It looks like rain! In dry and drought stricken California those words often bring joy, hope and thanksgiving. For us who are outside, worshiping under tents, with the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe this weekend those words, “It looks like rain” bring about other emotions mixed-in with the joy, the hope and the thanksgiving.

It has been one of the great blessings of this time of pandemic to see so many members of the parish community stepping and joining together, at a social distance😁, to help us continue to be able to celebrate the Eucharist in dignity and reverence even with the many restrictions placed upon us. I am in the midsts of reading a book of reflections by Blessed Concepción Cabrera de Armida, during my Holy Hour. One of the first lessons she has taught me is the need to continue to seek hope and joy in the darkness of the problems of the world. Like many Mexican Catholics who lived during the horrendous persecutions of the late 19th and early 20th century Blessed Concepción endured and grew more confident in her faith as she shared it with her husband, children and many others in her circle of life.
“I have offered myself for the hundredth time to my beloved Father, I have deeply abased myself in the ashes, while admitting his infinite gentleness for me. I never want to have my own will any more and every day, at each moment, I will lose myself in his adorable will. I love it.”(p 20 from “Under the Gaze of the Father”)

The gift of continually offering ourselves to God to do His will is one of the great challenges of our call to discipleship. This Third Sunday of Advent is an invitation to joy in the midst of suffering and an invitation to joy in the preparing for seeing the gift of hope filled love in the coming Nativity that is close and yet not here. The endurance in our faith is the central blessing we are called to share.

Endurance is founded on a hope of something greater and better, something that is known and deeply cherished, where it is near at hand. This is the love we have for our family, friends and world, it is the hope the Church is called to proclaim. And while the suffering we are enduring during this pandemic is real, we also must put in a perspective of what we hope for as sons and daughters of the living God. St. Paul reminds us, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Gal 20:20) In other words…it is that famous phrase…“If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” (C.S. Lewis) or the reminder Pope Benedict XVI shared, “The world offers you comfort. But you were not made for comfort. You were made for greatness”

It is even true in reality I have not had to endure great suffering and yet I know the call to greatness lives within each person I meet. We hear so many stories of people struggling to overcome obstacles both large and small and enduring to greatness. I remember working with a student in New Mexico where each turn it seemed like another door closed, another boulder would block his path or the winds would be always against his hopes and dreams but with each turn his determination would be great and stronger and you saw this in his prayers and his trust in God knowing tomorrow would be another day and he would wake up and move forward again.
It is not a comfortable world for many of us right now…but we know we were made for so much more. Let us pray for all who suffer that the hope and faith of Jesus Christ may fill them in love.
God Bless
Fr. Mark .