We find ourselves in the season of Advent, the beginning of another liturgical year in the life of the Church.
Advent is a time of expectant waiting and preparations for the Nativity of Jesus. It is a time of preparation for the coming of the Christ-Child, the Messiah in that little manger over 2000 years ago. It is also a time of waiting... waiting in joyful hope for the second coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Pope Benedict XVI tells us in his First Vespers homily:
Advent, this intense liturgical time that we are beginning, invites us to pause in silence to grasp a presence. It is an invitation to understand that every event of the day is a gesture that God directs to us, a sign of the care he has for each one of us. How many times God makes us perceive something of his love! To have, so to speak, an "interior diary" of this love would be a beautiful and salutary task for our life! Advent invites and stimulates us to contemplate the Lord who is present. Should not the certainty of his presence help us to see the world with different eyes? Should it not help us to see our whole existence as a visit," as a way in which he can come to us and be close to us, in each situation?
- BXVI: He Is Here and Comes to Visit Us - Nov. 29th 2009.
I leave you with my favourite Advent Hymn. It is O Come, O Come Emmanuel...beautifully done by Selah. Counter pointing it with the Hatikvah (the Israeli anthem for hope).
d.jt
It's August 6th, one more month left of "holiday", and then its back to the books for my final year of study.
Seems like school ended just the other day, and I remember thinking to myself "I'm going to take it easy this summer and gear up for my final year" and yet the summer has been anything but "takin' it easy." It has been a busy summer, I was Ordained a Transitional Deacon on the 24th of May and since then I've been assigned to a rather busy parish and have been able to minister to the People of God there. This experience has been incredibly rewarding and can only prepare me for my future ministry as a Priest in just under a year.
It has been a rewarding summer. I have been able to exercise my ministry as a newly ordained deacon - I have been able to baptize! I am also getting ready for my first wedding later this month, with two more weddings coming up in the near future (no, I'm not getting married, but now as a cleric, I can witness marriages). Of course, one of the most rewarding experiences I've had so far has been spending time with parishioners. We are given this wonderful opportunity to be welcomed into the lives of so many people - people I didn't know before I arrived at the parish and began my ministry, and yet they have welcomed me into their homes and into their lives, and they have shared with me many special moments. I'm always so thankful for such moments.
It has also been a difficult summer. I learned recently that someone very close to me - a woman whom I admire, respect and love very deeply, my grandmother - has been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. I have been on the phone with her about twice a day, and able to visit with her weekly (in fact, I'm with her right now) to comfort her and to spend time with her - but it is very difficult to see a loved one in so much pain. My prayers are with you grandma!
My summer continues and I take it one step at a time. Thanks to those who have been keeping in touch and wondering how my summer has been going - I appreciate your friendship. I offer myself into my Father's loving hands and pray that He may continue to strengthen me. May He guide me and use me as His instrument in this world.
Peace,
.jt
Step aside annoying ShamWow guy, introducing Fr. Vic from SoulWow.com
Checkout this great little ad!
The resurrection of Christ is the basis of our Christian faith. It is the greatest of the miracles - it proves that Jesus is God. That is why St. Paul writes:” If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain; and your faith is in vain… And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is a delusion and you are still lost in your sins… But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (I Cor 15: 14, 17, 20). Without the Resurrection, Jesus would have remained for ever “a good person who met a tragic end.” People would have remembered some of his teachings and a handful of people might have tried to live according to them. All the basic doctrines of Christianity are founded on the truth of the Resurrection. “Jesus is Lord, he is risen” (Rom.10: 9) was the central theme of the kerygma (or 'preaching') of the apostles. 
Well here we are, it seems like just yesterday we celebrated the Birth of Christ, and now we're journeying with Him to Calvary.
There are forty days in Lent (excluding Sundays) which are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance. The three traditional practices to be taken up with renewed vigour during Lent are prayer (justice towards God), fasting (justice towards self), and almsgiving (justice towards neighbour). Today, some people give up a vice of theirs, add something that will bring them closer to God, and often give the time or money spent doing that to charitable purposes or organizations.
Well, the people who are closest to me know that I have been thinking about starting the Isagenix program. Indeed I did start the program, this past Tuesday. If you know anything about it, there's about 2 days of "pre-cleanse" just to get you used to the program, which as far as I can tell isn't hurting me at all, and then my coach told me about doing two cleanse days, back to back, so today is the first of two cleanse days. I shall be monitoring my progress as I go through the program, with pictures and measurements, just for my own sake.
Pray for me, and lets hope this works out. Some of my friends said I was nuts for starting this over the holidays, because I'll be eating like crazy while visiting with people, but I'm pretty srubborn... plus I have a few friends helping me out with the whole thing (They've been on Isagenix for a few months now). Time will tell I suppose.
.jt
Papers and exams are finally done. I must say, I'm quite happy to be finished with it all. I'm pretty convinced that this was the most difficult academic semester... ever ... for me.
Anyway, I'm Free now :)
the Blessings of Hope
and the Love of Christ at Christmas and Always!
.jt
