Archive: Father Simon Sez

 One of the most important ways to prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ into our lives in a life-changing way is to go to confession on a regular basis. A good general rule is once per month. I schedule many more opportunities than usual during Advent season for confessions so that we can have a more meaningful celebration of Christmas (Christ-Mass). We open ourselves up all the more to receive the Gift of Joy when we have a right relationship with God by responding to John the Baptist’s proclamation of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Like St. Paul in today’s second reading (Phil 1: 4-6, 8- 11), I am confident “...that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus” provided that you never give up on God’s mercy for you. As it says in the Gospel Acclamation for today (Luke 3:4, 6), “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths: all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

I hope you had a happy and restful Thanksgiving. We had a good turnout of parishioners at our Masses Wednesday evening and Thursday morning. It’s the best way to start Thanksgiving by giving thanks to God first!

I got to get out pheasant hunting for a couple hours this Saturday with my family’s hunting party. I got my limit of three roosters walking through one slough (if you count the one I hit hard and couldn’t find). It’s been a strange year of hunting, about like the past year in general. Usually, I was doing good if I bagged one rooster per day. We also pushed out two does and a buck deer. When I saw the buck, I said, “That’s not a buck. It’s half a buck!” (It had one-half of a rack of horns.)

At the start of this Advent season, we begin our wait with hopeful expectation of the coming of the Lord. On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception December 8 (a Holy Day of Obligation) we celebrate with expectation the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary immaculately conceived in her mother Ann’s womb. In a normal year on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe December 12 we celebrate our Lady appearing to Juan Diego as being pregnant with the Child Jesus in Mexico; thus, awaiting the coming of Jesus to the New World!

This year it’s on a Sunday. Pray that Jesus may come to you in a new and wonderfully surprising way by praying, “Come Lord Jesus.”

I am available to go on a pilgrimage to March for Life in Washington, D.C. The diocese bus is about one-half full with high school youth and any adults who want to go. We can sign up and go with them January 19 - 23, 2021, or I can lead an extended pilgrimage as I did with a bus load in 2006. We have a few people interested. Let me know before the diocese deadline of December 13 or before their bus fills if you are interested in going one way or another.

Fr. Simon's Happenings: I was gone this past week hunting pheasants in the Claremont area or at least tried! We didn’t decrease the population by much. What worked best was to let the farmers combining corn do the work. They enjoyed watching us at the ends of their fields!