TBBS099 - Christmas Gospels unpacked, Christopher Robin, Christmas Dilemma

In this episode:

Its all about Christmas!
- Spend time hearing the Christmas Gospels unpacked
- A spoiler-free review of the movie "Christopher Robin"
- Fr. Chris shares a story about a Christmas dilemma he faced.

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TBBS098 – Gaudete, Bohemian Rhapsody, Christmas Preparations

In this episode:
 - A reflection on "Gaudete" and the time of rejoicing
- A spoiler-free review of the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody" 
- A look at the Christmas Decoration skills of Fr. Chris

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TBBS097 - The Advent Stories

    


We find ourselves in the beginning of the Season of Advent, but where do its origins come from? Why do we celebrate this Season? What's our special point of focus during the Season?

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12.24.17 - Advent IV - Inspirare

12.24.17 - Advent IV - Inspirare

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TBBS069 - Gospel of Mark pt 3, The Last Jedi, Christmas Stories

In this episode:
   - A continuation of our analysis of the Gospel of Mark (part 3)
   - A spoiler-free review of Star Wars "The Last Jedi"
   - Highlighting the 4 different Gospels you could hear in your Christmas masses.

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12.17.17 - Advent III - War Cry

12.17.17 - Advent III - War Cry

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TBBS068 – Gospel Of Mark Pt. 2, Young Sheldon, Advent Traditions

In this episode:

- Looking at some of the unique characteristics of the Gospel of Mark.
- A review of the TV series "Young Sheldon"
- A reflection on Advent traditions

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TBBS067 - Special Edition - Commutes, The Punisher, Jesus at Church

In this Episode:

     - Making productive spiritual use out of commutes.
     - A spoiler-free review of Netflix's "The Punisher"
     - Seeing Jesus at Mass

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"Let there be Christmas!" - St. Francis Xavier Feast Day Christmas Concert

"Let there be Christmas!" 
St. Francis Xavier Feast Day Christmas Concert
December 2nd, 2017

***Click here to Download the Mp3 of the Concert***


Full Concert Below (Stream from Facebook)

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TBBS022 - The Christmas Special 2016

In this special Christmas edition episode:

• Ever want to know some of the questions priests receive from youth? Fr. Chris shares some of the questions he's received from some of the youth of the parish.

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Rejoice! - 3rd Sunday of Advent

Rejoice! We are now closer to Christmas day than when we 1st started our Advent journey. We mark this by lighting the rose (pink) colored candle. Churches all across the world may also highlight this by decorating with rose (pink). Your priest may even wear it as it is one of the two times per year that rose (pink) is permitted to be worn as a vestment.

We get excited to tell people about all sorts of things in life, so why not excitedly proclaim the closeness of Christmas? Or even yet, why not proclaim a true encounter with our Lord, Jesus Christ in word and sacrament?

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Mercy from before Time - Immaculate Conception 2016

Before the beginning of time as we know it, God had loved humanity in His Divine mind. But He also knew that we wouldn't always do the right thing as people... we would fall to sin. this is why He forged a plan to have the greatest of the human race to be born mostly unnoticed by the world. Her name would be Mary. 

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St. Francis Xavier Advent Concert 2016

St. Francis Xavier Parish

"The Winter Rose" - An Advent Concert

**Right Click the "title 'The Winter Rose'" and "save link as" to download**

Under the directorship and conduction of Mr. Ryan C. Neal.

Featuring: The St. Francis Xavier Parish Adult Choir & Children's Choir

Also Featuring: 28 area instrumentalists

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Utopia and the Gifts of the Spirit - 2nd Sunday of Advent

Is perfection on earth possible? People through the years have dreamt of such a place... a place often named "Utopia." Ironically, the name Utopia literally means "no place." Our 1st reading this weekend seems to speak of the Messiah ushering in an era very similar to Utopia; however, 2000 years later, we know that Jesus never promises Utopia here on earth. We do know; however, that the same Spirit with which He baptizes, the Holy Spirit of fire, is given to us at each of our own baptisms. We receive these gifts to help us in our calling to follow in the footsteps as prophets; one of our own baptismal callings.

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Lonely Mountain - 1st Sunday of Advent (A)

We hear a lot of references to mountains in our readings this weekend. It was the place, our ancestors believed, they would best encounter God. All of us have mountains in our own life, but are we climbing the right ones? J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" helps us understand this a little bit more.

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Advent IV - The New Ark

The New Ark

4th Sunday of Advent

The Ark of the Covenant is one of the most sought after lost relics of scripture. It was believed by the Israelites that the Ark of the Covenant held the presence of God. When we get to the New Testament, we discover that God establishes a New Ark of the Covenant. This New Ark is not an ornate gold box like the old ark; rather, this New Ark of the Covenant is a simple Israelite girl named Mary. Within her womb she carried the true presence of God. Like King David who danced before the golden ornate Ark of the Covenant, the New Ark was received with joy by not only Elizabeth, but by the infant in her womb who "leaped for joy" in the presence of the New Ark.

The beauty of this New Ark of the Covenant is that we do not need to go through a labyrinth of dangerous obstacles to experience her like Indiana Jones did in "Raiders of the Lost Ark"; rather, she has been given to each of us from the beginning. The greatest gifts that we have sometimes are the gifts that we already have.

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READINGS

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Advent III - A Cause for Rejoicing

Advent Week III

A Cause for Rejoicing

We're reminded this weekend that the word "rejoice" is not because we simply "get over" Christmas, but because we anticipate Christmas with joy. John the Baptist prescribed the crowds, as their spiritual physician, antidotes to their spiritual illnesses. Sometimes the antidote to our anxieties of our life is simply making sure we put God and people first. Our greatest Holiday memories are very rarely about just ourselves being by ourselves or shopping online. Our great memories that we cherish deeply always revolve around spending time with loved ones.

Readings for the Day
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The Immaculate Conception - "Be Merciful and Willing"

The Immaculate Conception (December 8)

"Be Merciful and Willing"

What does mercy mean to you? This is the focus that Pope Francis wants us to take during this Year of Mercy that starts today and runs through November 20th of 2016. There are so many approaches we can take for the topic of mercy, but there is a reason why Pope Francis chose The Immaculate Conception as the beginning of the Year of Mercy. Mary is a model of Mercy.

For starters, we need to rethink our idea of mercy. Mercy is so much more than forgiveness. We're invited to think about it as an action verb. It is an invitation for us to think and act outside of ourselves. It is about going the extra mile for someone else. Who better modeled that than the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In her story, we realize that God had a plan for salvation from the beginning. Being eternal, he foresaw that human beings would fall to sin, but he also knew that it was only Him who could take away the sins of the world. Loving humanity so very much, He destined that the Son would become incarnate and part of our timeline of history. But instead of choosing to be born into royalty, He chose to be born into a simple Jewish family. Mary herself was chosen as the mother of the Son. But God does not force His will against our free-will. He had to ask her if she was willing to take up this task. Her obedience to the Lord's will was her ultimate cause for joy. She knew that there would be difficulties, and Scripture reveals a number of these, but she also knew that the Lord would never abandon her.

Her fiat allowed the work of God to extend into our world through Jesus Christ. While He was certainly a man for others, He also had to learn this from someone. Who better to teach Him this than His mother? Like John the Baptist would eventually do, Mary always pointed to Jesus. She stood by Him. 

We are invited to model Mary's "yes" to the Lord by searching for His worlds in our own lives. By being instruments of Mercy for the Lord. We're asked to bring His love into the world by being sons and daughters for others. Like Mary, God has a plan for each one of us, but like her, we sometimes need to be observant and listening for Him.

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Advent II - Making Paths Straight

Advent II: Making Paths Straight

I'll begin with saying that John the Baptist was a rather odd man. He dressed strangely, even to his own culture, and he ate strange things. He spent most of his time by the water or in prison, at least, that's what we know about him according to Scripture. But what we also know about him is that people came in droves to listen to him speak. Even while in prison, Scripture tells us that Herod was intrigued by him and liked to listen to him speak.

One of the most prolific scenes about John the Baptist comes during the Second Sunday of Advent (C) wherein John is quoting the Prophet Isaiah. It was a passage with which many people would have been familiar, after all, they were waiting for the Messiah. In this particular case, the voice of the one calling out in the desert was not the Prophet Isaiah; rather, it was John. 

Later in his exchanges, John claims that he is not the Christ; rather, he is not even worthy to untie the sandals of the Christ. We find John always pointing to someone beyond himself. He dresses humbly and eats humbly so that he may decrease and the Lord may increase in him. When he discovers that his cousin, Jesus, is the Christ, he urges his followers to follow Jesus instead.

His whole life, John spent in helping others prepare for the coming of the Christ. He came before Jesus even in birth so that he could prepare the way for his coming. He wants to model what it means to be a good disciple for the people who come to him. His desire is to live a transparent lifestyle so that others may do the same. In the words of the Prophet Isaiah, John desires "to make straight the path of the Lord." 

Are the paths in our lives prepared for the Lord's coming? Do we welcome him? A great indication to how you are doing in this task is simply by looking at the way you love others. Are we there to make their paths straight or do we make their paths crooked?

Readings for Advent Week II

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"It's All I Want"

"It's All I Want"

Jesus sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them, 'Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the other contributors to the treasury. For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood.'” (Mark 12: 41-44)

As people of faith, we find ourselves celebrating the Season of Advent. It is a blessed time of the year when we recall God's fulfillment of His promise long ago to His chosen people, Israel, to send a savior. In Advent, we tend to decorate our homes and begin making lists of tasks we need to accomplish before Christmas day. 

If you open up a newspaper or turn on your television, you'll undoubtedly be met with a cornucopia of advertisements.
Manufacturers and producers want you to buy into their products. When we see so many people purchasing one product, we sometimes get the urge to match them in some way. We enjoy the concept of gift-giving; yet, sometimes gift-giving can be a difficult thing on a limited budget. It can cause anxiety in a Season that is supposed to bring so much joy.

Recently I stumbled across this cartoon (above) in an image search. I was looking for images for another blog post, but somehow I stumbled across this gem. I think sometimes we can be focused so much on the commercialization of this Season of Advent, that we fail to remember that it is not about us, but about Christ. It is about the God of the Universe humbling Himself to visit our imperfect world by becoming one of us. He didn't do it in a grand fashion, nor was He born into the lap of luxury. He was born in the most humble of conditions in order to experience all that this world has to give. 

Our God doesn't ask us for grand sacrifices or gestures, but He does ask us for one thing: our heart. He wants to make a home there. He wants us to realize that the void we have in our lives that we often try to fill with "things" each and every year can never be filled by them. The longing that we feel in the depths of our being is filled by Him alone. 

...And Jesus said "whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." (John 4:14)

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