The Liturgy of the Second Sunday of Advent introduces to us to Saint John the Baptist. He is identified as the “Voice in the wilderness” mentioned in the prophesies of Isaiah. Isaiah has been called the evangelist of The Old Testament because he wrote a lot about the coming Saviour. However it is only St. John the Baptist who points us to The Saviour. He was sent to prepare the way to the Lord, appearing in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins as the Prophet Isaiah had foretold. The prophecies of St. John the Baptist and of the Prophet Isaiah are not out-of-date but encourage us to come back to the Lord and make room for Him in our hearts.

Next Sunday, December 16th, there will be an Advent Retreat Day in our church. Its topic is ‘Friendship & Solitude’. We will begin with the 11 o’clock Mass, then there will be lunch, a reflection and discussion time, the Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament with an opportunity for Confession, the Eucharistic Benediction and a social time to follow. The retreat will be finished by 5 pm. Please, register with our parish office if you wish to attend. You may find the details on our website and Facebook page.

On Wednesday, December 12th we observe a feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. There is a beautiful story about Juan Diego to whom the Blessed Virgin appeared in 1531 in Mexico. He was a simple farmer and labourer. While he was making his way to Mass in the early morning of December 9th Our Lady became visible to him as a native princess and her words sounded more beautiful than the sweetest music ever made. She wanted him to bring a message to the local bishop, so that a church dedicated to her might be built. A miraculous sign was given to the bishop: on Juan Diego’s tilma (outer garment) was made an exquisite image of Our Lady. This picture is still venerated in the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The image to this date cannot be explained by science. It contains many miraculous details. According to Kodak of Mexico, the image is smooth and feels like a modern day photograph (produced 300 years before the invention of photography). The image shows no sign of deterioration after 450 years! In the eyes of the Blessed Virgin in this picture we can see with a zoom lens another image… I encourage everyone to read more about this miraculous picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Pope Pius XII in 1945 decreed Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the Patroness of the Americas.
Our Lady of Guadalupe pray for us!

God bless,
Fr. Peter