The First Sunday of Advent

The First Sunday of Advent! “Therefore,” says the Gospel, “stay awake!” In other words, keep your eyes open.

The Middlers this week discovered a scientific fact, which seems counter-intuitive. It is humanly impossible to walk a straight line while blindfolded. In fact, if allowed to walk long enough, a blindfolded person will begin to walk in circles. In order to walk a straight line, a person must not only have his/her eyes open, but must also be looking at something straight ahead.

While the Middlers lined up on either side of the middle aisle in church, three volunteers were blindfolded and told that they were pointing directly at the back doors of the church. All they had to do was walk straight. None could do it, as they bumped into one line of friends on one side and then on the other. One volunteer even began to walk in circles as she approached the back of the church.

The warning in the gospel to stay awake doesn’t mean to caffeinate ourselves with worry about the Last Days. It means to keep our eyes on Jesus and walk towards him always. Only then will we walk straight.

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Much to do to prepare for Christmas! Pray that we prepare well.

Christmas Pageant News

Next week, watch for news in the Parish Bulletin, on the Parish Website http://sjsmrcc.com/ and right here in the KidsRelig Blog about our Annual Christmas Pageant at the 4 PM Christmas Eve Mass and the rehearsals for the Pageant Kids and the Choir.

Calendar Reminder

The Annual KidsRelig Calendar is always available on the Religious Education Page of the Parish Website (http://sjsmrcc.com/). The Annual Calendar contains the schedule of all our session days and when classes are NOT in session. In December, please note that there is NO KIDSRELIG for GRAFFLIN on Wednesday, December 8, which means that the LAST CLASS BEFORE CHRISTMAS for Grafflin is Wednesday, December 1. The LAST CLASSES BEFORE CHRISTMAS for the Tuesday (Bell and Westorchard) and Thursday (Seven Bridges and Roaring Brook) Sessions will be Tuesday, December 7 and Thursday, December 9.

Love,

Deacon Charlie

Thanksgiving 2010

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

from

KidsRelig

A Thanksgiving Grace

With thankfulness, O Lord above,

We bless you for your gift of love,

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food and all our friends,

For everything your goodness sends.

Open our hearts and hands to bless

The poor and all who have much less.

Please, keep us close to you each day,

And bless this meal, O Lord, we pray.

Amen.

Good News for Christ the King--The Last Sunday of the Church Year

Jesus is enthroned as king--on a cross. He never stops turning our world upside-down and making us look, not at what we can see, but at what we can't.

The Middlers went to the circus to see the clowns. And the clowns stepped into the center ring--goofy looking, silly looking and even a little ugly looking. And we laughed! Then, there were those clowns who are always getting hurt--bonged on the head, slapped in the face, tripped to the floor. And we laughed! Finally, the sad sacks--always making mistakes, always getting it wrong, always screwing up. And we laughed.

Three crosses--one good guy in the middle and two bad guys. Bad guy #1 looks at Jesus--ugly, hurt and all screwed up. And he laughs! Because he's convinced that the ugly, the hurt and the screwed up belong only to Jesus. It all keeps him apart from Jesus and lets him put Jesus down. The laugh of bad guy #1 says: I'm better than you.

And bad guy #2 looks at Jesus and says: You're ugly, you're hurt, you're all screwed up--and so am I; we're in this mess together. And Jesus says: Since you could look at me--ugly, hurt and screwed up--and see yourself and us together, then together we shall be forever--in Paradise.

And the Middlers said: Got it!!! Jesus is the clown and the clowns are us.

It was off to the beaches with the Elementaries to meet Dr. Seuss and the Sneetches. There were star-belly Sneetches, who thought they were better than plain-bellies. A smart guy, named Sylvester McMonkey McBean, figured out that whatever kept Sneetches apart could make him rich. He put stars on and took stars off and laughed at the Sneetches, who'd rather empty their wallets than empty the hearts. McBean thought Sneetches would never learn, but he was wrong. They finally got it: "That day they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches.

And no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches."

And the Elementaries got it too. Are we better enough to laugh at another or good enough to be one with each other?

Three crosses and a king, who becomes a clown, so that we can all be clowns together (or maybe Sneetches)!

Love,

Deacon Charlie

Good News for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Middlers were dealt cards from an oversized deck of playing cards. As they turned over the Ace of Spades, the King of Hearts or one of the many other cards in our hand, they found the words of this week’s gospel. Scary words about wars, famine, disease, earthquakes and persecution! Stuff we don’t want to think about and would like to avoid, but we can’t. They’re the cards we’re dealt, and they’re for real. We discovered this, as we pulled out the headlines from around the world—terrorism is Afghanistan, famine in Uganda, earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and Indonesia and cholera in Port-au-Prince.

Why all the scary stuff, and why from Jesus? Because Jesus does not avoid the truth. The scary stuff is there, and it is evil. Even Jesus could not make it disappear; he had to struggle against it. He can’t make it disappear for us either, but he invites us to join in that struggle.

That brought us to the last playing card—Jesus rising from the dead and the gospel words: Be faithful, and evil will never destroy you. Remember, resurrection is the triumph of the cross.

The Elementaries also learned about bad things—getting sick, getting a flat tire on your bike, getting in a fight with your brother or sister. All bad! But in everything bad, there was good to be found—mom taking good care, dad helping to fix that flat, the chance to say “sorry.” Today’s gospel tells us that there is plenty of bad, but also every chance to find good. It all depends on how hard we work at it.

Love,

Deacon Charlie

Thanksgiving Outreach Weekend--November 13th&14th

Our Annual Thanksgiving Outreach

November 13th and 14th

Please bring needed items to all Masses

FROZEN TURKEYS

(Please, no larger than 15lbs.)

Cranberry Sauce, Stuffing, Potatoes (sweet/white), Canned Fruit, Canned Vegetables, Turkey Gravy, Cookies/Pies, Rolls, Juice/Cider/Coffee/Tea, Soup

Your donations will benefit many this holiday season through our parish's contributions to local food pantries. Your generosity will also make possible the sharing of Thanksgiving Dinners with families in our own community and parish.

All are grateful for the outpouring of your support, but especially those who receive your gifts.

Good News for the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In today’s gospel, a wise guy comes up to Jesus to pick a fight. And, in so many words, Jesus tells him, “Stop arguing with me about all the stupid stuff; learn to think outside the box, where you will find only one truth--God. As all the stupid stuff changes and changes and changes again—both in life and death—our God remains the same. So, be as true to God as God remains true to all of us. And don’t sweat the details.”

Ask the Middlers about the box, and about the details that keep changing, even as God remains the same.

And then, ask the Elementaries about Asher—our new grandson, born Sunday, October 31st. The Elementaries saw a picture of Asher when he was 4 hours old and pictures of Hudson, his big brother, and Catie, his mom, at the very same age. Then, they saw a summertime picture of Hudson, who is now 3 1/2 years old, and one of Catie at 3 ½. Oh, the changes! And for more changes, they saw Catie being silly as a teenager at Greeley and real serious as a mom in her Air Force uniform. Then, the kids noticed the blanks next to Asher’s picture and knew right away that they were waiting to be filled with more changes.

Through all these changes, the kids got it—one thing remained the same--Pop’s love for Catie and Hudson and Asher!

Details change—don’t sweat them; God remains the same. If we only think outside the box, we will find the One who is always true, and there we will find ourselves-- just as true to the One who always loves us.!

Love,

Deacon Charlie