“I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord.”—Psalm 116:17

Eucharist means thanksgiving. When we go to Mass we are offering God a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for all that He has done for us and all that He continues to do. In a special way Eucharistic Adoration is also a prayer of thanksgiving. When you find it difficult to pray or do not know what to say to God why not count your blessings? Try to think about the ways God has blessed you today, in this week, in this year. Once you begin to recognize the many ways God is already blessing you, your heart will overflow with praise.

“No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor has the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.”—1 COR 2:9

Heaven is the place where we shall behold the face of God unveiled. On this Earth we can also behold the face of God yet only the eyes of faith are able to recognize Him. St. Thomas says that on the cross Jesus hid His divinity but in the Eucharist He hides both His divinity and His humanity. It is only through faith that we can look upon the white host and recognize the Lord and giver of life, for “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen”—Hebrews 11:1. May we look upon our God with faith on this Earth so that we may behold Him in His glory in Heaven.

Advent wreaths are a Christian tradition with roots in 16th-century Germany. They are seen both in churches and in homes and are an excellent way to prepare for the celebration of Christmas. Here is a step-bystep introduction to the practice and how to implement it in your home.

Create (or buy) an Advent wreath

There is no hard and fast rule regarding what an Advent wreath looks like. A traditional wreath contains a circle of evergreen leaves surrounding a set of four candles. There are usually three purple candles and one rose (pink) candle. However, some traditions have four red candles and others contain an extra white candle. For the purposes of this article we will focus on the three purple and one rose.

There are many forms of prayer. We can offer praise to God for who He is. We can offer thanksgiving for what He has done, but we can also pray for others and make their needs and concerns our own. This is called intercessory prayer. Often in times of trial or difficulty the only thing we can say to someone who is struggling is that we will pray for them. We can place that person on our hearts and then go before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and offer Him our hearts. He will hear our prayers and answer them according to what is truly good for us and for others.

We want to share some of the procedures and levels of oversight put in place at St Magdalen Church. At no time do the Clergy come in contact with the Offertory collection.

• Ushers place collection directly into the safe where there are three or more present.
• At a secure location, the collection is counted by one of the four rotating counting teams. Each team has four or more members. Each team must have three or more present during the count.
• A “Collection Tally Sheet”, a Diocesan requirement, is completed for each collection. Counting team members sign this required document. The amount on this document is published in the parish bulletin. These Collection Tally Sheets are kept on file and have been reviewed by the Diocese during audits.
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“Have mercy on me, God in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense.” (Psalm 51:3)

In November the Church commemorates the souls of the faithful departed. We recall that while the Souls in Purgatory are suffering in anticipation of their entrance into Heaven, they can no longer pray for themselves. We are each called to pray for the dead. In Eucharistic Adoration, we bring our own needs but also the needs of those who have gone before us. Praying for the dead is a powerful reminder that this life is not our final destination. One day we will also need the prayers of those whom we have left behind. May we recognize the value of human life and feel compassionate for our brothers and sisters in Purgatory.

Come let the Lord love you. Come be with the Lord.

Dear Friends in Christ,

Now that we have the historical and theological basis for devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, I would like to demonstrate how this practice can affect ordinary family life. I recently read about a deadly tornado outbreak on May 31, 1985. It affected parts of Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada. Eighty nine people died and more than 1,000 were injured; the damage was estimated over $600 million. In today’s cost of living situation it would be in the billions. A bombed out-battle-field was how one local weather service described the borough of Wheatland, PA.

My dear friends in Christ,

Last week we read about the 12 promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to those who keep 9 consecutive First Fridays. As with all of God’s graces, these promises are contingent on our obeying His Will for us through prayer, the sacraments, reading and studying about our faith, and listening to His Holy Spirit. This is not as difficult as it may sound. What it involves after all, is trying our best to live a good life pleasing to God, in obedience to Him, and sharing His love with others!

Think also of those parables in the Gospels in which Jesus spoke approvingly of the good and faithful servants who served their master diligently and thus were rewarded when he returned (Matt 24:45-47 and 25:14-30 ).