Throughout the season of Advent, we attempt to place God in the center of our lives as we prepare for his birth. During the readings this week, we heard how God sent Isaiah and John the Baptist to elicit change in peoples’ lives so that the would be ready for the coming of the messiah, Jesus.

One of the bulletin boards in the hallway of school reads,

“Our Advent Lights Shine in the Darkness”.

When the students complete a good deed, they write their name on a candle and it is stapled onto the bulletin board. Within a day, over fifty candles were added to the display. In their own way, the students are preparing their hearts for the celebration of the birth of Christ by bringing light and joy to the darkness of the world. As adults, what can we do to conjure the same light in our own hearts during this Advent season?

Sunday
10 a.m. to 11a.m. Fil/Am Choir Hall
12:35 p.m. to 1:35 p.m. Junior Legion of Mary Mahoney Room

Tuesday
9:15 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Scripture Study Mary’s Chapel
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Senior Legion of Mary Library

During the season of Advent we will be having our Christmas “GIVING TREE.” Please help yourself to one of the paper ornaments with a gift suggestion. After you purchase the item, return it unwrapped and place it in the box next to the tree. Please turn in all gifts before Dec. 18th so that we can deliver them in time for Christmas.

Once again thank you for your generosity and for taking the time to help those who would otherwise not have much of a Christmas.

Once again this Christmas Season, we as a parish family will have an ADOPT-A-FAMILY GIVING TREE. There are many people in San Mateo County who don’t have the means to celebrate Christmas as they might like. Additionally this year, we will have some ornaments designated for families affected by Hurricane Katrina from our Adopted Parishes in Gulfport, Mississippi.

At the same time, many in our parish can celebrate with their families and share with those in need. An ADOPT-A-FAMILY program is a way to do this.

This weekend, December "3rd-4th", we will have a “Giving Tree” set up in front of church after all the Masses.This tree will be “decorated” with paper ornaments containing a profile of a family you might be able to help. If you have the means to share your Christmas spirit, stop by and pick an ornament. Gifts or Scrip will be collected after Masses the weekend of December 10th & 11th and Dec. 17th & 18th.

If you have any questions, please call: Rob and Cathy Aveson or John and Eileen Grealish

Our hearts are filled with joy as we look forward to the coming of your Son, the Promised One. Help us to share our time and our possessions with those who need them this week. We pray in his name, Emmanuel, God-with-Us.

Signs of Hope
In the midst of earthquake victims bearing the snows in Kashmir, displaced persons from Mississippi and New Orleans still struggling, we need to know that God has not forgotten us and our broken world. “Comfort, give comfort to my people” God commands the prophet Isaiah to proclaim to a people 50 years in exile. We may feel that, too, as our world at times seems so much stranger and more violent than even 10 or 20 years ago. And yet, God’s word is being enfleshed still in people who may not even recognize the Spirit’s action in what they do. In Kosovo – so recently wracked with ethnic violence - Sesame Street is airing programs with Albanian and Serbian characters emphasizing mutual respect. In Egypt, a 4 year-old girl character with a passion for education is enabling rural and village girls to imagine themselves as doctors or astronauts. Palestinian and Israeli Sesame Street characters emphasize acceptance, friendship and the appreciation of both similarities and differences in culture. A team of international volunteers called Nonviolent Peaceforce works in Sri Lanka. They have hosted dialogue groups between Hindu and Buddhist residents when tensions arose. When they were approached by a group of mothers whose children had been abducted by the military to be child soldiers, they accompanied the women who demanded the release of their children and the military complied. A woman from Iraq has begun Women for Women International which aids women survivors of war and civil strife with training and resources so they can move towards self-sufficiency. Our own generous response to the Giving Tree and Adopt-A-Family efforts are also wonderful ways of comforting God’s people. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” and he is still in the actions of these people for the least of his brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open, especially during these hectic days, for signs of his presence.

If you don’t know what to get that special person on your Christmas list, why not give the gift of time? Having lunch with someone you love of almost any age is a treasured experience for both of you, much better than some material gift! Or might you give a donation in that person’s name to Habitat for Humanity or Catholic Relief Service or Oxfam or that person’s favorite charity? Most of us adults don’t need more “stuff” and would appreciate a friend’s generosity in our name for those who do need the basics.

Advent Suggestions
You’ve probably noticed the simplicity of the church’s environment last weekend and the shift in music. Though Thanksgiving almost got lost with the stores’ emphasis on Christmas before Halloween, we’re trying to honor the Church’s directive to spend these holy days of Advent watching, waiting and preparing for the coming of the Savior. You might want to wear purple these Sundays and save your red and green for the office party, a Christmas concert and Christmas Eve or Day! If you’d like to donate towards our Christmas decorations, there’ll be an opportunity to do that in the bulletin next weekend. If you’d like to donate a poinsettia, please bring it after the 21^st.

We continue to ask each week that parishioners pray for the chronically ill of our parish. If you have a friend or loved one in need of our parish prayers please call the Rectory at 589-2800.

This week we ask you to pray for
Mario Nardi
William Dill
Jennifer Morris
Anna Kline

I would like to invite anyone interested to a small faith-sharing group as we walk with Mary toward Christmas. We will focus on the following meditations: