Beloved in Christ,
 
                                                                                Stay Awake!
 
The Advent season begins today with a firm instruction from the Gospel of Mathew 24:37-44 to stay awake and not be caught unprepared for the coming of Jesus Christ. This year's four-week season of Advent is a twenty-eight-day     period of preparation for the two-comings of Jesus into our life and world:
"Advent has a twofold character, for it is a time of preparation for the Solemnities of Christmas, in which the First   Coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered, and likewise a time when, by remembrance of this, minds and hearts are led to look forward to Christ's Second Coming at the end of time. For these two reasons, Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight (Universal Norms, 39).
 
We must continually long for his coming by being always prepared, "Therefore, stay awake!" How do we prepare for the two arrivals of Jesus? We often think of his first coming, which we commemorate at Christmas, but we cannot   afford to ignore his yet-to-be second appearance in the future. Hence we have to be watchful. We have made some provisions to help us get into the mode and attitude of watchfulness in this busy and culturally commercialized time. Don't get caught up in the culture of "busyness." Stay awake and focused on the real purpose of the season.
 
 You received a "What Am I Doing for Advent This Year? " booklet and an "Advent with Hallow" prayer aid. These are my gifts to you to get you going. Other spiritual supports include the parish Advent penance service on December 16, Worship Night on December 17, and Advent Journey of Hope musical parish mission by Mark Forrest on December 18. These trio-spiritual events are part of the parish's efforts to keep us in watchful mode. We also need to take note of the Advent Wreath lighting. I intend that praying with the Advent Wreath extends to the domestic-home church. We hope each family makes the symbolic rite part of their family life to prepare them spiritually for the arrival of Christ.
 
Let's be joyful and hopeful as we await the coming of Jesus at Mass.
 
With joyful hope,
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

Beloved in Christ,
                                                                
                                                                         Let Jesus Reign
 
The feast of Christ, King of the Universe, brings the Church's liturgical year to a close. We emphasize the supremacy of Christ over all things. All things fall under his reign. The reign of Christ is an essential message for our time. We sometimes get carried away with our human achievements and forget our ultimate, supernatural end, the kingdom of God we pray for in the Lord's prayer. Jesus is the one who subjects all created things to his reign. As we see in the liturgical and biblical texts for this Sunday's mass, Jesus' kingdom is not of this world; it exceeds its parameters. As the preface shows, his kingdom is "an eternal and universal kingdom, a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice, love and peace." Our ultimate goal is to be part of this kingdom, and we pray that Jesus accepts us into it: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom" (Lk 23: 42). How did he bring his reign into effect?
 
He reigns from the throne of the cross. He achieved victory over his kingdom's enemies from the wood of the cross. He reigns from the cross. What a paradox! But it is true; Jesus' reign derives from his sacrifice on the cross. From the cross, Jesus delivers us from slavery to sin and the darkness of death. All that the devil has stolen from us, Jesus restores by his kingship, by his reign from the cross. Now that he has restored us to our true identity, we have become willing subjects of his spiritual kingdom. We will now humbly render his majesty service and "ceaselessly proclaim his praise" (Preface: Christ, King of the Universe). But, to offer our service to him and praise him properly, we must first, in humility, yield our minds, our wills, and our actions to him.
 
Pope Pius XI says this of Christ's reign in his December 11, 1925, Encyclical, Quas Primas:
 
"He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to revealed truths and doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls" (21).
 
It works in our favor that the national Thanksgiving holiday falls in the last days of the liturgical year. Maybe we should look back into the year and offer thanks to God for all the graces he has bestowed upon us, the Church, in all the mysteries of faith we have celebrated through the liturgical calendar. Let us thank God for all the Lord Jesus has done for us through his reign from the cross.
 
Happy Thanksgiving!
From a thankful heart,
Fr. Bernard, OP
 

 Beloved friends,
                                                                  World Day of the Poor
 
In his Apostolic Letter, Misericordia et Misera, released on November 20, 2016, Pope Francis designated the Thirty-Third Sunday of Ordinary Time "World Day of the Poor." We join the universal church in becoming a witness to mercy by working toward mitigating poverty in our country and the world at large. It is evident in the gospels that Jesus identified with the poor. We, too, like our Lord and teacher, should be attentive to the cry of the poor and act to cut off the web of poverty in our  community. As we get closer to winter, we shall notice more vividly the plight of the homeless, the hungry, the sick, and the impoverished in our society. As people of the Kingdom of Christ, we cannot afford not to bear witness to mercy as we see people in misery. As Pope Francis wrote, "as long as Lazarus lies at the door of our homes (cf. Lk 16: 19-21), there can be no justice or social peace."
 
On this note, I want to emphasize the importance of the ministry of the St. Vincent de Paul society. As I have noted, SVDP society is the face of our parish in reaching out to the poor and finding ways to help them live with dignity. In supporting with housing, feeding, health, and other areas, we do what Jesus asked us to do for him in the poor. Please let us continue to be generous to the poor through SVDP society. They support, among other things, in the forthcoming Christmas season,     children without means of enjoying the cheers of Christmas through the Angel of Hope program and other events. Please support this program and ministry in cash and kind.
 
Also, do not forget to offer prayers for the dead this November. As we read in this Sunday's liturgy of the word and as we shall read for the next few weeks, the last things always matter: death, judgment, heaven and hell. It is an act of charity to offer prayers for your loved ones who have passed on. We have their names inscribed in our books, and I have their names laid on the altar to call my attention to pray especially for them at every mass I celebrate in our churches.
 
We will return to the historic church tomorrow to celebrate weekday masses. Then, we would have completed the repair of the broken slabs in front of the church and constructed a new walkway, and we could look forward to a more welcoming pathway to that beautiful church.
 
Next Sunday is the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the last Sunday of the church's liturgical year. So let's come with a joyful spirit to celebrate Jesus' Lordship over our world before we begin the more somber Advent     season.
 
In His Joy,                                                                                                                                                                 Fr. Bernard, OP
 

Beloved in Christ,
            
                                                         We hope that the Dead will Rise
 
In November, the Mass readings point more toward reflections on the Last Four things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell. On November 1st and 2nd, we celebrated the masses of All Saints and All Souls (all the faithful departed) to reflect the Church's focus on the Last Things. In light of this, we focus on Christian hope in the resurrection of the dead in this Sunday's liturgy. The seven brothers in 2 Maccabees 7 bore witness to their belief in the resurrection of the dead. One of the brothers, as he was dying, did so "with the hope God gives of being raised up by him" (v. 13-14). We, Catholics, as we say in the Creed, hope that the dead will rise (et expecto, resurrectionem mortuorum) but also believe that many dead souls may need the help of our prayers to get an early release from purgatory into heaven before the second coming of Jesus.
 
The Church instructs us to remember in a particular way during November "our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of resurrection" (Eucharistic Prayer II). Here in St. Peter, we have a tradition of making available a book in which we could inscribe names of our loved ones who have passed on to remember them in suffrages for the dead. I also encourage us to write the names of our beloved dead in the envelopes provided. These are placed on the altar to remember them more intentionally at mass and prayer of the rosary. There are other practices in November, like visits to the cemetery, gaining plenary indulgences, and praying the office of the dead, that I also encourage.
 
I published our budget summary for the last fiscal year (2021-2022) last Sunday. I believe you have perused it. You would have noticed that our financial state is not particularly in dire straits because of your generosity over the years. I am thankful for your stewardship. However, you would have seen a steady decrease in our Sunday and DAC collections. Please consider giving more so we can make our target for the current year. I plead with those individuals and families yet to contribute to doing so in the months ahead. Thanks for your anticipated positive response.
 
I also want to bring to your notice the cement repairs beginning at the Historic Church tomorrow, Monday, November 7th. The repair will make the front of the church more walk-friendly and beautiful. As a result of the repair work, all daily masses for this week (beginning Monday, November 7) will be at the church on the hill, as I prefer to call the main church. 
 
Finally, I am happy to announce an additional mass to our weekly schedule. We have started having the First Saturday masses! We had a "test run" on Saturday, November 5, at 8 a.m. in the historic church. The next one will be on Saturday, November 3, at 8 a.m. in the Historic Church.
 
In the Heart of Christ,
Fr. Bernard, OP