What A Friend We Have In Jesus !

"If Jesus were to tell a parable today, He could easily use 'Black Friday' as a...n example and we would all understand His point. This past Thangsgiving Day people LEFT THEIR FAMILIES AT THE THANKSGIVING TABLE and armed with determination and, in some cases, pepper spray and knives, set out to get the material goods they wanted to make a 'Happy Holiday' for their families. Many of those same folks will probably LEAVE THEIR FAMILIES ON CHRISTMAS DAY in order to be the first in line to exchange gifts and get the 'after Christmas' bargains! We shouldn't be surprised if more and more stores choose to open on Christmas Day to offer this chance to get a 'head start' on these sales.

Jesus would tell us to have the same determination (minus the pepper spray and knives) to achieve OUR goals. The goal of Advent is to prepare for Christmas in a way that respects the real meaning of Christmas - the birth of the Prince of Peace.

May we be as determined as Black Friday shoppers to make sure that we are present for our Advent services. To arrive at Christmas without having made the spiritual preparation that the Church offers us would be worse than not getting our Christmas shopping done - FAR WORSE!"

Fr. Todd Riebe
Richmond Catholic Community

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