Dear Brothers & Sisters,
 
As we celebrate this first Sunday of Advent, it is important to be reminded of the importance of this time. Advent is not Christmas preparation, but rather the preparation for the coming of Christ.
 
The other day in a meeting of CCD Catechists, someone mentioned to me that once a student said that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Santa Claus. Well, that certainly made me think what do I personally celebrate at Christmas. Although the answer is cute, it also shows us that at times we can all be distracted by the world to think that Christmas is about house decorations and gift shopping. Instead, ADVENT IS TO PREPARE FOR THE ONE WHO IS TO COME! The word “Advent” in Latin means “the one who is coming”. The first part of Advent is focus on the Second Coming of Christ with “end of times” readings that at times can make us uncomfortable. They are only a reminder that Christ is coming, and we should be vigilant, or as the Gospel of this weekend will say, to be prepared so that does not “catch you by surprise like a trap.” The same way as we prepare our house to welcome guests on Christmas Eve (or Thanksgiving Day), so should we prepare our hearts to welcome Christ when he comes, by being “vigilant at all times and pray” (confession also helps a lot!!!). The second part of Advent, we are reminded of the first coming of Christ in Bethlehem. This time is also known as the novena for Christmas, since it starts nine days before Christmas. All of these things, brothers and sisters, are only a way to prepare ourselves to celebrate Christmas. Then when Christmas arrives, we will celebrate it for (just over) 12 days!!! Thus we have the song the 12 days of Christmas. Technically the liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. During this season, we celebrate the birth of Christ into our world and into our hearts and reflect on the gift of salvation that is born with him, including the fact that he was born to die for us.
 
God Bless,
Fr. Steven
 
Dear Brothers & Sisters,
 
It is with great joy that I call all of you to participate in the Feast of our parish and our Patroness, The Immaculate Conception on December 8th! For two years in a row we were not able to celebrate together our feast day due to the fire and covid, but this year we will get together at 7:00pm to celebrate our Trilingual mass with some refreshments afterwards. This year we will also have a THREE DAY PREPARATION (triduum) PRAYING WITH SPEAKERS WHO WILL REFLECT ON MARY’S JOURNEY WITH CHRIST, THE APOSTLES, AND US! Bishop Reed will be our special guest concluding our triduum on the last day. STARTING ON SUNDAY DEC 5TH, EACH DAY WE WILL GATHER IN THE CHURCH AT 6:00PM TO PRAY AS A COMMUNITY WHO WALKS WITH MARY. Feel free to invite friends and family to our celebrations, as all are welcome. Since Dec 8th is a day of obligation, we will also be offering masses at 7:30am, 12:10pm in English and 7:00pm Trilingual in the Upper Church.
 
God Bless,
Fr. Steven
 ​​

​Dear Brothers & Sisters,
 
This weekend we celebrate the last Sunday of Ordinary time. Traditionally we dedicate this Sunday to celebrate Christ the King. For 51 Sundays we have contemplated the different elements of Christ’s life; the announcement of his coming, his birth, public ministry, death and resurrection. This Sunday comes to crown Jesus as truly our King as we head in all the masses in the year. As for this Sunday, I would like to share with you a reflection by Pope Benedict VXI given back 2006.
 
On this last Sunday of the liturgical year we are celebrating the Solemnity of Christ the King. Today’s Gospel proposes to us anew part of the dramatic questioning to which Pontius Pilate subjected Jesus when he was handed over to him, accused of usurping the title, “King of the Jews”.
 
Jesus answered the Roman governor’s questions by declaring that he was a king, but not of this world (see Jn 18: 36). He did not come to rule over peoples and territories but to set people free from the slavery of sin and to reconcile them with God. And he added: “For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice” (Jn 18: 37).
 
But what is the “truth” that Christ came into the world to witness to? The whole of his life reveals that God is love: so this is the truth to which he witnessed to the full with the sacrifice of his own life on Calvary.
 
The Cross is the “throne” where he manifested his sublime kingship as God Love: by offering himself in expiation for the sin of the world, he defeated the “ruler of this world” (Jn 12: 31) and established the Kingdom of God once and for all. It is a Kingdom that will be fully revealed at the end of time, after the destruction of every enemy and last of all, death (see 1 Cor 15: 25-26). The Son will then deliver the Kingdom to the Father and God will finally be “everything to everyone” (1 Cor 15: 28).
 
The way to reach this goal is long and admits of no short cuts: indeed, every person must freely accept the truth of God’s love. He is Love and Truth, and neither Love nor Truth are ever imposed: they come knocking at the doors of the heart and the mind and where they can enter they bring peace and joy. This is how God reigns; this is his project of salvation, a “mystery” in the biblical sense of the word: a plan that is gradually revealed in history.
 
The Virgin Mary was associated in a very special way with Christ’s kingship. God asked her, a humble young woman of Nazareth, to become Mother of the Messiah and Mary responded to this request with her whole self, joining her unconditional “yes” to that of her Son, Jesus, and making herself obedient with him even in his sacrifice. This is why God exalted her above every other creature and Christ crowned her Queen of Heaven and earth.
 
Let us entrust the Church and all humanity to her intercession, so that God’s love can reign in all hearts and his design of justice and peace be fulfilled.
 
God Bless,
Fr. Steven
 

​Dear Brothers & Sisters,
 
This Sunday’s Gospel speaks about the end of times. As scary it may seem for people to speak about the end of times, or even to speak about death itself, the Christians have always lived it in their daily lives. Death should not be taboo or a subject to be avoided, it should be prepared for, so we are not caught up at night like a thief.
 
The first Christian communities formed by the Apostles have always lived the reality and the urgency of being prepared for the second coming of Christ. The community of Thessalonians believed it so hard that they even stopped working, because they thought that the end of times was so imminent. However, the end of times did not frighten them, although all the allegorical imagery could be scary. For them, as for St. Paul, the end of their lives was “profit”, the fulfillment of their desire to be with God. This is how all the Christians have always confronted the end of their lives. Death was not the end, but only the “passage” to eternal life. Indeed, in the language of the Church, the day of the death of someone is referred as “dies natalis” (day of their birth), as we believe that death leads to Eternal Life.
 
God always prepares His people to enter heaven throughout their lives. He does not want to lose anyone in the process, which, by our free will, we can choose to refuse it. Nowadays, one may say that there is a sort of presumption regarding salvation. There is the common belief that if someone was a good person that they go to heaven. Nowhere in the Bible do we hear that to enter heaven someone has to be a good person. Certainly, a good moral life will be a natural consequence of living a Christian life, but it’s not the main requisite. We heard last week that we are all called to LOVE GOD ABOVE EVERYTHING else and our neighbor. We will be judged based on that. That means that there is nothing that can be placed between God and us. No football games, day on the beach, work, family events, or any other reasons that should prevent us from going to church. In all our actions there is always a deliberate consent of the will to choose other things over God. Yes, there may be extenuating factors, but they never justify us from choosing something contrary to God, as we call it “sin”. We forget that there is such a reality of sin, yes, there is still such a thing as a mortal sin, grave matter. We don’t speak as much about it as it was in the past. For that matter, we don’t speak much about the preparation for death, because we don’t like to think about death. However, we do have to think if we are prepared for death. Are we repented, and have asked God’s forgiveness through confession, have we reconciled with others? The Church has always believed that a person who dies purposely unrepented in state of mortal sin, denies the mercy of God, and it “forces” God to respect their decision to prefer sin over God. Unfortunately, there is not much He can do, besides giving us as many chances as possible in this life.
 
By way of admonishing us and reminding us that one day we will die, maybe sooner than we think, is that God allows moments in our lives to reflect upon the end of our lives. It is difficult to understand why such a loving God allows a person to be sick, or have a terminal illness, or a bad accident. However, those are means that God also uses to help us be ready for death. We don’t know how much time we still have in our lives. We think we will live forever, that there is always time to make up to God. It is by extreme means that we are helped to be reminded that we are beings walking towards death. But this death is not the end of the road, where everything is over. It is the opposite indeed. It is the moment for which we were created. Death in theology is defined by the separation of body and soul only. It is the moment in which we no longer have to struggle with a life where God is veiled, where we are limited by sinful inclinations. It is the greatest moment of freedom in which we are freed from the burdens of this world to live the fullness of joy that Christ has won over for those who much desire.
 
Therefore, Brothers and Sisters, take advantage of the time which we still have to abandon our sins. Let’s turn to him with all our hearts. No matter what was done in the past, GOD WANTS US TO GO TO HEAVEN so bad that He sent his Son to make it possible. As the prophet Ezekiel says, God does not wish the sinner to die, but to turn back to him and live! (Ez 33:11)
 
God Bless,
Fr. Steven
 

​Dear Brothers & Sisters,
 
In one of the versions of the song “La Bamba” (apparently there is more than one version), there is a line that says “para subir al cielo se necesita una escalera grande”, which translates into in order to go to heaven, one needs a long ladder. We Christians know that to go to heaven you need way more than that. But at times we should contemplate that question, “what do I need to go to heaven?” A quick answer is always “help!” God sends different ways to help us, one is with the saints, and another is through forgiving our sins and its consequences.
 
On Monday we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints, which represents an army of people cheering and interceding for us to go to heaven. But how does that work? Well, help is on the way!!! It is with great joy that we announce that on December 2nd at 6:30pm, we will host an evening to learn and venerate over 150 relics! Fr. Carlos Martins, from the Companions of the Cross, runs a ministry of evangelization in the Church called “Treasures of the Church.” Its purpose is to give people an experience of the living God through an encounter with the relics of his saints in the form of an exposition.  Each exposition begins with a multi-media presentation on the Church's use of relics that is scriptural, catechetical, and devotional, leading to a renewal of the Catholic faith for many people.  After the teaching those in attendance have an opportunity to venerate the relics of some of their favorite saints of over 150 relics, some as old as 2000 years.  Among the extraordinary Vatican collection there will be relics of St. Joseph, St. Maria Goretti, St. Therese of Lisieux (the “Little Flower”), St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Thomas Aquinas, and St. Faustina Kowalska.  There will also be a portion of the Veil of Our Lady and one of the largest remaining pieces of the True Cross in the world. Throughout history, many healings have been worked in the presence of relics; and thousands have occurred through this ministry.  Do not miss this opportunity.  You are encouraged to bring your articles of devotion (such as rosaries, holy cards, etc.) and pictures of ill friends/family members, which you will be able to touch to the reliquaries as a means of intercession.  For most, this will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.  Please spread the word.
 
Another way God helps us, is He gives us the possibility to forgive our sins through confession and the consequences of our sins through plenary indulgence. In the Sacrament of Penance, the guilt of sin is removed, and with it the eternal punishment due to mortal sin; but there still remains the temporal punishment required by Divine justice, which must be fulfilled either in this life or in the world to come (i.e. Purgatory). An indulgence offers the penitent sinner the means of discharging that debt in this life; the remission of that temporal punishment.  A “plenary indulgence” is the remission of the entire temporal punishment due to sin so that no further expiation is required in Purgatory. A “partial indulgence” commutes only a certain portion of the penalty. To gain an indulgence, we must be in the state of grace, have the intention of gaining the indulgence, and perform the works required by the Church for the indulgence. We cannot gain indulgences for other living persons, but we can gain them for the souls in purgatory, since the Church makes most indulgences applicable to them. In the month of November, as we pray for the faithful departed, the Church offers a plenary indulgence for anyone who visits the cemetery to pray for the deceased and fulfils the other requirements. We will also continue to pray for them here in the church in the book of the deceased located by the St. Joseph statue and remember all those who the Lord has called in this past year that were celebrated here in the parish (the names are on the next page.) By the way, the evening with the saints will also grant a plenary indulgence for those who attend.
 
Therefore, let’s take advantage of this special moment to prepare ourselves for heaven!!! And while we may have to wait a little longer, let’s start living heaven here on earth by the graces of God.
 
God Bless,
Fr. Steven