Luke 21: 25-28, 34-36

“Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:36). These are the words Jesus leaves us with, and what a glorious sending forth for this first week of Advent. What is Advent really about though, and why would we have this Gospel for the first week? Advent is a time of hard preparation for two things, the coming of Jesus at Christmas and His glorious second coming. The second is what Christ was speaking of in this Gospel. We must be vigilant and watchful. We must prepare ourselves for the Lord. The Lord will come again and that is the hope that has been instilled into each and every one of us. We must “prepare the Way of the Lord…” as St. John the Baptist heralded. We must look to ourselves deep inside to get rid of things that are weighing us down because when Jesus comes we won’t want anything to slow us down. Jesus says that there will be signs everywhere that the time has come for Him to come again. To see these signs we must have a clean and pure heart, which everyone can obtain through Jesus. He also tells us that we should stand erect and raise our heads for our redemption is at hand. What great hope our Lord and Savior has given to us. God bless each and everyone, and have a warm and blessed Advent season.

Reflection by: Jerry Krajewski

John Bender's "Morning Offering"

Lord today I offer You all of my triumphs and my shortcomings. I offer You my joys and my sorrows, my laughter and my tears.

Lord Jesus you are active and alive in the world. I offer You this day so that I may remain close to Your Sacred Heart and fall head over heels in love with You. During this day, I open my own heart; small, weak and frail, in hope that You will enter in and transform my heart into a heart like Yours. Let my heart become filled with burning love and desire for Your people everywhere. Let me be filled with the same compassion and peace that is in Your Sacred Heart.Let me show love to those who are not loved, become a friend to those who are friendless, and show mercy to those who are merciless. Lord Jesus, during this day may I be You for others who do not know You. Let me be Your servant by serving others. Please help me to become like you, perfect and holy, loving and compassionate, full of forgiveness and mercy.

Be with me during this day and grant me a peaceful rest in the night so that when the first rays of dawn shine forth, I may rise to greet you, refreshed and ready for a brand new day in which to serve you.

Reflections on the 'Our Father' - a poem by Charles Peguy:

A Vision of Prayer

God Speaks: "I am their father, says God. Our Father who art in Heaven.
My son told them often enough that I was their father.
I am their judge. My son told them so. I am also their father.
I am especially their father.

Well, I am their father. He who is a father is above all a father.
Our Father who art in Heaven. He who has once been a father can be
nothing else but a father.

They are my son's brothers; they are my children; I am their father.
Our Father who art in Heaven, my son taught them that prayer.
Sic ergo vos orabitis. After this manner therefore pray ye.

Our Father who art in Heaven, he knew well what he was doing that day,
my son who loved them so.
Who lived among them, who was like one of them.
Who went as they did, who spoke as they did, who lived as they did.
Who suffered.
Who suffered as they did, who died as they did.
And who loved them so, having known them.
Who brought back to heaven a certain taste for man, a certain taste for the
earth.

My son who loved them so, who loves them eternally in heaven.
He knew very well what he was doing that day, my son who loved them so.
When he put that barrier between them and me, Our Father who art in
Heaven, those three or four words. That barrier which my anger and perhaps my
justice will never pass.
Blessed is the man who goes to sleep under the protection of that outpost,
The outpost of those three or four words.
Those words that move ahead of every prayer like the hands of the suppliant if
front of his face.
Like the two joined hands of the suppliant advancing before his face and the
tears of his face.
Those three or four words that conquer me, the unconquerable.
And which they cause to go before their distress like two joined and invincible
hands.
Those three or four words which move forward like a beautiful cutwater fronting
a lowly ship.
Cutting the flood of my anger.
That, actually, is the way I see them, says God…

Because of that invention of my Son’s, thus must I eternally see them
(And judge them, How do you expect me to judge them now, after that?)
Our Father who art in Heaven, my son knew exactly what to do
In order to tie the arms of my justice and untie the arms of my mercy.
(I do not mention my anger, which has never been anything but my justice.
And sometimes my charity.)
And now I must judge them like a father. As if a father was any good as a
judge. A certain man had two sons.
As if he was capable of judging. A certain man had two sons.
We know well enough how a father judges. There is a famous example of that.
We know well enough how the father judged the son who had gone away and came
back.

The father wept even more than the son.

That is the story my son has been telling them. My son gave them the secret of
judgment itself.
And now this is how they seem to me; this is how I see them.
Just as the wake of a beautiful ship grows wider and wider until it disappears
and loses itself…

And the ship is my own son, laden with all the sins of the world.

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