Fr. Foeckler’s Lecture Note- Dec 10, 2024

[Michaela]

Fr. Foeckler’s Lecture Note- Dec 10, 2024

 

Last Sunday’s Gospel

Lk 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea,
and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee,
and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region
of Ituraea and Trachonitis,
and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas,
the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan,
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah:
A voice of one crying out in the desert:
“Prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled
and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The winding roads shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”

 

 

 

Holy water: blessing Fr. pass through holy water depends on his devotion. Efficacy of the sacrament itself depends on the devotion of the person. That power doesn’t come from the priest but from the Lord.

 

The sacraments give us the grace to amend our life.

 

Contrition: 1 I wish I had not done it (regret) 2 I hope not to do it again (real contrition. Repent on sins)

 

St. John is proclaiming a new exodus that God is leading. St. John baptized people in the Jordan river. Last part of the 1st exodus is crossing the Jordan into the promised land. It’s a symbol of baptism.

 

Reading I

Bar 5:1-9

Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery;
put on the splendor of glory from God forever:
wrapped in the cloak of justice from God,
bear on your head the mitre
that displays the glory of the eternal name.
For God will show all the earth your splendor:
you will be named by God forever
the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship.

Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights;
look to the east and see your children
gathered from the east and the west
at the word of the Holy One,
rejoicing that they are remembered by God.
Led away on foot by their enemies they left you:
but God will bring them back to you
borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones.
For God has commanded
that every lofty mountain be made low,
and that the age-old depths and gorges
be filled to level ground,
that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God.
The forests and every fragrant kind of tree
have overshadowed Israel at God’s command;
for God is leading Israel in joy
by the light of his glory,
with his mercy and justice for company.

 

St. John the baptist was very popular when he was baptizing people. John even had to advise apostle to go follow the Lord.

 

1st Sunday and 2nd Sunday of Advent both have excerpts from

Reading II

1 Thes 3:12—4:2

Brothers and sisters:
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love
for one another and for all,
just as we have for you,
so as to strengthen your hearts,
to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father
at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones.  Amen.

Finally, brothers and sisters,
we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,
as you received from us
how you should conduct yourselves to please God
and as you are conducting yourselves
you do so even more.
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

 

St. Paul is basically saying Imitate him, as he imitates the Lord.

 

Reading II

Phil 1:4-6, 8-11

Brothers and sisters:
I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you,
because of your partnership for the gospel
from the first day until now.
I am confident of this,
that the one who began a good work in you
will continue to complete it
until the day of Christ Jesus.
God is my witness,
how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
And this is my prayer:
that your love may increase ever more and more
in knowledge and every kind of perception,
to discern what is of value,
so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
filled with the fruit of righteousness
that comes through Jesus Christ
for the glory and praise of God.

 

God highly exalted Christ over every other creatures.

All about love, charity, agape, in the form of prayers.

 

The churches try to do during Advent is that to let us know that the first christians preached the power of love. They would be blameless. They would be without the sin. The world “without blame, without blemish” is immaculatus. St. Paul’s prayer, as all the other evangelists’, advised to practice charity. It’s hard to love the people with live with. In the context of Advent, the church asked us to love. All the people in St. Paul’s day expected the Lord arrived right the next day. Not because they wanted to stay anxious, but just to get ready for their death, when they go to the final judgement. Their eternal faith will be judged then. They can stay to be blameless. This references the final judgement, including our judgement.

 

We have to pray for the grace, super natural charity, that comes from sanctifying grace. We need to love like Christ.

That’s where immaculate conception comes. Eve disobeyed. Mary conceived the grace, while Eve disgraced the conception. Mary is redeemed beforehand. When she was conceived in the womb of her mother, she was redeemed. God applied the redemption of His Son when Mary was still in her mother’s womb. She always said yes to God, always cooperate with God.

 

St. Paul is praying that we receive increased, and abundant grace for preparing the coming of the Lord.

 

Lord, I do not ask you to count my works.

All our justice is stained in your eyes.

I wish, then, to be clothed in your own Justice

And by your Love to receive you as my eternal possession.

No other Throne, no other Crown do I want but you, my Beloved!

 

 

 

Next Sunday’s Gospel

Gospel

Lk 3:10-18

The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
“Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.”

Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.

 

 

 

The Lord is the one to start things, guide us to do things, and complete what He has started. Fear not, for the Lord is the one to spread the charity to people.

Imitation of Christ

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