In today’s selection from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he calls for them to “rejoice in the Lord always.”

Readings for today: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121524.cfm 

By Deacon Pat Frye, OSF 

In today’s selection from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, he calls for them to “rejoice in the Lord always.” It is important to remember that Paul is speaking to a community that is being persecuted for their faith. We Christians today can find ourselves out of place in a world full of violence and suffering. It seems that people often turn to the world and not to God. We may be dealing with our own difficulties and may ask, “What is there to rejoice about?” 

 We can rejoice that the Father loved us enough to send His son to teach us the way to live in the Kingdom of God, now and forever. 

  We can rejoice that Jesus will come again at the end of time and will come to meet us at the end of our time on earth. 

  We can rejoice that Jesus is always near to us. We meet Him in prayer, service to others, and especially when we receive Him in Holy Communion. 

 Rejoice today and always for the Lord is near! 

Deacon Pat was ordained in 1984 in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and has served at St. Anne for 12 years. He was also professed to the Franciscan order in 2010. 

Today’s response to the Psalm is “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.”

Readings for today: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121424.cfm 

By Veronica Mosher 

 St. John of the Cross 

 Today’s response to the Psalm is “Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.” I’m imagining seeing the face of the Lord. What a wonderful feeling of love and peace comes over me! 

 How will I come to see His face? I can prepare little by little each day in Advent as I focus on the themes of hope, peace, joy, and love. Liturgical prayers, reflections, readings, and celebrations will help me come closer to Him. 

 Advent can be a busy season. Making a commitment is my first stop in transforming my prayer life and coming closer to seeing His face. My prayer is that I learn to surrender to God and acknowledge my needs to help bring me to a powerful encounter with Him. 

 Can you make an Advent commitment to help you come closer to seeing the Lord’s face? What will that be? 

 My prayer: O Lord, help me to live this day in eternal hope knowing Jesus will come. 

Veronica Mosher has been a parishioner of St. Anne for 35 years. She served, at various times, on the Parish Council, as a Eucharistic Minister and lector, and helped with many fundraisers. She and her husband Gil of 56 years, have 2 wonderful daughters.