This Week's Note from Fr. Dick

February 5, 2011

Candlemas Day was on last Thursday, February 2nd. According to Deacon Lloyd, that was the last day of the Christmas season in England. We are into Valentine’s Day right now and Lent begins on the 22nd of this month. But the stores will be gearing up for Easter starting February 15th. Our liturgical season and the market’s holiday season do not coincide too well. Our liturgical calendar concentrates on the feastday itself, while the market’s holiday season concentrates on selling as much as they can before the feast day. While the market works to make money, we work to look more deeply into the mystery of God’s love for us. In the end, our goal is worth much more than all the money in the world.

As human beings in this world, we live with one foot in each of these worlds. We have to work to make a living in this material world, and we certainly need to provide for our spiritual welfare at the same time. We provide for our spiritual welfare, in part, through the good work we do in the material world. We are body and spirit. Both parts of our being give glory to God. We cannot deny either part of our being, because in doing so we would be denying our basic humanity.

So we celebrate Christmas with the world and Advent with the Church. We celebrate Easter with the world and Lent with the Church. We understand and live in both worlds. We glorify God being humans fully alive in both body and spirit.

...Fr. Dick