Monday 8 am
Tuesday  8 am
Wednesday 8 am
Thursday 8 am
Friday 8 am
Except First Fridays, No 8 am Mass
Mass is at 12 pm every First Friday

* * *

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Sunday: 7:30 a.m. (no livestream)

Sunday 10 am 

Sunday 5 pm (no livestream)

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         by Appointment: 973-635-0625 
          phone extensions:

152 Fr. Bob                     156 Fr. Artur
fr.bob@st-pats.org        fr.artur@st-pats.org

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     The Saint Patrick Parish office is open Monday through Friday, 9 am-1 pm.

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November 29, 2020

Advent:  A Season of Hope
 
 Once upon a time there was a man who wanted to search for deep wells. Before he set out to seek them, he thought it would first be wise to consult all the great books that had been written on the subject of deep wells. The man read many books on the location of wells, the various shapes they came in and the differences in depth they possessed. One day, while strolling casually along, engrossed in his reading about wells, he failed to notice a large, deep well right in front of him. When he bumped into the ruin of the deep well, his book flew from his hands and fell quite far into the deep recesses of the well. The man, quite upset at the loss, frantically lowered a nearby bucket to retrieve his book but his attempt was in vain. The man went away very sad that he had lost his book because he thought, without the book, how would he ever be able to find a deep well.
 
This weekend marks the start of a new liturgical year with the Season of Advent as the church moves into Cycle B of the Sunday readings and puts focus on the Gospel of Mark, who ushers in the coming of the Lord. Like the man who gave up upon losing his book, Advent directs us to put away the book and use the wisdom we’ve gained through this past year in combating the pandemic for implementation upon the particular activities which have importance in life that may be experienced during this festive time of year. Wise Christians must not feel a loss within Advent without many of the spiritual and social gatherings that most of us are accustomed to in that there are sufficient opportunities to recognize the coming of the Lord in the mystery of his love that we never completely understand.
 
The scriptures throughout Advent remind us never to give up; especially if our treasure falls into the well. The Gospel for the First Sunday in Advent makes it known that God is nudging us to take time during Advent to plant seeds of hope into our lives while the prophet Isaiah reminds us that “No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God doing such deeds for those who wait for him” even if something precious to us is at the bottom of the well. We are challenged to live with expectations of all that we may be if we let God cultivate the fruits of our goodness, which elevate the presence of Christ during hard times.
 
Advent is a season of joyful waiting to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and live with anticipation for his second coming. Pope Francis has called this liturgical year a “Year of Grace” which manufactures good intentions that refrain from negative thinking. The Season does not call us into isolation from Christ even while we continue to spar with Covid-19 in that there are abundant ways to keep our hopes alive within the uncertainty that this year continues to bring to us. This inspires us to think and behave differently rather than give in to fear or anxiety since hope engenders the power to prevail over obstacles that await us, which is the reason that today’s Gospel from Mark calls us to “watch” with intelligent optimism to focus on all that may be done to fine tune our lives in striving to build a better world during these troublesome days saturated with perplexing choices.    
 
Advent bids us to erect a home for the savior. This requires effort and hard work, yet navigates us on a path that is only journeyed during this Season. Although we know that historically Jesus can never be born again, building a home for the Christ-child makes us the clay used by the potter to be the work of the Lord’s hands. This sparks our lives to subdue anything that chains us against the wall during this present crisis of the coronavirus. Openness to the will of God renders opportunities to display the presence of Christ in our lives, which leads to a happier and fuller life rather than one immersed with tension and anxiety. May Advent be for you a heartwarming excursion filled with hope that pilots you to a joyful Christmas.
  
 In Christ's Love,
Fr. Bob

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