without them. Do we help one another without being asked because we have a gracious heart? It is easy to take for granted those we see all the time. Hospitality is not just for the stranger or guest. Are we committed to a life of stewardship that not only serves as a good example, but also helps our relatives thrive?

Using our gifts without wisdom might mean we have little to give to those we love. Finally, do we hold each other accountable for our decisions and shortcomings?

We are on the journey of life together, and no one exists in the Body of Christ alone. Stewardship is about the entirety of our lives. Our faith life is not reserved to Mass on a Sunday. It all begins and ends with those we love.

Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS,
Written for LPi and used with permission

Entering into this world with eyes for excitement, children have a sense of amazement over everything that is. As adults, we find this sensation in watching movies or reading books or playing video games. In a word, from escapism. We see Star Wars or read The Lord of the Rings and experience childlike wonder again. But for children, the world just is The Lord of the Rings. It’s altogether a little bit creepy, and totally fantastic.

Now, there are many things we can learn from children, but one of them—and perhaps the best of all—is how to look at the world. Very quickly: Here is something children know that adults forget. Everything in this world is, but doesn’t have to be. Children bearundiluted, clear witness to the radical contingency of everything that exists; to the preposterous and hair-raising fact that something like crocodiles exist. Because, quite frankly, it is preposterous that something like crocodiles exist. Surely, it is the stuff of fairy tales that these bizarre and bumpy, green creatures are out there. And so, it would seem to me—as it seems so clear to my children—that everything from rice pilaf to Spanish octopi points simply to the fact that life is just one big ball of magic. It’s all here. But it doesn’t have to be. And yet we’re all so darn glad that it is. We’ve got front row seats to the greatest show to ever be staged.

But the lessons from children don’t stop there; not even close. For children are not only bemused at the wonder of existence but appreciative of it. They want to know everything about, say, goblin sharks—why they live where they do, what’s up with their grotesque snouts and pink skin and mangled, sharp, scraggly teeth—and then, of all things, they tell me they love them. (“Goblin sharks? Really? Okay!”) Same with tarantulas, or crayons and coloring books, or trolley cars and pizza delivery people. Everything gets the attention of children, even (and especially) the stuff that we as grownups have come to view as unimportant, or kind of gross. There’s something to be learned from this. Something important.

Because there is nothing necessary about any of these things, nothing about why goblin sharks and not some other hideous-yetfascinating deep sea creature, or why pizza delivery people or trolley cars, or why these laws of physics or these fermions and bosons and not some other fundamental “stuff,” and so that’s what makes the world all the more incredible. It is. But it doesn’t have to be. It’s not just the fact that these things exist that intrigues us, but also that we can ask questions about them, as children do. We can ask why.

Children see there must be some reason for the magic happening; they can see we live in a world that is no different (in principle, at least) than fairyland, only instead of fairies, we have platypus and pocket lint. There must be some kind of explanation for it: all magic requires a magician, or so we think. And so who, we would all like to know, is the one behind all this? Who is the one pulling the universe from his sleeve, conducting the celestial symphony, writing the cosmic narrative? We look around at this great and fantastic drama we’re in—with all its amazing stage props and characters and events—and we demand to know something about the stage designer, the prop master, or whatever we want to call him. We get that Caesar died because Brutus stabbed him—that we can figure out from reading the story alone, just as we can figure out that objects are attracted to one another by the law of gravity from observing the universe alone—but who wrote the story to begin with? Who breathed the fire and made things just so? Why Brutus at all? Why is the law of gravity this way and not that?

Children see the world in the way it is meant to be seen. They see it as magic, mystical, awe-inspiring. They see it as unnecessary and, because of this, infinitely precious and worth admiring. Worth asking questions about. Worth taking in. They want to know everything they can about, well, everything they can, from crocodiles to clouds, from cars to catapults. Children get us to see, quite clearly, and quite rightly, I believe, that there is nothing about this universe that explains itself, just as there is nothing within The Lord of the Rings that explains The Lord of the Rings. To answer that, we would need to take the question up with J.R.R. Tolkien. For the universe itself, that question is kicked to God.

There are theological implications here, as there are theological implications in (almost) everything. Children not only get this, but are unaffected by it; unpestered by social pressure or political influence, children are wholly unconcerned about whether certain lines of inquiry might lead to religious outcomes or not. They just want to know why the world is the way it is.

This is the mind of the philosopher, the scientist, the theologian; the honest seeking person of everyday common sense melded with an adventurous spirit; the person who not only wants to know truth but humbles themselves before the biggest questions in life, yet loves the hunt, lives for the hunt. There are so many things my children have taught me. But to love, wonder at, and appreciate the world again, from the eyes of someone new to it— which, to me, is simply to love, wonder at, and appreciate God— is the greatest lesson of all.

Writer, entrepreneur, and “re-converted” Catholic, Pat Flynn focuses his efforts on helping others find happiness and wholeness through fitness, philosophy, and religion. He is a writer for the Word on Fire blog and this article can be found here: https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/what-children-canteach- us-about-god/5975/

The time is almost here. Few things give me more joy than Christmastime. While it will truly be here in just a few more sleeps, I know some folks, sadly, are ready for it to be over. Perhaps, among other reasons, its because we “jump the gun” on Christmas to the point that we seem to have Christmas fatigue by the time the actual day and true season arrives. But, I digress; another debate for another time.

 The first reading and the Gospel for this Fourth Sunday of Advent help to set the stage for our celebration of Christmas this coming week. Starting last Monday on December 17th, the focus of the season of Advent changed. We found ourselves looking forward to the return of Jesus at the end of time for the majority of the season; the tale-end of Advent, always starting on December 17th, invites us to begin to focus on the coming of Jesus as the child of Bethlehem. In the first reading we hear t h e Prophet Micah speaking of Bethlehem. The Gospel tells us of Mary’s visitation to her cousin Elizabeth where Mary finds her faith in the words of Gabriel confirmed by the fact that Elizabeth is with

child.

What both Bethlehem and Mary have in common is that no one would have expected either of them to have anything to do with the coming of the Messiah; Bethlehem lacked the glory of its neighbor Jerusalem, even though Bethlehem truly is “David’s city” and Mary was a girl from a non-descript family in a back-water town called Nazareth, a town of maybe two-hundred people at the time. However, with both Bethlehem and Mary we see God doing wonderful things in and through them.

 As we prepare to approach the manger, may it remind us that God performs some of his greatest acts in the unlikeliest of situations with some of the unlikeliest people.

If God chose for the birth of his only begotten son to take place in these circumstances then why do we at times think that God is limited by the circumstances of our individual lives? Psalm 126 declares “the Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.” The birth of our savior truly is a great and wondrous thing, but the goodness of God is not locked in the past. God is still looking to do great things in our lives. Like Mary, may we open our hearts in faith to the power and possibility of God’s action in our lives.

On behalf of Bishop Paprocki, Father Stock, Father Friedel, Deacon Smith, Deacon Keen, and the Cathedral parish staff, I wish you and yours a blessed and Merry Christmas. May the Christ child turn his tender face to you and gift you the joy and peace that come from him alone. God bless you!

 PS – Here is a fun Christmas fact for you.

Did you know that this Christmas Eve will be the 200th anniversary of the first performance of Silent Night? It was originally composed in German in Austria when, as the likely dubious tradition states, the organ was in disrepair on Christmas Eve. The pastor had actually written the text two years earlier in 1816 and just before Christmas in 1818 asked the parish musician to set the words to music for guitar. Today the beloved Christmas hymn has been translated into approximately 140 languages and Bing Crosby’s recording of it is the third bestselling single of all-time

 Father Christopher House is the Rector of the Cathedral and serves in various leadership roles within the diocesan curia, namely Chancellor and Vicar Judicial.

I recently read that only 8% of New Year’s resolutions last beyond one month. I have made my fair share of New Year’s resolutions. Life changes, busy schedules, new additions to the family (!) can all contribute to our chances of completing them. If you Google, “2019 New Year’s Resolutions” you will find people providing you lists of the best resolutions to make for next year. While I scroll down the page, I see articles encouraging resolutions for health, work, organization, money habits, the list goes on and on for “about 62,000,000” results. We haven’t even come to the last week of December and we already have that many opinions and experts on the topic? I scrolled through the first few pages of the results looking for advice on spiritual resolutions, and found…none.

Many of us have optimistically made resolutions at the beginning of a new year. Unfortunately, many resolutions tend to be self-oriented. What if our resolution for 2019 was other-oriented? What if our resolutions looked different next year? How would creating other-oriented resolutions lead to a stewardship way of life? Have you ever created a concrete plan to help someone else? Jesus had a plan. It was a plan that was undeniably other-oriented. Jesus approached those on the fringes. He embraced the abandoned. He served the poor. He comforted the sorrowful. He listened, prayed, and consoled those in need. He was intentional. What would such plan look like for us? Who around us is in need of assistance, love or forgiveness? Maybe they need your physical assistance around the house or maybe they just need someone to listen and pray with them. These are some examples of resolutions that lead to intentional discipleship.

As we enter into the Christmas Season, let us keep the warmth and light of Jesus’ birth at the forefront of our mind. Let us be a people-centered church; a community led by believers and doers. Let us lift each other up and reach out to those on the margins of our society. I pray that each of us can boldly live out the Gospel message this season!

 Katie Price is the Coordinator for Stewardship at Cathedral.

So much has changed for Cathedral parish over the past year. After many years ministering to children through our school, we regretfully said good bye to that apostolate. As sad as that was for many, the loss of a school left space for something new to grow. This fall we began to explore some new ways of being Christ to our community. Alpha, a process for introducing people to a relationship with Jesus Christ, was successfully launched in June, and we look forward to welcoming more Alpha guests in January. Our priests have undertaken a wide-ranging schedule of adult faith formation opportunities to help us grow as disciples of Jesus Christ. We have prayerfully considered our response to God’s generosity in our lives during our Season of Stewardship. Our music director, Mark Gifford has expanded opportunities to pray and worship through music ministry, including our first ever Lessons and Carols, and the exciting new First Friday Concert series. We have started a conversation about trauma in order to better serve those in need in our neighborhood and community. In February we will participate in University of Dallas’ pilot for Studies in Catholic Faith and Culture. And we are hoping to offer bereavement ministry to accompany those who are suffering through a loss.

Much has changed and will continue to change at the Cathedral, but what remains constant is our mission to make Christ known to the “ends of the earth”. It is a mission shared by all the faithful. Our parish will continue to evolve and discern how to live as disciples of Jesus Christ and how to invite others to their own relationship with Jesus in the Catholic Church. It is so important for each of us to be part of this. I invite you in 2019 to take advantage of all Cathedral has to offer to connect with the parish and deepen your relationship with Christ.

May God bless Cathedral parish and all who come through our doors.

 Vicki Compton is the Coordinator of Faith Formation and Mission at Cathedral.

You’re Invited…to pray

 Daily Mass

Mon- Fri, 7:00am and 5:15pm
Saturday, 8:00am and 4:00pm
Sunday, 7:00am, 10:00am, 5:00pm

 Reconciliation

Mon-Fri, 4:15-5:00pm, Saturday 9:00-10:00am, 2:30-3:30pm, Sunday 4:00-4:45pm

Christmas Mass Schedule

Christmas Eve, 4:00pm and 7:00pm
Christmas Day, Midnight and 9:00am

Mary Mother of God Holy Day

Vigil mass, December 31st, 5:15

January 1st, 9:00am

You’re Invited…to serve

Helping Hands Volunteer Planning Meeting

A team of faithful Cathedral volunteers has provided a home cooked meal each month to the men at the Helping Hands Homeless Shelter for 13 years. Anyone who would like to be a part of this volunteer group is invited to join us as we prepare for our 14th year of service. Those who do not cook can help in other ways. If you are interested in participating in this ministry to “feed the hungry”, please join us for a 9:00 am breakfast meeting on Saturday, January 5, 2019 in the Cathedral School Hall. It is very important to attend this planning breakfast to meet with your group and plan meals for the entire year. Please RSVP by calling 487-7824 no later than January 2nd.

Ministry of Altar Servers

The Cathedral is looking for more youth (5th grade and older) and adults to assist at the altar in the ministry of altar server. Altar serving provides a beautiful opportunity to serve the Lord and help to keep the liturgies at the Cathedral running smoothly. Training for all youth servers (current and newly beginning) will occur on Monday, January 21 at 11 am, with a pizza party to follow. Parents are invited as well! Training for all adult servers (weekday and weekend, new and experienced) will occur on Wednesday, January 23rd at 6 pm, with a dinner hosted in the Cathedral rectory to follow. For interest and to RSVP to the training, please contact Fr. Friedel at 522-3342 or email Vicki Compton at [email protected].

You’re Invited…to learn

Catholicism: The Pivotal Players, Volume One

In this film series, Bishop Robert Barron helps to unlock the truth behind some of the Catholic Church’s most influential people. From St. Francis of Assisi to St. Catherine of Siena, from St. Thomas Aquinas to Michelangelo, all the way to Blessed John Henry Newman and G.K. Chesterton Christ’s Incarnation is on display through the minds and lives of his Church’s members. Facilitated by Vicki Compton, Tuesdays at 10:00am in the Cathedral school basement, beginning January 8^th

The Gospel According to St. Luke

The beginning of a new liturgical year brings a new cycle of readings with this year’s focus on the Gospel of St. Luke. Join Father Friedel in exploring the Gospel’s teachings, structure, and themes. Cathedral Atrium, Thursdays, January 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st, 7:00pm

The Writings of Flannery O’Connor

Georgia native Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964) is considered by many to be “one of America’s greatest fiction writers and one of the strongest apologists for Roman Catholicism in the twentieth century.” Join Father Stock for a look at her life and writings. Cathedral Atrium, Tuesdays February 12th, 19th, & 26th, 7:00pm

You’re Invited…to listen

Carols at Noon

Mark Gifford, Cathedral Organist plays an hour of Christmas Carols on the Cathedral Pipe Organ. Free and family friendly. Cathedral, Wednesday, December 26th, Noon

First Friday Concert

Lukas Hasler, Organist from Graz, Austria begins his Winter US Tour at the Cathedral. Free and open to the public, you will not want to miss this kick off to our 2019 First Friday Concert series! Cathedral, Friday, February 1st, 7:00

As we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, we encounter a twice-unique liturgical reality: the use of the color rose. Now, you may be saying: “Father, its pink;” well, it may be pink anywhere else in the world but at Mass on the Third Sunday of Advent and on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, it’s rose! Liturgically, rose is the color of subdued joy and its optional use, an option that we make use of at the Cathedral, is meant to highlight that we are over half-way through our Advent journey.

The Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called “Gaudete Sunday,” literally “Be Joyful Sunday.” What do we mean by joy? There is an important distinction to make between joy and happiness. Happiness is a mood and moods, like Mid-West weather, can change from one moment to the next. Joy is not a mood but rather it is a state of being and states of being and moods can both exist together. Of course joy and happiness go together, but joy can also exist in grief and sorrow, in the face of adversity, and with any other mood or circumstance.

I am currently reading a biography about Pope St. John Paul II called Witness to Hope, written by George Weigel just before the year 2000. The life of our late Holy Father is a prime example of a life lived in joy. As a citizen, priest, and bishop of Poland, and then as the Bishop of Rome, Pope St. John Paul II faced great adversity and hardship throughout his life, but he did so with a joyful spirit. Why and how? Because the grace of God was central to his life, because his hope and trust were in God’s promises, both for this life and for the life to come.

On this Third Sunday of Advent, we are invited, commanded actually (Gaudete is in the imperative form) to be joyful and there are three main reasons for that. First, as previously stated, we are nearing the end of our Advent journey, which will give way to the joy of Christmas. Second, we can be confident in our Lord’s promise to return in glory. His return will be the total establishment of his kingdom and the final destruction of the reign of sin and death. Third, the Lord is already present. There is an old Latin saying that says vocatus atque non vocatus Deus aderit, meaning “called or not called God is present.” The Lord is always in our midst. Sinners though we are, the Lord is never far, he never forsakes us, and that is reason enough to be joyful today and everyday.

We are a people in progress. God is not finished with us. We face challenges and adversity and life does not always go the way we want it to, but we have the love of God and the Lord reminds us that his grace is sufficient and that the fullness of his glory has yet to be revealed. So be joyful, always!

Father Christopher House is the Rector of the Cathedral and serves in various leadership roles within the diocesan curia, namely Chancellor and Vicar Judicial.

“It’s the pink week! It’s the pink week!” I exclaimed jumping up and down. I don’t think my parents ever witnessed me being so excited to go to Mass. At my home parish in Peoria, we had children process forward with the candles before Mass, and the “pink week” was when I always volunteered. I remember as a child being very excited about this week. Not only was pink my favorite color, but I figured once we got to the pink week, it was only a short week until Christmas. And, what kid wouldn’t be excited about that? Little did I know at the time, this week marks great joy and excitement which transcends the presents under the tree.

Now I know the color is rose, not pink. I would have concerned looks made at me from colleagues by referring to the color as pink, now that I am an adult. However, I still have that child-like joy and anticipation about this week. Something so big, so profound, so moving is about to enter into our lives. Not a gift under the tree, but a gift in our hearts. A gift that can transform us; a gift that can move us. If we unwrap the gift, accept it, acknowledge the goodness and joy it brings, this gift will move mountains. Any hurdle we encounter, any challenge that seems too big, this gift will help lift us and carry us through every-time. This gift is unlimited and inexhaustible. This gift is Jesus. The gift of Him entering into our lives and transforming us is the greatest gift we can anticipate. In Bishop Barron’s homily of this Gospel he says, “He will affect something in those who he invades, raising them to a level that no philosopher, moral reformer or prophet ever dreamed of. Jesus is not simply one more prophet but the incarnate Son of God. A bearer of the divine life, this life that cannot even in principle be earned, achieved, or merited, it can only be received as a gift.” Focus on this phrase with me, it can only be received as a gift. Jesus freely gives himself, all of Him, to those who receive Him. We need to be open, eagerly anticipating how He can invade us and transform us into disciples.

I feel like we are witnessing a crisis of faith in our church at this moment. I follow many Catholic news agencies, bloggers, and influencers on social media that seem to offer the doom and gloom of our times. Articles regarding low Mass attendance, suffering parish finances, the rise of the “nones,” low sacramental participation, weddings on the beach, the list goes on and on. If we were ever to find a time to anticipate this great gift, my goodness, we need to eagerly anticipate it now. Each of us is called to receive this gift and allow Him to invade our lives. Like all invasions, they spread. This is exactly what we need. An invasion. An invasion of Jesus transforming ourselves into disciples who are brave, bold and holy. We need an invasion to transform us into strong witnesses of the Gospel; stewards not just in believing but through our actions. Stewards who are inviting, welcoming, and hospitable. Stewards who are willing to challenge and be challenged. We have to have an invasion into our hearts and the hearts of others.

The time is now. If you have a family member who has been away from the church, invite them next week. If you have not received Confession in awhile, receive it. If you have been questioning your faith, meet with us. If you are fulfilled in your faith, pass it on.

As I watch my two twins grow too quickly before my eyes, I hope and pray that they encounter this gift. It is a gift that I cannot purchase for them, but one in which I share with them. Let us each pray that we can open our hearts to being transformed by His grace and be bold in sharing this gift with others.

Katie Price is the Coordinator for Stewardship at the Cathedral. She can be reached at [email protected].

Those of us who have been hanging around the Church for a few decades have noticed a disturbing trend: fewer people are in the pews. Fewer couples are getting married in the Church and fewer parents are baptizing their children. How has this happened and what are we going to do about it? There are many reasons for the decline in faith and participation in parish life, but I think much of it boils down to the fact that many people have not had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ, despite devout parents who took them to Mass and sent them to Catholic schools or religious ed.

 Too many of us have thought a relationship with the Church was the same as a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Statistics show that most Catholics do not believe a personal relationship with God or Jesus Christ is even possible, and few Catholics ever speak about their relationship with Christ to another person! But the Church is not the same as Jesus Christ. And a Christian cannot be a disciple without a relationship with Jesus.

Our recent scandalous history has made it easy for some to walk away from the Church. But those of us who have felt the loving presence of an attentive God or who have encountered Christ in the Sacraments cannot easily walk away. Those of us who remain have the responsibility for reversing the trend. We must speak of Jesus to others!

We must tell our great stories of answered prayer and redemption from sin in a way that invites others to their own experiences of Christ in His Church. We must find ways to introduce people to Jesus Christ, and Alpha is one way for us to do this.

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 I converted to Catholicism in 2011 and Alpha interested me because I thought it might challenge my belief system, and it sounded fun. The course did help me rethink some topics, but mostly I developed a stronger social network. Before Alpha, I went to mass and knew very few people. Now when attending, I have more people that I am acquainted with and have made a few new friends. I have experience with facilitation, and since Alpha was such a fun time, I decided that I would offer to volunteer at a table as a group helper. ~Leza Ulrich

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Alpha is a series of sessions that explore the basics of Christianity in a way that makes faith relevant to modern life. Each session starts with a meal, because food has a way of bringing people together and creating community. After the meal is a video talk on an aspect of Christianity like “Who is Jesus?” or “How Can I Have Faith?”. Finally, after the video, participants have a chance to share their thoughts and ideas on the topic through discussion in an honest, friendly and open environment.

 For a people unused to evangelization, Alpha is a tool we can employ to help others begin a relationship with Christ in the context of the Catholic Church.

Alpha is highly relational and deeply dependent on the Holy Spirit to guide both the hosts and guests to an experience of God. At the end of the Alpha series, guests are invited to continue to explore and deepen their relationship with Christ by being involved in RCIA or other faith formation opportunities at the Cathedral.

So, Why Alpha? Because we need to do something different, something evangelizing, something that can help us grow disciples! Evangelization is the task of every Christian disciple, and we need volunteers to plan and cook meals, serve as table hosts, and do the clean up. We need you to help launch the next Alpha in January. To volunteer contact Vicki Compton at [email protected] or at 522-3342.

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“ I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ.” Pope Francis

 Alpha epitomizes this very quote from the Pope. In a safe, hospitable environment ,you can find Jesus. No matter where you are in your life, this 12 week course will take you as far or farther in your journey to have that personal relationship . At each session, through video and discussion we are led toward a deeper understanding of just who this Jesus is and how He can become a part of our lives. During this past summer, I was part of the hospitality crew; we greeted everyone who came making each one feel welcome and prepared food that we shared. There is no better way to get to know someone than thru food and conversation. I meet people I would have never met and shared my own concerns and desires about how to be more open to Jesus. I felt safe and secure sitting around a table that I would be heard and understood. I ask that you consider coming and seeing for yourself-over 50 people took a chance at our first Cathedral Alpha and came. It may well be the beginning of that encounter that the Pope encourages us to have. ~Bev Smith

 I’ve been attending mass at Cathedral off and on for 20 years and this year became a registered parishioner. Alpha was my first opportunity to get to know people from the church at a deeper level. Over 12 weeks I grew closer to my table members by sharing knowledge, insights, laughter, tears, gifts, food, and plans for friendship in the future. I didn’t want Alpha to end, so am happy it will be offered twice a year at Cathedral. Watching the inspiring videos and discussing them helped me understand myself as a spiritual being and articulate my relationship with God. This program is for everyone regardless of where they’re at in life. It gave me a new meaning of church as an inclusive, rather than exclusive, place. I’m grateful to serve and be served in this ongoing program. ~Mary Frances

I am sitting down to write this on Tuesday morning of the past week. It is exactly three weeks until Christmas Day; are you ready? By the time you actually read this it will be just over two weeks until Christmas Day; are you ready? The secular world is working itself into its yearly frenzy of pre-Christmas hysteria while the Church in this holy season of Advent is inviting us to keep our focus on that which is most important: that the Lord Jesus will come again in glory with salvation for his people.

Are you ready?

This Sunday’s first reading from the Prophet Baruch gives us a wonderful vision of the full establishment of the Kingdom of God. Yes, the language is vivid and the imagery is mystical and, if we are not careful, we may find ourselves saying “isn’t that nice” with either a tongue-in-cheek cynicism or ultimately dismissing the vision as romanticized and something that is out of reach. Baruch was preaching to a people in exile, a people who were not where they wanted to be, a people who were not where God ultimately wanted them to be. Baruch wanted to remind the people of Israel that God was not done with them. Is it not the same for us?

Honestly, are we really where we think we should be, where God wants us to be as a people, as a society?

In the midst of our struggles, God wants us to know that greater things are still coming and that he is not done with us.

Being that this is the Second Sunday of Advent, enter John the Baptist. He always makes his appearance on this Sunday each year, whether we are hearing from Matthew, Mark, or Luke. This Sunday’s Gospel account from Luke does not give us the fire of John’s message, at least not yet this Advent season, but rather Luke presents John as the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah. The message is one that we know: fill in the valleys, bring the mountains low, make the rough plane smooth, and prepare a highway for the Lord. We know it. Do we own it? The work that needs to be done within, the conversion that Isaiah and John proclaim, is not easy but God will do his part if we let him.

Are you ready and willing?

As we hear from Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Paul wants to remind us that God is at work in us and that his own divine life is  still being made manifest in each of us. This is how the vision of Baruch and the other prophets will be fulfilled. The Kingdom of God will only be made fully manifest once it has fully arrived in each and every heart. The valleys, hills, and planes of Isaiah are wonderful reminders of the work that needs to be done in my life and in yours.

May this Advent season shake us out of our complacency and renew our trust in the fact that, yes, the grace of God is seeking to work in each of us and that same grace can do great things, even the impossible, if we fully surrender ourselves to God’s power to save.

If we are waiting to see the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God, each of us must make sure that we are first allowing God to establish it in our own lives.Father Christopher House is the Rector of the Cathedral and serves in various leadership roles within the diocesan curia, namely Chancellor and Vicar Judicial.