Diocese of Toledo, Ohio

Browsing From the Pastor

Advent-The Start of a New Church Year

At the beginning of a new calendar year, a number of us are inclined to make resolutions, namely styles of behavior that enable us to work toward the goal of becoming our best selves.

As we begin a new church year this weekend, I invite us to make spiritual resolutions, namely actions/practices that deepen our awareness that we belong to the Lord and to one another in Him.

As we are aware, Christmas this year falls on Sunday. Many of us express our gratitude to the Lord for His coming among us by giving a special financial offering to our parish. I hope that we will resolve to make our Christmas gift this year over and above what we give regularly to support the Lord’s work in and through our parish. Whenever Christmas falls on a weekday, we do this. Whenever Christmas falls on Sunday, some of us might be inclined to allow our Christmas offering to serve as a substitute for our regular offering, especially if we give weekly. To do our Lord’s work effectively, our parish needs our weekend offerings for 52 weekends each year in addition to special offerings that we would normally make for Christmas. To allow our Christmas offering to take the place of our regular offering for the 4th Sunday in December is to shortchange our giving for the Lord’s work. In a number of parishes, when Christmas falls on a Sunday, these parishes suffer the loss of thousands of dollars because a number of parishioners substitute their Christmas offering for the offering that they would normally give on the fourth weekend of the month. I pray that our observance of Christmas this year on Sunday will be an occasion on which we respond at least as generously with our financial means as we do on those years when Christmas falls on a weekday.

As we begin a new Church Year, we move to a new cycle of Scripture Readings for the weekend Masses. The Readings for weekend Masses are on a three year cycle. Starting this weekend, we will be using Cycle A. In regard to the first Scripture Reading at weekday Masses during Ordinary time, we are on a two year cycle.

I mention the changes in the cycles of the Scripture Readings that are proclaimed at Masses because many persons resolve to read the entire Bible. We are encouraged to read the Bible faithfully because Christ comes to us in a powerfully distinctive manner when we read and listen to Readings from the Scriptures. Many want to read the whole Bible. This can become a daunting endeavor. A suggested way of reading the Bible is to read the Scripture selections that have been chosen for the Masses each day of the year. The references to the Bible passages that are to be proclaimed at Mass each day are printed in the weekly bulletin/website of both parishes. To read each day the Readings that are to be proclaimed at Mass that day is to make the endeavor to read the whole Bible manageable or “bite-sized.” Over a three year period, much of the content of both the Old and New Testaments is covered. Prayerfully reading the Scripture selections to be proclaimed at each Mass that we attend ahead of time can enable the messages of these Readings to come alive in a powerful way for us when the Readings for that Mass are proclaimed.

May the spiritual resolutions that we make as we begin this new Church Year enable us to grow closer to the Lord and to others in His Name!

Sincerely yours in Christ, Fr. Nelson Beaver — Pastor

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