St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Community is a welcoming and active, Roman Catholic parish serving the community of Mill Creek / Bothell, Washington. Our parish is served by the Religious Congregation of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit under the Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle. We are a diverse community of believers, guided by the Holy Spirit and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are a community that welcomes all people, inviting them into our spiritual home as we deepen our relationship with God. We are one faith family, united by our Lord and Savior,  Jesus Christ. Welcome to our faith community. I invite you to join us for liturgy and fellowship. 

Yours in Christ, Fr. Jose Gerardo Alberto, M.Sp.S., Pastor

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Third Sunday of Advent, December 16, 2018

Opening the Word of God

Dear brothers and Sisters, the reading for this third Sunday of Advent are an invitation to defend joy. Zephaniah uses the following expressions in the first reading: shout for joy, sing joyfully, be glad and exult. Even in the darkest times, when everything seems at an end and nothing looks bright in the future, the prophet’s message is one of hope and joy because our journey belongs to God. This might be one of the hardest things to realize today, that God acts on our journey and there are reasons for joy. God acted I the past, and is still acting today, it just has become increasingly more difficult to see Him with our eyes or hearts because they only trust in human strength and have banned God from everyday life.

This is why Paul tells the Philippians in the second reading: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! The Lord is near.” It’s the same message that John preached “one mightier than I is coming,” with Jesus, the Kingdom of God comes to humankind “a joy for all peoples.” But humankind must open themselves to God in something called conversion, a change of life, and this is at the core of the gospel today. The Kingdom is the absolute news that does not only imply a transformation from the old ways, but an interior change that gives new life to everything.

We live times full of speeches, promises, explanations, and there’s still a question: “what do we do?” People today do not ask what they should remember, learn by heart, meditate, nor do they tell each other what to do, it’s up to each one of us, to our community, to our church. There is a foremost question and foremost answer that affects all of us: “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise,” these are the works of mercy.
But questions and mercy go beyond. Those who ask are the ones who have some responsibility over the yielding of power among the people. John’s reply is very pertinent today: “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed, Do not practice extortion do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” Justice, honesty and peace are key to the call for social and ecclesial conversion, so necessary for human interaction and the coming of the joy of the Kingdom.

The joy of a person and community that grow, that overcome their crisis, that even with the risk of making mistakes knows how to do things for themselves and others, making way for the strength of the Holy Spirit. The Lord comes and the reasons for our joy are deep. It might be a good idea to read again these readings at home, as if they were an invitation for each of us, and pray in thanksgiving to God. To the question “what can we do?” we have an answer: “I say this again, be joyful in the Lord.” Let us joyfully do what the Holy Spirit is asking of us, remember it’s Advent and Jesus and the Kingdom are close.
 

Walking Together as Brothers and Sisters,

Dear brothers and Sisters, in our journey this week, let us meditate on these things. Let us ask ourselves within our hearts: “Am I ready for the coming of the Lord Jesus? Am I ready to celebrate Christmas in a true spirit of holiness? Am I ready to stand before the Lord if my time came tonight? Am I ready for final coming of the Lord in all His glory? Let us continue preparing ourselves to celebrate the birth of Jesus in our heart.
 
Fr Jose Gerardo Alberto, MSpS
Pastor
 

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