November 30 , 2014 ‐ 1st Sunday of Advent S F A Medita on: Come, Lord Jesus! This is the cry of the Church throughout all of Advent. This cry must come from the depths of our hearts. Li le by li le our hearts become aware of the Lord and we seek Him. And where else can we find Him except in the living Word that God has given us in Jesus Christ? Where else but in the words given to us in the Scriptures? The Prophet Isaiah speaks to us on this First Sunday of Advent: Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down! And then he adds: O Lord, you are our father; we are the clay and you the po er: we are all the work of your hands. We could spend all of Advent with these words in our hearts. Come, O Lord. We are the clay and you are the po er. Form us in your image because by ourselves we can do nothing. Without you, we are nothing. The First Le er to the Corinthians then tells us: God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. It is this faithfulness of the Lord that truly allows us to be and to grow and to seek the Lord. We look for happiness in so many other things, seeking so much that is not God. But in the midst of it all our hearts are seeking that which is the meaning of our life; the One who always loves us and calls us to Himself. It is God alone who answers our heart’s desire. The Gospel of Mark today is very short, but the message is so clear! Be watchful. Be alert. Our whole being needs to respond to the Lord. The Lord is coming to us but so o en we miss Him because we do not expect Him to come in the ways in which He reveals Himself. It is always the same. In every age Jesus comes as the poor, the outcast, the lowly, the despised. So how can we be alert and keep watch? There is only one possible solu on: let us love Him more and more. Then we will want Him more and more. Then we will wait for Him more and more. Come, Lord Jesus. L’anno B del ciclo triennale delle le ure è l’anno di Marco. Eppure non si comincia dal paragrafo iniziale del suo Vangelo, che sarà ogge o di le ura nella se mana prossima: si parte dal punto in cui terminerà la penul ma se mana dell’anno, con l’annuncio del ritorno di Cristo: “Allora vedranno il Figlio dell’uomo venire sulle nubi con grande potenza e gloria”. A prima vista, ciò può sembrare strano ed illogico. Invece, nella liturgia, c’è un’estrema so gliezza nell’effe uare il cambiamento di tono: la nostra a enzione, che nelle ul me se mane era centrata sul giudizio e sulla fine del mondo, si sposta ora sul modo di accogliere Cristo: non con paura, ma con impazienza, proprio come un servo che a ende il ritorno del padrone. In quanto preparazione al Natale, l’Avvento deve essere un tempo di a esa nella gioia. San Paolo interpreta il nostro periodo d’a esa come un tempo in cui dobbiamo tes moniare Cristo: “Nessun dono di grazia più vi manca, mentre aspe ate la manifestazione del Signore nostro Gesù Cristo” A Keep awake. You do not know when the Master is coming. Knights of Columbus Recruitment All men, age 18 or older, are invited and encouraged to join our parish chapter of the Knights of Columbus. The Knights are the largest Catholic men’s organiza on in the world. There are more than 1.8 million members in 15,000 councils around the globe. They are known for their good works and charity. They are also well known for the colourful apparel of the ‘fourth degree’ which can be seen at more solemn occasions. The Knights meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month. For more info, contact Luigi at 604‐721‐7705. Thank You Many thanks to the Mt Carmel Society for their recent purchase of a new Ablu on Cup for the parish. The Ablu on Cup is used to cleanse the fingers of the priest and Extraordinary Ministers a er distribu ng Holy Communion. Children’s Na vity Play On Christmas Eve, at the 5 pm Family Mass, we will be having a na vity play. Children are invited to join as actors and narrators. There will be no speaking parts except for the narrators. We need a Mary, Joseph, Innkeeper, Wisemen, angels, animals and narrators. Parents, please contact Clara Campedelli for more informa on at [email protected]. Prac ces start mid‐December. Youth Group Meets Today The SFA Youth Group meets in the Hall today from 12 noon to 2 pm. New members, in Grades 5, 6 & 7 are always welcome! CHURCH CLEANING Thank you for dedica on and faithful service! ST. ANTONIO DE CICCIANO GROUP: Maria Pollastre , Immacolata Lemmo, Emilia Ponto Next: M&M Group Parish Advent Mission This Week Our Parish Advent Mission starts this week! Everyone is invited to come each evening from Monday, Dec 1 to Thursday Dec 4. The Mission will start with Mass and then we will hear our very own parishioners, Kyle Neilson and Roland Carelse‐Borzel, speak powerfully of their journey into the Catholic faith and how each of us can live as fulfilled and effec ve Catholics in our daily life. Come, and invite a friend! Mass Inten ons and Parish Ac vi es Sat Nov 29 5:00 pm Sun Nov 30 9:00 am Christmas Food Dona ons Christmas is coming and we will once again be preparing Christmas Hampers for families in need. We are accep ng dona ons of non‐perishable food for the hampers. Please place canned goods, pasta, rice and other items in the marked box under the table at the church entrance. Mon Dec 1 8:00 am 6:45 pm 7:00 pm † Ripoli family PREP at the school Advent Mission Tue Dec 2 7:00 pm New Missals Advent marks the beginning of the new liturgical year and new Sunday Missals in our pews. If you would like to have a personal copy of the Missal, please purchase one from the back of the church. $5 each. Perpetual Novena ‐ St Francis Advent Mission Wed Dec 3 St Francis Xavier 8:00 am 7:00 pm 7:00 pm † Gubiani & Guerra families Advent Mission RCIA in Conference Room Thu Dec 4 8:00 am 7:00 pm † All Souls in Purgatory † Anh Truc Ho Advent Mission Fri Dec 5 8:00 am 9:15 am 6:30 pm † Maria Des Lauriers School Mass Preschool Family Movie Night Sat Dec 6 9:00 am San Nicola † Fausta Albi God the Father Devo on Special Inten on Palmerino & Splendora Ba sta No Italian Mass or Over 50 Thursday The Italian Mass at 11 am on Thursday has been cancelled. Also, the SFA Over 50 Club will not be mee ng in the Hall this week. Mt Carmel Retreat The Mt Carmel Society is hos ng a one day retreat in our parish on Monday, December 8th. The day begins 10:00 am and concludes about 3:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to a end. The cost is $12. and includes a delicious lunch. For more info, please phone Raffaelina at 604‐438‐3494. Angel Christmas Tree Our Angel Christmas tree is at the back of the church for all who wish to par cipate in sharing with the less fortunate in our community. To share the gi of giving, please pick a li le angel name tag off the tree and purchase a Christmas present for a child aged 16 or under. Wrap and label the gi (boy/girl, age __ ) and bring it to the Office before Monday, Dec. 15. Thank you for your generosity. 2015 Envelopes The Offering Envelopes for 2015 are ready for pick up on a table at the church entrance. They are arranged alphabe cally. Please be sure to take only your own envelopes. If you don’t have envelopes and would like some, please call the Office at 604‐255‐8855. † Felice & Maria Coltellaro † Giuseppe Franciosi 10:30 am † Natalino Aiello † Francesco & Soava Di Nozzi 12:00 pm Bap sm ‐ Welcome to Brooklyn Harvey 12:00 pm Youth Group in Hall 5:00 pm Special Inten on St Nicholas 4:30 pm 5:00 pm Sun Dec 7 All Parishioners 9:00 am † Giovanni & Maria Franco † All Souls in Purgatory 10:30 am † Giuseppe DeLuca San Nicola 11:30 am Coffee & Goodies in Hall 12:00 pm Bap sm ‐ Welcome to Paxton Chan 5:00pm † Lino & Giovanna Breda Special Inten on Christmas Choir Members Needed If you enjoy singing you are welcome to “do something beau ful for God” by joining the 10:30 am choir as they prepare for the special Christmas Mass on Dec 24 at 9:00 pm. Prac ces will be held Saturday Dec 13 & 20 at 9:30 am. Ecumenical Advent Concert Vancouv23er Chris an Churches are hos ng an Ecumenical Advent Concert which will bring together voices from various Chris an tradi ons. Everyone is welcome to a end this unique concert at Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Vancouver. Sunday, Dec. 7 at 3pm. For more informa on, please contact 604‐683‐0281 ext. 229 or [email protected] rcav.org/ecumenical‐advent‐concert/ Advent Peniten al Service The Peniten al Service at St Francis of Assisi will be held on Friday, Dec 17 at 7 pm. A full lis ng of Peniten al Services at nearby parishes will be in next week’s bulle n. Bap sms and Weddings To arrange for a bap sm or wedding, please call the Office at 604‐255‐8855 and arrange for an appointment with Fr. Eugenio. related to today’s Readings notes from Fr. Boniface Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of salva on, in the expecta on of a new and everlas ng Covenant intended for all, to be wri en on their hearts. The prophets proclaim a radical redemp on of the People of God, purifica on from all their infideli es, a salva on which will include all the na ons. Above all, the poor and humble of the Lord will bear this hope. Such holy women as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Judith and Esther kept alive the hope of Israel’s salva on. The purest figure among them is Mary. CCC #64 Our founding pastor, Fr Boniface Heidmeier OFM, documented the humble beginnings of St. Francis of Assisi Parish. He tells of a walk around the exterior parish boundaries on a wet day in 1936. Monday, September 21st, was a lovely day for ducks and fishes. It had rained all night and kept on intermi ently all day, too. But rain does not, or should not stop Vancouverites from going for a walk, for shopping or even going to work in fall or winter; otherwise, they would never go out during those season. In fact, we like rain. Anyway, it was a rainy day and I started to inspect our St. Francis Parish, officially erected yesterday. Coming from downtown, I got off the street car at Has ngs St. and Templeton Drive, at the northern and eastern limits of the parish. My inten on was to walk around the en re parish [boundaries]. The corner of Has ngs and Templeton was an empty lot, should say a “hole” which a growth of willow bushes was trying to hide. I walked up the gentle hill southward to First Avenue, then along First Avenue westward to Commercial Drive. A considerable number of stores line the bumpy Drive on either side. Street cars and the Interurban have disappeared and the en re Drive is now well paved. Returning to Has ngs, back to Templeton, I had made the en re tour round the parish in just a li le more than one hour! When the Church celebrates the liturgy of Advent each year, she makes present this ancient expectancy of the Messiah, for by sharing in the long prepara on for the Savior's first coming, the faithful renew their ardent desire for his second coming. By celebra ng the precursor's birth and martyrdom, the Church unites herself to his desire: "He must increase, but I must decrease." CCC #524 Since the Ascension Christ’s coming in glory has been imminent,even though “it is not for you to know mes or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority.”. This eschatological coming could be accomplished at any moment, even if both it and the final trial that will precede it are “delayed”. CCC #673 Anche il Figlio di Dio, come noi, non conosce l'ora e, con noi, veglia. Rimanere svegli è segno di responsabilità perché, avendo ricevuto il potere e i compi dal Signore, è nostro dovere essere a en , pron , a vi e operosi. Abbiamo molto da fare, ma per questo ci è stata data la giusta potenza e capacità di compiere l'opera. Ma questa è la fede! Il tenere gli occhi aper è la coscienza dell'assoluta signoria di Dio e della nostra accoglienza. L'opera non mi appar ene, mi è stata affidata. Altro che fede ingenua e irresponsabile, tanto c'è Dio! La fede è umile perché siamo servi, ma dichiara la nostra condizione di figli di Dio. Non è fuga dalla storia, ma piena immersione in essa. Il fa o di non sapere quando il padrone di casa ritornerà, fa sì che ogni tempo diventa il tempo di Dio perché tempo della sua presenza e tempo per il nostro servizio. Essere immersi nella storia significa avere responsabilità e vigilanza. Servire con fedeltà è il meglio per aspe are la fine; la vigilanza riempie il presente del futuro, anche le cose più ordinarie e umili. Alla mamma che domandava a san Luigi Gonzaga (6 anni) mentre giocava a palla che cosa avrebbe fa o se avesse saputo che sarebbe morto un'ora dopo, lui rispondeva: "Con nuerei a giocare". Quel "gioco" lo porterà a ricevere la venuta del Signore pochi anni dopo, mentre soccorreva la mala a con gli appesta di Napoli. Preoccupato del senso della vita e dell'ul mo giorno, e sopra u o del Giudizio Finale a cui prima o poi certamente sarebbe andato incontro, un uomo fece un sogno. Dopo la morte, si avvicinò tubante alla grande porta della casa di Dio. Bussò e un angelo sorridente venne ad aprire. Lo fece accomodare nella sala d'aspe o del Paradiso. L'ambiente era molto severo. Aveva il vago aspe o di un'aula di tribunale. L'uomo aspe ava, sempre più in morito. L'angelo tornò dopo un po' con un foglio in mano su cui, in alto, campeggiava la parola "conto". L'uomo lo prese e lesse: "Luce del sole e stormire delle fronde, neve e vento, volo degli uccelli e erba. Per l'aria che abbiamo respirato e lo sguardo alle stelle, le sere e le no ...". La lista era lunghissima. "...il sorriso dei bambini, gli occhi delle ragazze, l'acqua fresca, le mani e i piedi, il rosso dei pomodori, le carezze, la sabbia delle spiagge, la prima parola del tuo bambino, una merenda in riva ad un lago di montagna, il bacio di un nipo no, le onde del mare...". Man mano che proseguiva nella le ura, l'uomo era sempre più preoccupato. Quale sarebbe stato il totale? Come e con che cosa avrebbe mai potuto pagare tu e quelle cose che aveva avuto? Mentre leggeva con il ba cuore, arrivò Dio. Gli ba é una mano sulla spalla. "Ho offerto io, fino alla fine del mondo. È stato un vero piacere!".