Worship Resources For Everyone

Are you ready for full and active participation in the Liturgy? Read on…

December 9th, The Second Sunday in Advent

A link to the readings from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/120918.cfm

A Reflection on the Readings

The second and third weeks of Advent this year focus particularly on the role of John the Baptist as the one who prepared the way for Jesus and announced his coming. It continues the theme of preparation that was begun last week, but still, rather than preparing for the birth of Jesus, we are exploring the wider theme of preparation. John the Baptist announces he is “the voice” foretold by Isaiah, the one who cries in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord.” He is hoping to help others prepare. John the Baptizer was an eccentric figure. He is often portrayed as being dressed in a cloak made out of camel hair to protect him from the chill of the desert night, and that he ate locusts and wild honey, whatever he could scavenge as a truly poor man. And so we can think that a person who prepares the way of the Lord has to be somewhat extraordinary, somewhat eccentric, even bizarre, the sort of person whose arrival somewhere draws a crowd.Notice that John the Baptist lived off in the desert. This shows us that he lived a life separate from the world, they had to find him. But, we live in this world and are called to “prepare the way of the Lord.” For most of us ordinary folks, our vocation is to do what we can to prepare our hearts and minds so that we can share that great love with those we come across daily.

We know about the changing seasons in Minnesota. We know the demands to prepare for the seasonal changes, and the results if we ignore the opportunity. Advent is a season of preparation. Think of it as a time to cover your gardens, put away the yard items, have the furnace checked over, cover the lawn furniture, get the shovels, boots and gloves ready, and disconnect the garden hose so the pipes don’t freeze. What do we need to set aside to prepare so our spiritual pipes don’t freeze and burst? Are we making more time for silent reflection? Are there things that have crept into our habits that are not healthy choices? The time spent on these unhealthy choices can be repurposed to spending more time with God’s Living Scriptures. Have we taken time to be still and reflect or are we running around with never ending to do lists. Have we forgotten that we are loved by God? Stop, breathe, and take a moment to refocus. This preparation is all about making way for the love of God in our lives. The love of God surrounds us all the time, but forget, we doubt, we choose not to believe. We are broken people, some of us hurting, and God will meet us where we. Remove the obstacles that are directing the love of God around us and allow it instead to flow directly through us. Every act of unselfishness, every act of companionship, every act of setting to right some injustice, every act of encouragement so that a person begins to bloom in a new way, every act of advice to avoid some foolishness which could hurt or stunt someone, all these actions and many, many more, make the path straight the Lord to enter a person’s heart. Are you ready for the season?

Music as Prayer (Bis orat qui bene cantat)

A greater entrance into the prayer of the Liturgy is achieved by being familiar with the music. In particular, the Psalm functions best as a meditation on the readings when we know it well and the mechanics of singing it do not consume too much of our focus. Similarly, with the individual parts of the Mass Settings (the sung acclamations)

Psalm – YouTube link:
Psalm 25: To You, O Lord – Marty Haugen  (Seasonal – for Advent)

Not in Hymnal – YouTube link:
Abide With Us, Emmanuel – Marty Haugen

Mass Setting:
The Missa Emmanuel is a setting based on the very familiar tune VENI VENI EMMANUEL (O Come, O Come, Emmanuel)
We do a slightly modified version.

Preface Dialog – YouTube link:
Traditional Chant – ICEL

Our Father – Fr. Paveglio & Corpus Christi:
Traditional Chant – ICEL

The Worship Calendar:

Nearby: St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church  (clustered with Corpus Christi)