Advent is here

The beginning of Advent was very, very nice. We had a community gathering Saturday afternoon where we were lead through a couple hours of reflection, conversations--both serious moments and fun moments. Then everyone stayed for supper (spaghetti--our favorite!) and the first Vigil of Sunday. It is held in dim light which gives the chapel, especially the candle lighting ritual, a special atmosphere. The choir was good, the reflections by Sister Margaret were excellent and we had many visitors that joined us. The only thing that was a bit "odd" was the weather...50s and rainy. No one's complaining, but it is not our average!

And then on Sunday morning it was a continuation of our entrance into the Advent season. How nice to hear a new version of "O come, O come Emmanuel."

Finally, here's an excerpt from our Give Us This Day readings for the weekend:

For Jack's 10th birthday, the family went out to eat at his favorite restaurant. Jack always ordered extra so he could enjoy the leftovers the next day. After dinner, Mom, Dad, Jack and his best friend were walking to the car when a homeless man stopped them and asked for a couple bucks. Unprompted, Jack offered the man the Styrofoam container of his precious leftovers. As Jack's Mom followed the boys into the parking lot she overheard his friend say to Jack, "Wow, man, that was cool. I bet that sure made God proud." Jack answered his friend, "Maybe that was God."