In the Jubilee Year of Hope, the Incense leads us to Hope. “Advent is a season for prayer and rekindling of our hearts. Incense is a fitting sign to help us celebrate Advent… If Christ is to come more fully into our lives this Christmas, if God is to become really incarnate for us, then incense will have to be present in our prayer.
Our prayer will rise to the heavens like the incense as we knell before the Real Presence of our Savior Jesus Christ. We pray that the souls of our loved ones will change their hearts & turn to You dear Lord. We have a great responsibility not to waste this Advent time.” [Adopted by Deacon George Kelly from Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac, p.187]
In this Jubilee Year of Hope let us reflect on what Grace leads us to – to Faith & Hope.
“The faith that I love the best, says God, is hope.” [Charles Péguy] And that Hope brings us here tonight.
"Advent’s intention is to awaken the most profound and basic emotional memory within us, namely, the memory of the God who became a child. This is a healing memory; it brings hope." [Pope Benedict XVI]
A little girl asked her parents if she could have some time alone with her newly born infant brother. Her parents were wary but, because they had a baby monitor in the room, they
said O.K... After they closed the door, they listened quietly. They felt chills when they heard their daughter say, "Mikie, tell me about God and heaven, I'm starting to forget.”
We gather tonight because we want to remember God’s great love for us and His love for our loved ones. We believe that The Word became made flesh and dwelt among us. We believe that “Those who welcome the Word as the guest of their hearts will have abiding joy.”
We pray, Lord God, that we will focus our Advent preparations on Christ our Savior. Tonight, we remember that He came, He is here, and He will come again. When He does, may he find us in Hope-filled prayer. When we receive a beautiful gift naturally, we want to share our good fortune, the greatest gift ever given to us is our salvation. And so, in gratitude we pray “Lord, show us your mercy & love. And grant us your salvation.”
In the Letter to the Hebrews [11:1]: we read, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for & assurance about what we do not see.” And today’s Gospel recounts the Good Shepherd going after one lost sheep, those listening to Jesus would have thought He was crazy to risk the ninety-nine for one. But we know that Jesus is crazy, crazy in love with each one of us and so we have HOPE.
“‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul - And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all.” [Charles Péguy]
Our HOPE is in the Lord, we know, and we believe that one day our Hope will see our loved ones to return to the flock of the Jesus Christ, Who is Lord and Savior.
May God Be Praised.
*Brother Mickey McGrath’s artwork is available at: https://www.bromickeymcgrath.com/
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