Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville

7 hours ago

"Boldly invite others to enter the Kingdom of Heaven."
December 13
Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr - Memorial -Is 41:13-20/Mt 11:11-15
As I read and pray with the readings for today I see the theme of “the kingdom of God”. In the season of Advent we are reminded that Jesus came to invite us into the kingdom of God through the incarnation. During Advent my prayer consists of phrases like, “Come Lord Jesus” and ”O Come, O Come Emmanuel”. For me it is a time to pray for God to fill my heart. Then I am able to respond with courage and love when Jesus says to me, “Come, follow me” (Mt 4:19). The readings we hear throughout the rest of the year about the life
and ministry of Jesus echo this continual call of Jesus to “Come, follow me.”

The first reading from Isaiah reminds me of God’s generosity and willingness to give the people of Israel all that they need, including the mercy and kindness referred to in the psalm. Israel is striving to be a great nation and kingdom at this time in history and these words from God remind them that they cannot do this on their own. It is God that helps them be a great nation. I can identify with the people of Israel who desire great things but easily forget that God is the giver of all good gifts. In the first reading it is obvious that God seeks to assist, to help and to give good gifts. God is saying, “Fear not”, I want good for you. I trust that God wants good for all of us. Advent is a time to remember the ultimate good gift God has given us all which is the gift of his son, Jesus. Through him we have our entrance into the kingdom of heaven.

In the gospel reading from Matthew we hear Jesus talk about the “Kingdom of heaven” in reference to John the Baptist. Jesus says, “Among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist”, but goes on to say, “Yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” The Catholic Study Bible suggests that the meaning of this statement by Jesus is that the greatness of John the Baptist lies in his role as the one who announces the kingdom of heaven. The message I heard in this is the invitation to be like John and to boldly invite others to enter the kingdom of heaven. By being a part of the kingdom of heaven we too find our greatness.
By Kathy Martin – Campus Minister ... See MoreSee Less

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Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville

1 day ago

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Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville

1 day ago

Today is the Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, a day we celebrate God revealing himself to us through his mother Mary and a poor boy named Juan Diego.

Zec 2:14-17 or Rv 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab/Lk 1:26-38 or Lk
1:39-47
Today is the Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe,
Patroness of the Americas. There are multiple
readings that are offered for today, for me they all
speak of a God who is immanent. In Zechariah we
read, “you shall be his people and he will dwell
among you.” In Revelation the authority of God’s
Anointed has come to us. The Gospel, of course,
tells us of Mary’s fiat; she literally made ROOM for
God within her and accepted the infusion of the
Holy Spirit willingly. This is Immanuel, God with
us. God inserts God-self into our lives; into human
history.
The story of Juan Diego, a poor Aztec Indian, and
the pregnant Mary requesting that a church be built
on Tepeyac hill is today’s feast. The story of Mary
asking Juan to relay the message to Bishop Juan de
Zumarraga is a familiar one to most people today.
The disbelief of the Bishop and the subsequent
miracle of roses in December and to the wonder of
all assembled, a perfect image of La Virgen Morena
(the Dark Virgin) was revealed emblazoned on Juan
Diego's cloak as the roses tumbled to the floor.
It was 1531; the Spanish had just recently
conquered the Aztec empire. Mary spoke to Juan in
his native tongue. This is Immanuel, God with us.
God inserted God-self powerfully into the life of
Juan Diego and into the world of colonialism. God
did not come to the powerful. God came to the
meek, and the meek believed. Within a few years of
the apparition millions of the natives converted to
Christianity.
What a wonderful time of year to reflect on God
with us. As we begin this new liturgical year and
once again commit ourselves to making room for
God in our hearts and lives we can remember how
God inserts God-self into human history. It is not
through the arrogant, the self-righteous, the
wealthy. It is through a poor girl from Nazareth. It
is through a poor Indian, a recent convert. It is
through the meek. It is through strong faith and trust
in God that allows us to be fully open to God’s
coming into our lives. This is poverty of spirit. God
comes to us through the poor, not only the
materialistic ‘poor,’ but through our own poverty. It
is easy to overlook both the poor and our own
poverty. As we move through this Advent season let
us be open to God’s self-revelation within each of
us.
By Brigid Quinn Laquer - MS Theology &
Professor in Molecular Genetics Laboratory ... See MoreSee Less

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Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville

2 days ago

The Shepherd is always seeking us out to bring us back to Him who loves us.
11 Tue Advent Weekday – Feast Day of Saint Damasus I, Pope
Is 40:1-11/Mt 18:12-14

“Sheep are nasty animals,” Father began, pointing to the statue of Jesus carrying the one lost sheep on his shoulders. He continued, “They are filthy and stupid, never obeying and going their own way.” The polished beauty of the Holy Shepherd rescuing his sheep does not quite do justice to the stark imagery in Matthew’s Gospel of the parable of the lost sheep and the loving Shepherd. Perhaps this imagery would have its most profound meaning for sheep farmers themselves who know all too well the vices of sheep. As Garrison Keillor
puts it, “sheep are fine as long as sheep do what sheep want to do, but when a shepherd tries to get sheep to do what he wants them to do, many people get out of the shepherding business.” Thank God our loving Shepherd has not “gotten out of the shepherding business.” That is not to say that each human being, “created in the
image and likeness of God,” is on a par with sheep. The point is, even in our weakest moments, the Shepherd is always seeking us out to bring us back to Him who loves us and cares for us unconditionally.
What are these weakest moments in the human condition? While both Matthew’s Gospel and Isaiah deal with the reality of sin and God’s unwavering fidelity in spite of that sin, for myself, the tendency is to focus on
certain acts, attitudes or habits that are part of my sinful life. On a more profound level, the true sin of
humanity, the sin against the Holy Spirit, which is the only sin that will not be forgiven, is the sin of refusing
God’s unconditional love and acceptance. As Christians, it is easy to see our sin and, sometimes, even to let
that awareness block out our beauty and uniqueness. This, however, is the greatest sin. The fact that human
beings sin and stray from the shepherd goes without saying. At some point in our lives, we are all the one sheep
separated from the ninety-nine. Oftentimes the greatest challenge is to accept that the Shepherd does, in fact,
seek us out even in our weakest moments.
In Isaiah we read, “…prepare the way of the Lord.” This period of advent is a wonderful period of reflection,
joy and anticipation. Just as Jerusalem can rejoice in anticipation of the fulfillment of God’s promise, so too,
we can rejoice in the coming of the Shepherd who constantly seeks us out and loves us unconditionally. As a
close friend who is a Trappist monk says, “the ‘Good News’ is too good to be true, but true!” by Todd
Salzman- Professor of Theology ... See MoreSee Less

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