prepare your heart

1Congregation of Holy Cross, U.S Province of Priests and Brothers

PrepareYour HeartVirtual Advent RetreatIn the Holy Cross Tradition

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Prepare Your HeartVirtual Advent Retreat

Congregation of Holy CrossU.S. Province of Priests and Brothers

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Dear Friends in Holy Cross,

On behalf of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers, I am deeply honored to thank you for your partnership and commitment to our men, our ministries, and our mission.

The theme of this year’s virtual retreat is Prepare Your Heart. The weekly themes are: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love — taken from the Advent candles. I hope you enjoy this year’s Advent journey.

Your faith journey is extremely important to the Congregation of Holy Cross. If you ask anyone associated with Holy Cross what our most fundamental mission might be, they would most likely respond “to journey with others in finding eternal salvation.” Our ability to journey with you is both an honor and a privilege. You are an extension of the mission of Holy Cross by bringing hope to your corner of the world.

There is a strength in our collaboration, one that is manifested daily in our proclaiming the Kingdom of God. Through this collaborative strength, we find inspiration, hope, and the power to transform the world. We are profoundly grateful to you for accompanying us in our mission.

We are grateful for Rev. Louis DelFra, C.S.C., Rev. Paul Kollman, C.S.C., Rev. James King, C.S.C., and Rev. Michael Connors, C.S.C. for taking the time to provide us with their spiritual reflections. I think you will find them insightful and heartwarming as we prepare for the birth of our Savior.

Along with my thanks, I offer the assurance of our prayers for you and your loved ones throughout the sacred seasons of Advent and Christmas. And, know that these prayers continue into the New Year! May God bless you as you are a blessing to Holy Cross.

Sincerely,

Brian T. LohrProvincial Assistant — Office of Mission Advancement

With gratitude and thanks... Sunday, November 28, 2021First Sunday of Advent

Scripture readings:Jeremiah 33:14-161 Thessalonians 3:12—4:2Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Theme: HopePresented by Rev. Louis DelFra, C.S.C.

Fr. Louis DelFra, C.S.C., currently serves as director of Pastoral Life for the University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), a 2-year service program in which college graduates serve as teachers in under-resourced Catholic schools around the country while earning a Master’s in Education. Ordained in 2004, Fr. Lou teaches courses and gives retreats and workshops in designing K-12 religion curriculum, the principal’s and teacher’s role in nurturing the spiritual lives of students, and the Catholic character of schools. He has also served as a middle and high school religion and English

teacher, including at Holy Redeemer Parish in Portland, Oregon, and in Campus Ministry at the University of Notre Dame. He currently resides as a priest-in-residence in Keenan Hall.

Please login to Zoom 5 to 10 minutes before the retreat webinar begins. If you misplaced or did not receive your Zoom invitation, contact us at [email protected].

Retreat webinars take place live on Sundays in Advent at 7:00 p.m. Eastern. To login directly, visit:

adventretreat.holycrossusa.org

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Monday, November 29, 2021, Day 2Monday of the First Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, as we open our eyes to You this Advent season, help us to be a hope-filled people. Help us to see and hear You more clearly and to recognize Your presence in every facet of our lives. Bless us this day, O God, and help us to be faithful as we prepare for the coming of Your Son. Amen.

Scripture Quote For Reflection Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob; that He may instruct us in His ways, and we may walk in His paths. Isaiah 2:3

WE ARE ABOUT to enter a very powerful four weeks as a Church — the season of Advent. I say powerful because Advent taps into one of our deepest feelings as human beings — the feeling of longing. Yearning. Desire. The entire advertising industry is founded on the realization that none of us is perfectly happy or fulfilled yet. We are all still longing for completion. Fulfillment. Total happiness. The advertising industry might be a lot of things, but one of them is not dumb. It knows what enchants us, what captivates us. And what captivates us are things that offer fulfillment, however temporary, to our deepest longings as human beings — trips, products, beauty. There is even an industry now built explicitly around our longing for relationship — online matchmaking. I wish to suggest that it is, in part, in response to these very same needs that the Church celebrates the season of Advent over the next four weeks. Clearly, the marketers and advertisers in our culture know what they are doing. They know what makes us tick — because they know our vulnerabilities. But, they are not the first to know them — not by a long shot. The fact is: deep, deep in the heart of Judeo-Christian spirituality is the realization that we as human beings have a deep hole at the center of our being. And, that space within us longs for completion, longs for fulfillment. How can we live into Advent as a response to that longing?

Lou DelFra, C.S.C.

Capture Your Own Reflection:

Intercessions The response is Lord, our hope is in You.

• For the Church, in proclaiming the coming of Christ this Advent season, may it stand as a beacon of light and truth for a troubled world. R

• For people everywhere, may they turn from the false gods of temporary distractions and pleasures and commit themselves to the deep peace that only comes with Christ. R

• For those who long for true completion and fulfillment, may this Advent bring them closer to God. R

• For our own intentions. R

The Lord’s Prayer Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

Closing PrayerGod of mercy and love, help us to lift our eyes, so You are always in our sight. Help us to stay focused so You are always on our minds. Help us to pray constantly so You are always on our lips. Help us this Advent season, O Lord, to place our hope in You and You alone. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Tuesday, November 30, 2021, Day 3Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, You call us by name to be disciples in service of others; give us the strength and courage this Advent season to respond to that calling more fully. Help us to see that our longing for completion and fulfillment can only be satisfied by an unwavering surrender to Your loving embrace. Hear our cries for help, O God, and grant us the love, acceptance, and peace that comes only from You. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionAs Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. — Matthew 4: 18-22

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AS WRITERS FROM St. Augustine to St. Teresa of Avila have expressed, longing for completion is one of the central forces of our entire being. All our needs — for nourishment, for companionship, for healing, for joy, to love, and to be loved — all of these longings are expressions of that incompleteness at the very core of our being, seeking its fulfillment. The Book of Genesis, our foundational story, begins with the claim that once upon a time, we had lives of utter contentment — perfect fulfillment in the Garden of Eden. A snake and an apple later, however, and it was gone. We were cast out of our home. Ever since then, we have lived with a gnawing desire to return. From the beginning, we have identified ourselves as a people who are lost — and longing to be back home again. Later, Abraham — our father in faith — is sent away from his home, as God calls him to wander after a dream called the “Promised Land.” Joseph is sold into slavery and longs for a chance to be free. Moses and the Israelites wandered for forty years in the desert, longing for the Land of Milk and Honey. All the characters from Hebrew Scriptures from whom we will hear in these next four weeks — Ruth, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Judith, Elijah, Amos, Hosea, Daniel — all of them are desperately longing for fulfillment, and glimpse it, in the promise of the Messiah. In the end, it’s the same reality that our advertising industry so shrewdly taps into: there is a fulfillment that awaits us somewhere “out there.” Their claim is actually quite true — it is just that their products don’t actually bring the deepest fulfillment for which we thirst. As St. Augustine famously captured: “Our hearts are restless, O Lord, our hearts are restless, until they rest in You.” The longing expressed here is the heart of the Advent season.

Lou DelFra, C.S.C.



• For the Church, may it always be a light to those who wander in darkness. R• For healing for a troubled world and peace among nations. R• For our restless hearts, that we may find peace and fulfillment in God alone. R• For our own intentions. R

The Lord’s Prayer Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

Closing PrayerGood and gracious God, you give us all we need to find completion and fulfillment, yet in our human weakness, we turn our face from You. Help us this Advent season to accept all that You offer to fill our deepest longings. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Wednesday, December 1, 2021, Day 4Wednesday of the First Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)By Your grace, O God, free us from earthly and temporary desires so we may see more clearly that our hearts and souls long for You. Give us the confidence and faith to put all of our trust in You so that each day we may surrender more fully to Your loving embrace. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionOn that day it will be said: “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the LORD for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!” For the hand of the LORD will rest on this mountain. — Isaiah 25:9-10

THE SEASON OF Advent is four weeks where we allow our deepest longing to be completely on display. It’s ironic that the Church sometimes gets accused of repressing our deepest desires. In fact, at its best, the Church takes our deepest desire — the desire to be whole again, like we were in Eden — and proclaims it from the mountaintop! The Church, however, also cautions — especially in this first week of Advent — against allowing that desire for wholeness to get confused with longings for more temporary fulfillment. That is why Jesus warned us, in the Gospel for the First Sunday of Advent: “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness, and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap.” He’s not trying to scare us with some impending cataclysm. He’s teaching us: “Don’t get too caught up in fulfilling all your temporary desires – eating and drinking and all your other pleasures.” They’re fine, especially in moderation, but they’re merely a sign of something much deeper. Beneath them all is a much larger desire – the desire to be totally fulfilled, totally

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at peace, within yourself and with one another, completely happy, and united with God and those you love. And so, here is the first message of Advent: “Stay awake. Be alert!” The fulfillment of our deepest desire is on His way. Advent is the season of our deepest longing. We are called to enter it with expectant and longing hearts.

Lou DelFra, C.S.C.



• That the Church may always proclaim God’s love and saving grace from the mountaintop. R• That people everywhere will put their trust in God and seek justice and peace for all. R• That this Advent season, we will stay awake and be alert, so we do not fall into the trap of

putting our hope and trust in false gods. R• For our own intentions. R

The Lord’s Prayer Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our tres-passes as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

Closing PrayerLord our God, help us to stay awake and be alert this Advent season. Free us from the pur-suit of false gods and temporary pleasures and help us to seek the fulfillment and peace that comes only from You. O God, bless us this day and help us to wait upon the birth of Your Son with expectant and longing hearts. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Thursday, December 2, 2021, Day 5Thursday of the First Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)Heavenly Father, help us this day to set our eyes and hearts on things above and not of this world. Help us to build our faith on a foundation of rock that will stand the test of time. Free us from temptation, and all that hinders us from receiving Christ with joy. Help us, O God, to put our trust in You. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionJesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.” — Matthew 7:21,24-27

ONE OF THE most resonant parts of today’s Gospel is Jesus’ warning that all of us will, inevitably, hit times in our lives when “the rains will fall, the floods will come, and the winds will blow and buffet us.” It’s important to note in this parable that the following of Jesus’ teachings do not prevent the rains and the floods and the winds. The teachings do, however, make a difference in how we weather those storms. Surely one of Jesus’ inten-tions in telling this parable is to prompt the Advent exercise of self-examination: “What kind of foundation is my life built on?” In an examination of my own responses whenever the rains fall and the winds blow, I am an utterly inseparable mix of both. Trials come, and I can say with some confidence, I feel the unshakeable power of the Eucharist at the center of my life. I experience the accompaniment of brothers in Holy Cross and family and friends in faith. And I know there is rock at the foundation of my life. At the very same time, however, when storms arise, I don’t always sleep quite so soundly, pray quite so confidently, or laugh quite so freely. If I’m honest, I know there is no insignificant amount of sand in my basement. Advent is a time to sit with this reality – the foundations of our lives are a mix of rock and sand. And to allow both the rock and sand of our life to call out, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Lou DelFra, C.S.C.


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• For the Church, may it remain faithful to its mission of bringing all to Christ. R • For those who have built their foundations on sand, that they may see the error of their

ways and begin building anew on the rock of faith in God alone. R• For those times our faith is threatened by rain, floods, and winds within or without, that

we may remain anchored by Christ who is our rock and our foundation. R • For our own intentions. R

The Lord’s PrayerOur Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our tres-passes as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

Closing PrayerO God, help us this Advent season to be like the wise man who built his house on rock where it stood strong despite turbulent and trying times. Help us prepare for the coming of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and the rock upon which our faith will be built. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Friday, December 3, 2021, Day 6Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O Lord, as you healed the sick and gave sight to the blind, open our eyes so that we, too, will come to know Your truth and be set free from ignorance and sin. Guide us in Your light so we may walk in the hope and strength of our coming Savior. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionAs Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out, “Son of David, have pity on us!” When he entered the house, the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I can do his?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. Then he touched their eyes and said, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” And their eyes were opened. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread word of him through all that land. — Matthew 9:27-31

CHAPTERS 8 AND 9 of Matthew’s Gospel are two amazing chapters for anyone called to Holy Cross’ charism of being “educators in the faith.” The previous three chapters of Matthew – chapters 5, 6, and 7 – are Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. So, chapters 8 and 9 are the hours and days immediately following His ministry of teaching. When I am finished teaching on any given day, I am exhausted! Yet, in the hours and days after Jesus teaches, the following events unfold in His life, among others: a leper calls out to Him for healing; a centurion approaches Him about his sick servant; His disciples get caught in a storm at sea and need help; a demoniac confronts Him; a paralytic is dropped into His lap through a roof; and in today’s Gospel, two blind men call out to Him from the side of the road. What I find so amazing is that in each instance, Jesus gives His undivid-ed attention and compassion to the person in need before Him. We witness here one who has become completely convinced that everyone who enters His life – whether expected or unexpected, simple or complicated, whole or in need – is entering as part of His Father’s Providential plan. Because of this, no one is an interruption in Jesus’ life – as surely any of these unexpected people could easily have been regarded. Instead, each person is brim-ming with sacred opportunity – for the Kingdom of God to be revealed. How is the season of Advent – so filled with time with others – calling us to see the people in our life with the eyes and heart of the Messiah?

Lou DelFra, C.S.C.


IntercessionsThe response is Lord, our hope is in You.

• For those who suffer from ill health, oppression, or daily hardship, may they be strengthened and consoled by a compassionate Church. R

• For the poor and afflicted who each day put their trust in God, may they teach people everywhere what it truly means to have faith in God’s Divine Providence. R

• For the times we get frustrated or annoyed by the demands of others upon our time, may we come to see these interruptions as sacred opportunities to prepare for the coming of Christ. R


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Closing Prayer Lord, fill us with Your grace and wisdom so that in the midst of life’s countless interrup-tions, we will come to see Your divine presence in each and every person we encounter. Help us to be patient, attentive, and responsive this day in all that we do. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Saturday, December 4, 2021, Day 7Saint John of Damascus: Priest, Religious, Doctor of the Church

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)Lord, let the light and hope of Your coming Son free us from the darkness of sin. Help us to be bearers of this light and hope here on earth and send us forth as disciples to bring the good news of Your coming Kingdom to all we meet. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionJesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, His heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Then He summoned His Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” - Matthew 9:35 – 10:1

WE ALL LIKE to think of Jesus as living a life of deep peace. And, in fact, He did. But there are enough glimpses into Jesus’ life to know it was often also a life of commotion. Today’s Gospel is breathless: Jesus going to “every town and village,” preaching, teaching, curing – and stopping only to recognize that He doesn’t have nearly enough help! It is one of many Gospels that present an image of Jesus as a person who lived continually on the verge of being overwhelmed, of constantly being pulled in a dozen directions. But we also know Jesus was, indeed, a man of deep and centered peace. How does He pull it off? First, Jesus often withdraws to pray. If we were to count the number of times in the Gospel we read a

phrase like “Jesus withdrew to a solitary place to pray,” we would reach a healthy number. Second, Jesus surrounds himself with friends who support Him in His daily life and, as in today’s Gospel, invites them to join Him in ministry. And, though His work is so often laborious, Jesus understands it not primarily as “work” but as discipleship – cooperating with His Father to build up the Kingdom of God. These three acts, which are so central to our spirituality in Holy Cross – prayer, community, discipleship – are acts that we can deliberately cultivate in our own daily life. They brought Jesus peace in the midst of a hectic life; they can do the same for us, His disciples. Can the peace of Advent call us to his practices?

Lou DelFra, C.S.C.



• That through prayer, community, and discipleship, the Church will be faithful to its mission of building God’s Kingdom here on earth. R

• That people everywhere will become disciples that have the competence to see and the courage to act in bringing about a more just and loving world. R

• That in the midst of a hectic life, we may always commit ourselves to prayer, the building of community, and service to others. R



Closing Prayer Heavenly Father, You made a new creation through Jesus Christ, Your Son. May His com-ing free us from sin, propel us into service for others, and be light for the world. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

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Sunday, December 5, 2021Second Sunday of Advent

Scripture readings:Baruch 5:1-9Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11Luke 3:1-6

Theme: PeacePresented by Rev. Paul Kollman, C.S.C.

Fr. Paul Kollman, C.S.C., is an associate professor of theology and has been on the faculty at the University of Notre Dame in the Department of Theology since 2001. Before that, he taught at the Queen of Apostles Philosophy Seminary in Jinja, Uganda, and Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. Since being at Notre Dame, he has also taught at Tangaza College, Nairobi, Kenya. His scholarship focuses on African Christianity, mission history, and world Christianity, and he has taught and carried out research in Africa and in archives around the world.

Fr. Kollman earned his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School (2001), and a B.A. and MDiv from Notre Dame (1984, 1990). He is the author of The Evangelization of Slaves and Catholic Origins in Eastern Africa, co-author of Understanding World Christianity: Eastern Africa, and numerous other publications in professional journals. He has served as executive director of Notre Dame’s Center for Social Concerns, as president of the American Society of Missiology, and is currently president of the International Association of Mission Studies. Fr. Kollman is also a fellow of the Kellogg, Kroc, and Nanovic Institutes at Notre Dame. He is a former trustee of Stonehill College and currently a trustee at Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Fr. Kollman currently lives in O’Neill Hall at Notre Dame.




Monday, December 6, 2021, Day 9Feast of Saint Nicholas, Bishop

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)In this holy season of Advent, O God, we recall the many ways You have visited Your people—in Creation, Covenant, and especially in the birth of Your Son, Jesus Christ, as one of us. As we long for His fullness, keep us watchful for the ways that, like desert’s blooming anew and stiff limbs becoming full of life, our own hearts might rejoice at Christ’s presence already in our midst. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionThe desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song. The glory of Lebanon will be given to them, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. — Isaiah 35:1-2

AS WE STRIDE firmly into this second week of Advent, our retreat’s focus moves from the gift of hope, which orients our longings to embrace God’s desires for us, to focus on the gift of peace. We recognize the interdependence of these two great values and virtues. Their fullness in our lives is always elusive, never quite realized, yet we catch glimpses of them, tokens of God’s mercy that beckon us forward. Today’s reading from Isaiah offers images of longings fulfilled: a desert that blooms and fearful people made strong; those suffering lack of sight, hearing, or free movement given vision and music and the capacity to leap; a dangerous road made safe. When the Gospel tells how Jesus forgives and then heals the paralytic, our hearts are meant to notice: ancient longings are fulfilled in Him. He allows genuine hope and the promise of real peace, peace beyond the absence of overt conflict, peace as a fullness of life for all. Jesus did that then; he can do similar things now. For us. Perhaps last evening you remembered that today is the feast of Saint Nich-olas. And perhaps you—or someone small living near you—put out a shoe to receive some token or sign of benevolence that appeared the next morning in the shoe. To dispose ourselves to welcome the peace Jesus offers means that we open ourselves to sufficiently honest self-appraisal and thoughtful analysis of the world around us—that is, metaphor-ically, to set the welcoming shoe of our hearts and lives outside our doors. This acknowl-edges that these vessels, meant for holding and knowing peace, do not yet bear the peace for which we long. Thus we can more easily welcome the peace that only Christ can give.

Paul Kollman, C.S.C.

Capture your own reflection:

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Intercessions The response is Grant us Your peace, O Lord.

• For the Church everywhere this Advent season, may the hope and peace of the coming Christ inspire the faithful to transform our world. R

• For those who suffer from dementia and other illnesses, that they may always be treated with love and dignity. R

• For inner stillness so that we may prepare a place for the Spirit to dwell within us. R• For our own intentions. R


Closing PrayerO God, as we move into the second week of Advent, grant us the gifts of Your hope and peace that we may continue our journey to know, love, and serve You more fully. Help us to wait in great patience and gratitude for all that You have promised. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Tuesday, December 7, 2021, Day 10Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, as a shepherd protects his flock, so You watch over Your people. Continue to guide and guard us during this time of Advent so we may become more aware and trustful of Your Divine Providence within our lives. Hear our prayers and give us patience as we wait upon the coming of Your Son, the One who will bring peace to all people. Help us prepare a place for Him in our hearts. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionIf a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.” —Matthew 18:12-14

ONE COMMON REFRAIN about western literature is that it has two basic plotlines: first, “a stranger comes to town”; and second, “let’s go on a journey.” Advent reminds us that the Christian story brings those two plotlines together as Christ, the divine stranger,

comes to “our town” (and we remember all the prefigurings that anticipated His coming while longing for His return) and takes us, all who believe in Him, on a journey. Journeys with strangers do not typically promise peace, for they suggest uncertainty, discomfort, even danger. Yet our faith allows us to see our stranger-Messiah as a shepherd-king in the line of the God of Israel, protecting a flock composed of people marked by a covenant. And in that flock, it is, as today’s Gospel reminds us, “…no part of your heavenly Father’s plan that a single one of these little ones shall ever come to grief.” We might not feel ourselves little, or even especially in need of protection. Faith suggests, however, that this is a dangerous sentiment—even an illusion. We are a people whose longing for peace depends on knowing we have not yet received the fullness of peace. Yes, we, too, are shepherds of others, many of us. Yes, we, too, have people to protect, as we should, given the normal ways our commitments and relationships forge responsibility. Yet deeper and more abiding than the responsibilities we properly assume and the care we provide for others—infinitely deeper and more abiding—are the guiding and guarding we receive and the providence in which the Divine Shepherd/Prince of Peace holds us. Peace comes from dwelling in awareness of that Providence.



IntercessionsThe response is Grant us Your peace, O Lord.

• We pray as a shepherd protects his sheep that the Church may always reach out to the marginalized, the oppressed, and those whom the world has forgotten. R

• We pray for those who are estranged from God, their families, and others who love them, that they may have the courage and grace to take that first step towards home. R

• We pray through trust in God that we may find the grace to turn hatred into love and grievances into forgiveness. R


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Closing PrayerO God, You guide the hearts of the faithful by the light and peace of the Holy Spirit. As we continue our Advent journey, we ask that You cleanse us of every distraction so that we may be single-minded in our wait for the incarnation of Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Wednesday, December 8, 2021, Day 11Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the

Blessed Virgin Mary

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, You prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of Your Son. You let her share be-forehand in the salvation that Christ would bring by His death and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in Your presence without sin. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionThen the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. — Luke 1:30-32

IN 1 JOHN 2:24, we read: “Let what you heard in the beginning remain in you.” Do any of us remember what we heard in the beginning? I think not, yet we all heard a similar sound in our beginning: the steady heartbeat of our mother, in her womb. (Some of you provided that heartbeat for one or more others.) And, deep in all of our psyches is com-fort with such a sound and a longing for that accompanying security, steadiness, and reliability. Probably never since then have we dwelt in such untroubled peace. Today’s feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary stresses the way God’s Providence, which seeks to embrace the salvation of all people everywhere, was at work on the Incarnation of Jesus of Nazareth even before Jesus himself existed as an historical human being. The one to whom the Messiah will be born had been prepared for her role as Theotokos, God-bearer, from all eternity, spared the curse that falls on the rest of us. God’s Providential will — manifested in our mother’s heartbeat for each of us, and in the conception of Mary of Nazareth to ready her to bear the Savior of every person who ever was or will be — is the framework in which we want to dwell, to know the peace the Christ wants to give. Allow that framework to thrust aside competing stories that, in their own

ways, stress your need to prove your value through your own efforts. God foresaw you, holds you in care and longs to be with you forever.




• Through our Blessed Mother’s intercession, may the Church guide us in opening our minds so we may begin to see with our hearts and be examples of Christ’s love in all that we do. R

• Through our Blessed Mother’s intercession, help us to restore peace and solidarity in our unforgiving world. R

• Through our Blessed Mother’s intercession, enable us to love our oppressed, poor, and marginalized neighbors unconditionally and unceasingly. R



Closing PrayerO Mary, our Immaculate Mother, on your feast day, we come to you. We give you thanks because you have shown us that above all is the grace of God and the Love of Jesus Christ. Help us by your prayers to live without sin. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

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Thursday, December 9, 2021, Day 12Thursday of the Second Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, as we wait upon the healing power of Christ, Your Son, let us not be discouraged by our weaknesses but rather take heart that You are always there for us with an open embrace. Help us this Advent season to surrender our hearts to You each day so that we may live constantly in Your peace. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionFor I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.” — Isaiah 41:13

ONE OF MY favorite short poems is by Denise Levertov (d. 1997), Flickering Mind:

Lord, not you,it is I who am absent … Not for one secondwill my self hold still, but wandersanywhere, everywhere it can turn. Not you, it is I who am absent. You are the stream, the fish, the light,the pulsing shadow,you the unchanging presence, in whom allmoves and changes.How can I focus my flickering, perceiveat the fountain’s heartthe sapphire I know is there?

The poem captures the frustration of someone who seeks the Lord and finds her own lack of attention her worst enemy as she seeks. What good words these are for us in these days of Advent! In this holy season, the Church invites us to more attentiveness, to be ready for the Lord’s coming, to long for Jesus to return even as we prepare to celebrate his birth 2000 years ago. Advent tries to shock us back into sense, nudge us toward mindfulness, recall us from our forgetfulness. A retreat is an invitation to be prodded out of our oblivi-ousness and lack of awareness that grows so easily in our routines. We seek to overcome the inertia of distraction and disorientation so easy to experience as our lives gear up with busyness and demands placed upon us. “Heed carefully what you hear,” Jesus tells the crowds. And it is what He tells us, too, to pay attention to the landscape of our hearts and the world around us, watchful for invitations to peace that come our way. It is not You, O Lord; it is we who are absent. Help us to be present.




• May the Church be zealous in proclaiming Jesus Christ as Savior and light of the world, especially to those in need of God’s healing touch. R

• May nations everywhere prepare for the coming of the Lord by beating swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks as they seek peace and justice for all. R

• We pray that God may place in our hearts the desire to make Him the center of our lives, our families, and our homes. R



Closing PrayerAgain, O God, we ask that You help us surrender ourselves to You. To help us let go of the things of this world that distract and occupy us and keep us from loving You and others as we should. Let the light of the coming of Your Son free us from the darkness of sin and help us to live more fully in Your abundant love and grace. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Friday, December 10, 2021, Day 13Friday of the Second Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, we live in a hectic and busy world, and too often, we seek not that Thy will be done but our own. Our busyness keeps us distant from You and even from acknowledging our need for You. Help us to recognize our struggles and brokenness this Advent season so we may turn towards

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You. Hear our cries and embrace us in Your arms, Heavenly Father, so that we may find the love, acceptance, and peace that comes only from You. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionJesus said to the crowds: “To what shall I compare this generation? It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another, ‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is vindicated by her works.” — Matthew 11:16-19

THE WORDS OF Jesus today indicate His exasperation with those who came to heal and help, for they have excuses to resist the Good News no matter how it is packaged. John the Baptist’s asceticism, Jesus’s own less harsh regime—both present calls to repent and welcome the Reign of God, and both face rejection from those unwilling to change. It is about halfway through Advent, and today’s Gospel, highlighting Jesus’s own frustration, invites us to consider, “What obstacles lie within us and in our world to the full welcome of Christ’s promise of abundant life and abiding peace?” Let us be honest: we can forget our need for a savior. We become busy, our lives crowded, the demands on us so demand-ing that the uncomfortable bits about us and the world, those darker moments when we feel keenly our need for something greater, get pushed aside. The illusion of self-sufficien-cy can grow as we ignore the darkness in and around us. Maybe, then, halfway through Advent, we need to remind ourselves that, while we have welcomed a Savior once, we still need to know and embrace the fullness of salvation. Do we need evidence? When our world fails to protect the defenseless, we need a savior. When inequality grows with scarcely a protest, we need a savior. When we sense resentments and fear holding power over us, we need a savior. When we find ourselves deeply entrenched in cocoons of our own needs and desires so that we ignore the needs around us, we need a savior. When we indulge ourselves over and over in ways we know we should not, we need a savior. When we find ourselves distant from those we want to love, we need a savior. Come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!




• That the Church around the world will unfailingly promote justice and defend the sanctity of human life everywhere. R

• That as a people, we may never lose sight of our world’s great need for Christ’s saving power. R

• That we may identify and work to overcome the obstacles that lie deep within us so we may be more open to Christ’s promise of abundant life and abiding peace. R



Closing PrayerO God, as we attempt to slow down this Advent season, and spend more time in prayer and reflection, help us to recognize deep within ourselves that we still need to accept and embrace the fullness of salvation that comes only through You. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Saturday, December 11, 2021, Day 14Saturday of the Second Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, as Elijah and John the Baptist unsettled those they encountered by announcing the coming of the Messiah, may we be awoken from our own complacency and prepare ourselves to be reborn in the newness of the coming Christ. Help us stay alert. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionAs they were coming down from the mountain, the disciples asked Jesus, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” He said in reply, “Elijah will indeed come and restore all things; but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased. So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understoodthat he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. — Matthew 17:9a, 10-13

MY NEPHEW, A recent University of Notre Dame graduate, loved trains as a young boy. When he was four or five, I gave him the gift of a train whistle — a wooden block, about six inches long, a square one-inch shape. It made a great sound, and he loved lying down next to his small train, watching it go around in circles, blowing the train whistle as it neared

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him. I gave the train whistle to him in Advent and, thinking myself clever, tried to give it some religious significance. I explained that, if Jesus was the train that was coming, John the Baptist served as the train whistle, announcing the Messiah’s coming. My nephew lis-tened, seemed to like it, then continued to blow the whistle, watching the train go around in circles. One time, as he lay by the train with his whistle, he blew the whistle and shouted, “Look out everybody, Jesus is coming!” I had inadvertently made Jesus someone to avoid when He comes our way. Unwise uncles can be dangerous. Yet my nephew was onto something. John the Baptist, not unlike Elijah to whom Jesus compared him, unset-tled those he encountered, inviting them out of complacency so that they readied them-selves to repent and welcome newness in their lives. Jesus himself repeatedly acknowl-edged the importance of John the Baptist’s role, not least in today’s Gospel. Alfred Delp, SJ, spoke of Advent “as a time of rousing,” when we are “shaken to our depths to awaken to the truth of ourselves.” This is a time to hearken to the Baptist’s call—or the train whis-tle—to become alert that Jesus is coming. May the forerunner/train whistle sound in our depths as we strive to welcome Christ. Do not get out of His way, instead give Him access, allowing Him to occupy our various stations, personal and collective—all of them.




• That the Church may proclaim God’s holy name to the ends of the earth. R • That peace and solidarity may be restored to our unforgiving world, and that people

everywhere will be guided by unwavering faith and determination in bringing about the peace of God’s Holy Kingdom. R

• Let us see this Advent season as a time of rousing, when we are shaken to our depths to awaken to the truth of ourselves. R



Closing PrayerO God, as we approach the mid-point of the Advent season, help us to set aside time for You each day. Time to think, time to pray, and time to examine our day for traces of Your presence. Help us to look for You in those we meet, the events that take place, and even in the beauty of nature we glimpse out the window or on a walk around our neighborhood or through a park. Help us to see and hear today with new eyes and news ears and to give You thanks and praise for everything we experience. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

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Sunday, December 12, 2021Third Sunday of Advent

Scripture readings:Zephaniah 3:14-18aIsaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6Philippians 4: 4-7Luke 3:10-18

Theme: JoyPresented by Rev. James King, C.S.C.

Fr. James King, C.S.C., teaches in the theology department at the University of Portland, his second tour after serving there for five years in the 1990s. Prior to returning to UP, he was the district administrator for the Congregation of Holy Cross in East Africa and taught theology in Jinja, Uganda. He also spent eighteen years in a variety of capacities at the University of Notre Dame: religious superior; director of Campus Ministry; instructor in business ethics and theology; residence hall rector; and vocations director. He is the author of Known by Name: Inside the Halls of Notre Dame and Holy Cross

and Christian Education. He is originally from Chicago and was ordained in 1988.




Monday, December 13, 2021, Day 16Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, free us from our sins and make us whole. Help us come to terms with our weaknesses and accept our flaws before You. Hear our prayers and give us patience and perseverance as we wait upon the coming of Your Son. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionYour ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior. — Psalm 25:4-5

Lucy was one of many virgin martyrs during the worst series of persecutions in the his-tory of the Church at the turn of the 4th century. She was denounced to Roman authori-ties by a man whose marriage proposal she refused when he received word that she was giving away her dowry to the poor in Syracuse, an ancient Sicilian town. One would not expect a young man who claimed to love a woman to seek such vengeance, yet in some way, her refusal clearly threatened him. Neither would one have expected learned priests and elders with knowledge of God’s law to conspire against Jesus, but His teaching and healings demonstrated an authority greater than theirs and so undermined their stand-ing in the Jewish community of believers. It is probably true that whenever we lash out at someone, it is because we see them as threats to our ego, self-image, prestige, position, standing, or authority. We are only truly secure when we know that we are loved regard-less of our weaknesses and accept that our flaws and insecurities need not define us. Self-acceptance of them mutes our anger at our own limitations. Who do we feel anger toward? Is it justified? Anger always seeks an outlet, and it is far easier to project it onto others than to accept that its root cause may be frustration with our own inadequacies and insecurities.

James King, C.S.C.


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Intercessions The response is Lord, make our joy complete.

• We pray for those who struggle for self-acceptance; may they find the love and peace that comes from trusting in the Lord. R

• We pray for our children and other family members who have left the Church; may they find their way back home to God and their parish community this Advent. R

• We pray for those times we struggle to do the right thing; may God grant us the wisdom and courage to always take the harder right over the easier wrong. R



Closing PrayerO God, we have a great cloud of witnesses to help and inspire us — Saints like Lucy, André Bessette, and many more. Thank you for these examples of faithfulness and sanctity that show us time and time again that your Kingdom is within our possession. Help us to obtain it. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Tuesday, December 14, 2021, Day 17Memorial of Saint John of the Cross,

priest and doctor of the Church

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, we may not understand how Your creation works, the intricacies of Your world, and our place in it, so we look to You to help in our understanding and acceptance. Help us to work with You, God, not in opposition, that we might advance Your Kingdom here on earth. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionA man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” — Matthew 21: 28-31

John of the Cross was imprisoned by his own community in a dispute over whether the Carmelites, of which he was one, should live by a stricter or more relaxed rule. Yet, instead of incurring bitterness, he went on to write some of the most eloquent poems on the nature of love penned in any language. His Spiritual Canticle describes the nature of love, the perfect love of the Holy Spirit, as “the flame that consumes, and gives no pain.” Once infancy passes and we start becoming the result of our accumulated choices, we come to learn that deep-seated joy is the product of effort. We occasionally experience wholly euphoric moments, but we only reach that point where love no longer gives pain as the end result of making hard sacrifices. John of the Cross had many good reasons to become embittered, but perhaps he realized that his greatest weapon in furthering the reform of his order was not to hate but to persevere in love. There were those Carmelites who never accepted his challenge to live closer to God, but he knew that there were two kinds of “sons,” those who pretended to be faithful and so were unreachable and others who might react negatively at first but upon further reflection could be converted. We all rebel against God (and His messengers) in some way, but if we desire to be wholly con-sumed by that flame of love, we must pass through sorrow on the way to joy.

James King, C.S.C.


IntercessionsThe response is Lord, make our joy complete.

• For those who daily die to self and even give their lives for the good of the Kingdom of God. R

• For those who unjustly judge others and live in anger. R• For those who rebel against God or fear God has left them. R• For our own intentions. R


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Closing PrayerO God, John of the Cross was imprisoned unjustly by his own religious community. Yet, rather than being bitter and vengeful, he persevered in love. Help us, therefore, to do like-wise by turning hatred into love and grievances into forgiveness. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Wednesday, December 15, 2021, Day 18Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, just ten days until we celebrate the birth of Your Son. Are we ready? Have we properly prepared our hearts, have we learned to put our trust in You, and have we thrown off all that prevents us from loving freely? Help us and prepare our hearts to recognize the great reality of Jesus’ incarnation not just on Christmas, but on each and every day of our lives. Amen. Scripture Quote For ReflectionWhen the men came to the Lord, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’” At that time Jesus cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; he also granted sight to many who were blind. And Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” -Luke 7: 20-22

Even John, the cousin of Jesus, was not sure that he was the one and sent his disciples to seek proof. It shouldn’t surprise us that we sometimes have difficulty recognizing Jesus as our savior, too. There is no faith without doubt. Of course, we’d like to be certain that Jesus was God’s son, and that we can count on his promises. Jesus walked around his homeland of Galilee, performing all the wonders proclaimed in today’s Gospel, yet most people still doubted that he was the promised Messiah. It is not unusual for people to cling to their preferred narratives rather than change in the face of truth, but sometimes in order to see and hear, we need to do precisely that. Our life scripts, our views about family, work, politics, and the Church, are often the product of our biases, what we want to be true rather than what really is. The essence of conversion is seeing and hearing what we don’t want to see and hear because it will compel us to realize that our script needs sig-nificant revision. The first five steps of AA are to admit we have a problem, to believe that God can heal us, to turn our problems over to God, to undertake a “searching and fearless moral inventory,” and then to confess the results to someone. There is a good reason why we encourage people to go to Confession during Advent – because it compels us to face Jesus with the truth about ourselves without which we cannot be healed and cleansed.

James King, C.S.C.



• We pray that the Church may always be present to those who are suffering. R• We pray that those who are addicted to alcohol or drugs may find peace by surrendering

themselves completely to God. R• We pray that we may use these last ten days of Advent to more fully commit ourselves to

Christ. R• For our own intentions. R

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our tres-passes as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

Closing PrayerO God, we came into this Advent season prepared to give ourselves more fully to You. Through prayer and examination, we have sought to discover the truth of our lives, not the false truths we clung to in the past, but the truth that really is. Help us to continue this process of conversion so we may come to Christmas with purer hearts that are more freely and joyfully open to loving You and others. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Thursday, December 16, 2021, Day 19Thursday of the Third Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)Lord, when we are focused on You, we have peace. When we shift our attention, even for a moment, the concerns of our present time creep in and we become anxious, afraid, intimidated. Help us to surrender our time, our focus, and our lives to You so we may live constantly in Your peace. Amen.

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Scripture Quote For ReflectionI tell you, among those born of women, no one is greater than John; yet the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he. — Luke 7:28

Not long ago, I visited an elderly woman in a nursing home who had just gone into hospice. She was thin, frail, and stone deaf. Piled next to her were a stack of notebooks and markers. I wrote in big capital letters on a sheet of paper, “Have you been anointed?” She just looked up and shouted back at me, “Give me the works!” So I gave her the works: absolution, communion, and anointing. In fact, I gave her absolution twice because she didn’t understand that I’d already said the words over her, and it was too complicated to try to explain that I had – and when did uttering words of forgiveness twice ever do any-one harm? The Gospel tells us today that the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than John. That makes me think of people like Maria, a seemingly ordinary, undistinguished soul, who won’t ever have more written about her than what appears in her obituary. But instead of being consumed by fear as she nears her end, she simply wants as much of Jesus as she can get. Perhaps the approach of death brings clarity about what we most value, what brings real hope and joy, but wanting as much of Jesus as we can get along the way before we reach the end is likely to increase our worth not only in God’s court but in the eyes of those who can see the reflection of Jesus in the eyes of the seemingly least among us. James King, C.S.C.


Intercessions The response is Lord, make our joy complete.

• That individuals and families set aside their differences so they may share in the joy of Christmas with one another. R

• For an end to the pandemic and for healing for all who have been impacted by it. R• For those who live in fear or suffer from self-doubt. R, • For our own intentions. R


Closing PrayerO God, help us to turn to You when life is full of sadness and anger and when our world makes no sense. In our most difficult days, help us not to be consumed by fear, but rather, like Maria, to want as much of Jesus as we can get. By your grace, may we become people of joy this Christmas season. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Friday, December 17, 2021, Day 20Friday of the Third Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)Lord, we continue our Advent journey with joy that builds as we get closer to Christmas and the birth of Jesus. May our expectations of these seasons open our minds even further to become more conscious of the joys we often miss. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionThus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Christ, fourteen generations. – Matthew 1:17

Of the twelve tribes of Israel that traced their ancestry to Jacob’s twelve sons, the tribe of Judah was the most important. King David was of that line, and Matthew’s genealogy traces Jesus’ own descent back to him. The names are strange to us, but we can all identi-fy with the desire to know where we came from. Many people have traced their forebears on ancestry.com or done DNA testing to find out their genetic makeup. It was important to Jesus’ Jewish contemporaries that Jesus’ own ancestry could be traced back to David because the Old Testament prophecies foretold that the Messiah would be of his lineage. Our hopes diverged from those who maintained their adherence to the tenets of Judaism, and so we trace our lineage in a different way – to apostles and saints but also to those uncanonized holy people to whom we give special remembrance on All Souls’ Day. We are the product of our choices, but they are influenced by those we choose to admire and attempt to emulate. Perhaps this season is a good time for us to name those who have helped to form us into the people we’ve become.

James King, C.S.C.

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• For saints, martyrs, and all those who lead us to God through example. R• For spiritual leaders who help others come to know God more fully. R• For all those who helped form us into the people we have become. R• For our own intentions. R


Closing PrayerO God, today we give thanks for our parents, teachers, clergy and religious who shared their faith with us by word and example. We pray in joy and thanksgiving for all those who have helped form us into the people we have become. As they were there for us, help us to be there for others, especially children and those new to the faith. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Saturday, December 18, 2021, Day 21Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, help us to wait patiently this final week of Advent for the light and peace that Jesus Christ will bring to all people and all nations. Help us to be faithful in our watch as we prepare Him a place in our hearts. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionWhen Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus. — Matthew 1:24-25

St. Joseph is the great unsung hero of our faith. One can make an argument that he made an even greater sacrifice than Mary. A man who bore the responsibility of a father without ever knowing the full joy of being one, he became protector and guardian of the great-est treasure ever entrusted to a human being. St. André Bessette, Holy Cross’ only saint, frequently told people to “Go to Joseph.” Many saints have performed miracles, but rarely have they invoked the intercession of St. Joseph. But he was the original “go-to” guy. When Mary’s honor needed protection, he provided it. When she was about to give birth, he made her as comfortable as conditions permitted. When Herod sent out his soldiers to slaughter the newborn sons, Joseph spirited Mary and Jesus to safety in Egypt.

Our mission or vocation usually turns out to be something other than what we expected when we declared majors in college or started off in business. There are the usual things for which we express gratitude as we head toward the celebration of Christmas, but it is a true sign of grace to be thankful for those things that have seemed like detours or inter-ruptions of our hopes but are, in fact, the very things that have directed us down the path we were meant to follow and made us more complete.

James King, C.S.C.



• For those who have asked us to pray for them, especially those in need of healing, may they follow St. André’s advice and ‘Go to Joseph” with their prayers. R

• For the example of St. Joseph, may fathers everywhere emulate his devotion, care, and love of family. R

• For all women expecting the birth of a child. R • For our own intentions. R

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Closing PrayerOh God, we thank You for holy men and women like St. Joseph, Brother André, and Moth-er Teresa who put their love for You above all else. May their example remind us of what it means to love and to serve others unconditionally. Be with those who put themselves in harm’s way in service of the poor and oppressed, and help us always to follow their example by having the competence to see and the courage to act in our own lives. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Sunday, December 19, 2021Fourth Sunday of Advent

Scripture readings:Micah 5:1-4aPsalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19Hebrews 10:5-10Luke 1:39-45

Theme: LoveRev. Michael Connors, C.S.C.

Fr. Michael E. Connors, C.S.C., Th.D., is a pastoral theologian and homiletician. In 1997 he joined the faculty of the Theology Department at the University of Notre Dame, where he now also directs the John S. Marten Program in Homiletics and Liturgics. A native of the Chicago area, he majored in American History as an undergraduate at Illinois College. He holds an M.Div. from the University of Notre Dame, made his final profession in the Congregation of Holy Cross in September 1983, and was ordained to the priesthood in April 1984. After several years of parish ministry, he did doctoral studies at Regis College in Toronto in the areas of spirituality

and inculturation. He is the author of several articles and two monographs, including Preaching for Discipleship: Preparing Homilies for Christian Initiation (Liturgy Training Publications, 2018); and the editor of five collections of essays on preaching, including Effective Preaching: Bringing People into an Encounter with God (LTP, 2019) and Preaching as Spiritual Leadership: Guiding the Faithful as Mystic and Mystagogue (LTP, 2021).




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Monday, December 20, 2021, Day 23Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, at times we’re afraid of what You may ask of us because we fear it may be difficult. We see it as a sacrifice instead of a blessing. Help us to become more like Mary who constantly opened herself to You. Help us to understand that following Your will frees us from selfish desires and opens our hearts more fully to Your great love. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionMary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” — Luke 1:38

I’m often struck by the frankness and honesty with which people in the Bible speak back to the Most High and His messengers. While I’m sure Mary was awed by the appearance of an angel and shocked by the message the angel brought her, she nonetheless summons up the courage to pose the obvious question: “How can this be?” And she receives back a quite complete and beautiful answer, including a sign, namely, that her cousin Elizabeth is, just as improbably, pregnant already as the first part of the unfolding divine plan. You only speak that candidly when you know you are in the context of a secure, safe relation-ship with someone you know and love. Mary’s love relationship with God had begun long before the sudden appearance of the angel Gabriel to her. She was able to give her fiat, her “yes” to God’s costly request of her, because she already trusted that God’s love would never fail her, no matter how difficult or improbable the circumstances of her life may have seemed. And in saying yes, her heart grew bigger still. Do the improbable, seeming-ly impossible, broken, or unpleasant places of our lives keep us from approaching the Almighty and speaking forthrightly? Do we think those places escape the Lord’s notice or care? Do we regard our lives the way the people of little ole Bethlehem in yesterday’s first reading evidently saw theirs, that is, as too small to matter? Yet the small and the improbable are the very places the God of Love chooses to enter and dwell, if only we too will give our “yes.”

Michael Connors, C.S.C.


Intercessions The response is Great is Your love, O Lord.

• For those who welcome saints and sinners with Your love. R• For those blinded by the world and distanced from the love of God. R• For the lost sheep and their return to the beauty of God’s truth. R• For our own intentions. R


Closing PrayerO God, like Mary who constantly said “yes” to Your will, may we likewise give ourselves to You in all that we say and do. Help us to wake each day trusting in Your love and know-ing that You will never fail us no matter how difficult or improbable the circumstances of our lives may be. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Tuesday, December 21, 2021, Day 24Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)Again, O God, we come before You this last week of Advent to humbly ask for the courage, wisdom, and strength to willingly play our parts in Your unfolding design. Help us not to hold back but to give ourselves wholeheartedly, knowing that You will reinforce us and be with us in all that we do. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionWhen Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” — Luke 1:41-42

As a kid, I always looked forward to the holiday visit of two very special people: my grand-mother and my uncle. I can still hear the sounds of Granny’s laugh and Uncle Gene’s deep voice, gently teasing us kids. I looked forward to their visits not so much for the presents they brought, but for the laughter, conversation, fun, love, special food, and special times they brought with them. For most of us, Christmas involves visits to or by family and

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friends. Today’s Gospel tells us about the original holiday visit. It was a joyful occasion, but here there was even more than the joy of reunited family; this was a gathering amid the joy of faith in what God was doing. A bond of kinship brought Elizabeth and Mary together, but they were also united by a special bond of love borne of willingly playing their parts in God’s unfolding design. God made surprising demands upon both of these women but gave both of them surprising gifts, too. I imagine they had so much to talk about! Perhaps they recited to one another lines from the love poem, Song of Songs, or drew courage from the prophet Zephaniah: “Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!... God will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love.” As you look forward to holiday visits, ask yourself not just what things you’ll put under the tree for each person, but what gift of love, hope, or joy you can bring to your loved ones this Christmas. And don’t be surprised if you yourself receive an unexpected visitor.

Michael Connors, C.S.C. Capture Your Own Reflection:

IntercessionsThe response is Great is Your love, O Lord.

• For those times we struggle to discern God’s will for our lives. R• For those times we hold back from following God’s will out of fear or lack of confidence in

ourselves. R• For peace, hope and joy for our families, especially those who are estranged or separated

by distance. R• For our own intentions. R


Closing PrayerLord, our wills are not easily Your will. We go left when you would have us go right. We take the crooked path instead of the straight road. We hear You but too quickly lose the message. Help us now and always to put aside what we think is best for us to hear and respond to Your will. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Wednesday, December 22, 2021, Day 25Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, as we move within days of celebrating the birth of Your Son, Jesus Christ, help us to be like Mary in proclaiming You as a God who is not only strong but merciful, compassionate, and actively engaged in our lives. Bless us and strengthen us so that every moment of our day, every thought, word, and action honors You. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionMy soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior, for he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed. — Luke 1:46-48

In the magnificent tradition of Christian art and iconography, the most often depicted character is, of course, Jesus, the Savior. But the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, must surely be a close second. Again and again, her role in salvation history has engaged the imaginations of painters, sculptors, poets, and songwriters. Depictions of Mary are dom-inated by scenes of the Annunciation, the birth of Jesus, and the Crucifixion. Here Mary most often appears demure, receptive, attentive, or sorrowful. All of this is well and good, of course, and can draw us into prayer. Yet, I often wonder why it is almost impossible to find a portrait of Mary of the Magnificat, Mary with mouth open and head up, heart full of passionate love, boldly announcing the good news of God’s mighty deeds. Mary was the first Christian prophet. She is the Church’s cantor, fearlessly singing God’s praise. The Magnificat is one of the great prophetic texts of the Bible. It is not a statement of facts; after all, when we look around, we still have the desperately poor among us, and tyrants still oppress. Rather, it is a vision of the world as God is calling it to be, the world we are privileged to glimpse in our faith in Jesus Christ. Mary proclaims a God who is not only strong but merciful, compassionate, and actively engaged in human affairs on the side of justice and right. It takes courage to see and announce a God this good, and it entails un-avoidable suffering. Mary of the Magnificat, fill us with the love and vision which moved you. Help us to see what God is doing and join our efforts to His.


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• That the Church may proclaim the coming of Christ with zeal and conviction. R • That we may be an example of the goodness of God to all we encounter this day. R• That we may have the courage to reach out to someone we have wronged to seek

forgiveness. R• For our own intentions. R


Closing PrayerO God, it takes courage to see and announce You in today’s troubled world where people of faith are often ridiculed or marginalized. Yet, help us not to shy away from proclaiming Your goodness, but to be like Mary of the Magnificat who boldly announced Your mighty deeds and fearlessly sung Your praises. Fill us with the love and vision that moved her and help us to have the insight to discern Your will and the courage to join our efforts to Yours. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Thursday, December 23, 2021, Day 26Thursday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, time and again, You bring forth life in places which have known only darkness, barrenness, or abandonment. Help us to see in our own lives, and in the brokenness of our world, where You are at work preparing to surprise us with new life. Help us to use these final days of Advent to prepare a place in our hearts for the coming of Your Son, the One who will bring new life and bring it in abundance to all. Amen.

Scripture Quote For ReflectionYour ways, O LORD, make known to me; teach me your paths, Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior. — Psalm 25:4-5

Who of us has not had moments when we felt abandoned by God? Who of us has not faced circumstances or events which threaten to cast us into despair? An elderly couple, Elizabeth and Zechariah must have had some dark days, days when the disappointment of childlessness tempted them to conclude that God was nothing more than a fairy tale of wishful thinking. Then, suddenly, improbably, they are entrusted with new life. Their shame and isolation are lifted, but the child is not altogether theirs – but then, every child belongs not so much to her/his parents as to the Divine Parent. Their insistence upon the child’s special name is an act of faith and trust in God’s unearned, unexpected favor and a way of honoring his special mission in life. They will watch in amazement as he grows into the role of a fierce prophet, an oddball among his peers. Imagine then being John, an educated, strong, gifted man in his own right, who will spend his life not doing great things, not amassing a fortune or adding to his resumé, but deflecting attention from himself and toward the One who comes after him. The unselfishness and fidelity of his parents prepared John’s own selfless, faithful soul to accept his special and difficult role in a plan whose full fruition he would not be around to see. If God chooses to bring forth life in places that have known only barrenness and seeming abandonment, then where in our lives, where in our broken world, might He even now be preparing to surprise us with new life?




• For the Church, that it may always strive to serve the afflicted, bring peace to troubled lands, and bring healing and comfort to the sick and those who mourn. R

• For healing for a troubled world and peace among nations. R• For those who feel abandoned, live in fear, or suffer from self-doubt, that they may be led

into the light and love of the coming Christmas season. R• For our own intentions. R

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Closing PrayerForgive us, O God, our indifference. Forgive us our selfishness. Forgive our cruelty. Forgive our hatred. Forgive our unkind judgment of others. For You so loved the world, You gave us Your only Son for our salvation. Help us to remember this gift as a sign of Your love and mercy and of the good we can become. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

Friday, December 24, 2021, Day 27Friday of the Fourth Week of Advent

Opening Prayer (Make the Sign of the Cross.)O God, as we come to the end of our Advent journey, we pray in thanksgiving for having had this time to prepare ourselves for the coming of Your Son. We pray in thanksgiving also for the greater awareness we now have of Your presence within us, as well as in the big and small events of daily life. Yet, we are most grateful for Your infinite mercy and love and for the great gift of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who has redeemed and granted us eternal life. May the hope, peace, joy, and love of the Advent season remain with us always and bring us closer to fulfillment in You and You alone. Amen. Scripture Quote For ReflectionIn the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. — Luke 1:78-79

Advent has been a journey. We have sought to enter the quiet and contemplative stillness which this season invites and probably have done so even as the frenetic activity and con-sumerism of the secular Christmas season has been swirling around us and tugging at us since Thanksgiving. Now, at the doorstep of Christmas, we are ready to stand in wonder at the lavish ways God fulfills His promises. David, though a flawed character, repeatedly gives his heart and his life over to the Lord. God has even greater and more unlikely things in store for him, and the promises of God’s faithful love generates powerful hope for the future. We stand with Zechariah, too, in amazement at what God chooses to do. His Benedictus, another great prophetic utterance, proclaims that the divine will is working for our peace where we know strife, freedom where we know bondage, rescue where we

are beyond our strength. Advent is all about hope, and the essence of biblical hope is this: God’s love for us is so total, so passionate, and so undying that there will be a future for us, no matter how bleak things look now. The guarantee is the Incarnation. God came down to become one like us so that we might be elevated to become one with Him and even like Him. God has taken human life with utter seriousness, and His power to save cannot be thwarted. The dawn from on high is breaking upon us.

Michael Connors, C.S.C. Capture your own reflection:


• We pray that the Church will be zealous in proclaiming Jesus Christ as Savior, especially to those in need of God’s healing touch. R

• We pray that our world may know and embrace the peace of Christ. R• We pray that individuals and families set aside their differences so they may share in the

joy of Christmas. R• For our own intentions. R


Closing PrayerLord Jesus, You were born and became one like us in all things but sin. You brought the good news of salvation and revealed the great love that God has for us all. You brought light and hope to the world. Let us be bring light and hope in all things we do in Your name. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen. (Make the Sign of the Cross.)

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Congregation of Holy Cross, U.S. Province of Priests and Brothers

The Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross are both a rule of life for the individual members and a plan of organization and governance for the whole community. First approved by the Holy See in 1857, they have been amended and rewritten several times since. In all, there are eight constitutions. Below is a summary of each:

God’s Call ... a recognition that this call belongs to the Lord and that we must abandon ourselves to His Call

Mission ... the competence to see and the courage to act

Prayer ... our way of life, which we must practice every day

Brotherhood ... the bond we share in Jesus runs deeper than any of our differences

Consecration and Commitment ... the grace given us to freely offer to God all that we have and all that we are

Formation and Transformation ... seeking to be created anew to the point we can say, ‘It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’

Authority and Responsibility ... a common life and mission we deliberate and decide together

The Cross, Our Hope ... we are men with hope to bring because we are recipients of a divine gift; God has blessed us with a stirring in our hearts ... a conviction that bursts forth in our action

Visit HolyCrossUSA.org/Article/Holy-Cross-Constitutions to read the full document.

Our ConstitutionsNotes_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Notes_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Congregation of Holy CrossUnited States Province of Priests and Brothers

Office of Mission AdvancementP.O Box 765Notre Dame, In 46556-0765574.631.6731Advancement@HolyCrossUSA.orgHolyCrossUSA.org

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