All posts by Dana Kingrey

Related Fact

Advent 2023, Advent Reflections, Hope

The psalm mentions the cherubim, who are the second highest rank within the nine orders or choirs of angels. Double winged and man like in appearance (although in the book of Ezekiel, they are given an even more otherworldly appearance), they are the guardians of God’s glory. The nine angelic choirs ranked, in order, are seraphim, cherubim, thrones, dominions, virtues, powers, principalities, arch angels, and angels.

This excerpt from One Sunday at a Time: Preparing Your Heart for Weekly Mass (Cycle B) is reprinted with permission of Ave Maria Press.

Beyond Words

Advent 2022, Advent 2023, Hope

We are a culture terrible at waiting. We are a microwave, ATM, movies on demand kind of society. We are a text happy, push notification people with express checkout and overnight delivery. We are a fast food culture, but we sometimes forget that this God we love and serve most often moves at a slow cooker pace. This is painful for us, his impatient children. God doesn’t mind keeping us waiting. One day for God is like a thousand human years (2 Pt 3:8).

With Christmas fast approaching, it gets more and more difficult
to wait on the coming of the Lord. We want the Santa decorations
put out before we’ve even had a chance to put the Halloween decor
away. St. Paul recognized this impatient, human longing; it’s why he
had to remind and encourage the Christians living in Corinth in this
second reading to be patient. “As you wait for the revelation of our
Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul wrote, “he will keep you firm to the end . . .because God is faithful.”

We can trust Isaiah’s words in the first reading, that the Lord will come in glory “for the sake of his servants.” God will send us a redeemer precisely because he loves us! While we wait, we need to be patient and watchful, living our lives in such a way that we are
ready for his return.

God doesn’t tell us the exact time he will come, but that is precisely because he loves us. For if we knew the exact date, how many of us would live sinfully until the last day, only to repent at the last moment? Knowledge of God’s exact plan and timing could breed
even more sin than ignorance of God. In this way, we are reminded to keep watch, to always be ready, and to be patient with the Lord. Despite the habits instilled by our modern culture, the best thing (God) is worth the wait.

This excerpt from One Sunday at a Time: Preparing Your Heart for Weekly Mass (Cycle B) is reprinted with permission of Ave Maria Press.

Challenge for the Week

Advent 2023, Advent Reflections, Hope

Challenge for the Week

This week, when it best works practically, fast from knowing the
time for an hour, an afternoon, or a day. Do not look at your phone
or clock once. Embrace the given moment with complete presence
of heart, mind, body, and spirit. Take the time to journal afterward
about your experience, and reflect on how you can try to make this
practice of being fully present a more common occurrence in your
life.

This excerpt from One Sunday at a Time: Preparing Your Heart for Weekly Mass (Cycle B) is reprinted with permission of Ave Maria Press.

First Sunday of Advent

Advent 2023, Advent Reflections, Hope

God is Faithful

Opening Prayer

Lord, thank you for today. For the mystery, hope, and joy that come
in anticipation of all the good you have yet in store. Please be with
us in all our anxieties. Teach us how to have faith in your will for our future. Amen.

First Reading: Isaiah 63:16b–17, 19b; 64:2–7
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 80:2–3, 15–16, 18–19
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:3–9
Gospel: Mark 13:33–37

This excerpt from One Sunday at a Time: Preparing Your Heart for Weekly Mass (Cycle B) is reprinted with permission of Ave Maria Press.

Advent Reflections 2023

Advent 2023, Advent Reflections

The season of Advent is upon us. The celebration of the coming of Jesus Christ. Here, you will find Advent Reflections to help you prepare for Christmas. The daily passages this year are shared with you from Mark Hart’s book, One Sunday at a Time, and will begin posting on December 2, 2023. On December 25, the Christmas Season Reflections will start and continue through Baptism of the Lord on January 7. We hope that you will enjoy and share these Reflections with others. From all of us at Diocesan, God’s many blessings to you throughout the Season.

Catholic Life Every Day

 

Holy Saturday

Lent 2023

Psalm 130

If you O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord; Lord, hear my voice!

May your ears be attentive

to my voice in supplication.

If you O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?

But with you is forgiveness, that you may be revered.

If you O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

I trust in the Lord,

my soul trusts in his word.

My soul waits for the Lord

more than sentinels for dawn. Let Israel wait for the Lord.

If you O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?

 

This reflection from Messages of Trust for Lent, originally published by Ave Maria Press, was reprinted with permission of the authors, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran. For more parish resources, visit https://www.rebuiltparish.com/.

Responsorial psalms are excerpted from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Other scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Good Friday

Lent 2023

From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli lema sabachtani? ” which means, “My god, my God, why have you forsaken me?” . . . Then Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. And behold the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.

—Matthew 27:45–46, 50–51

After a conspiracy between the Jewish leaders and Roman authorities, Jesus is condemned to death by crucifixion. This makes no sense to his followers; they thought that the Messiah was going to free them from Roman occupation as well as corrupt Jewish leadership. Instead, Jesus dies a shameful death, looking like a complete failure. He seems to be abandoned by God and cries out, asking God why this is so. It looks like Jesus lost.

But immediately after Jesus’ death, we see the first sign that all is not what it appears. The veil of the sanctuary, a very thick curtain about forty feet high, is torn from top to bottom—with no natural explanation. So too, the love of Christ, as he will- fully chooses death to defeat sin for us, demon- strates the extraordinary power of God.

 

Thank God today for Jesus’ death on the Cross, which destroyed sin and death and freed us to regain full access to our heavenly Father.

 This reflection from Messages of Trust for Lent, originally published by Ave Maria Press, was reprinted with permission of the authors, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran. For more parish resources, visit https://www.rebuiltparish.com/.

Responsorial psalms are excerpted from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Other scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Maundy Thursday

Lent 2023

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father.” Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

—Matthew 26:26–30

Jesus and his disciples celebrated the Passover on Thursday evening of what we now know as Holy Week. At this meal, Jesus washed their feet and then instituted the Eucharist by sharing with them bread and wine, saying “this is my body” and “this is my blood.” He unites service and sacrament, both of which are key to our ongoing conversion to become disciples, take up our crosses, and follow Jesus.

 

Today, give thanks for the gift of the Eucharist. Ask Jesus to lead you toward a deeper experience of his love when you receive him in the sacrament and in serving others.

 This reflection from Messages of Trust for Lent, originally published by Ave Maria Press, was reprinted with permission of the authors, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran. For more parish resources, visit https://www.rebuiltparish.com/.

Responsorial psalms are excerpted from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Other scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.