Today we begin the season of Advent, which marks the start of a new liturgical year for the Church. The readings for Sunday Mass are arranged on a three-year cycle. Each year features a different Gospel— Matthew, Mark, or Luke. Readings from the Gospel of John are interspersed throughout all three years. With this year’s first Sunday of Advent, we begin Cycle B of the Lectionary, which focuses our attention on the Gospel of Mark. This week and next week, our readings from Mark’s Gospel present two important Advent themes: the Lord’s return at the end of time and John the Baptist’s preparation for Jesus. Today’s Gospel reminds us that Advent is about more than our preparation for the Church’s celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas. Advent is also about preparing ourselves for Christ’s return in glory at the end of time. Like the disciples and the faithful in Mark’s community, we must also stay alert and watchful. Our faithfulness to God, through the good times as well as the difficult times, shows us to be ready for the coming of the Son of Man.

Today the Church ends the liturgical year with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. We are given the chance of a lifetime—a preview of what we will face at the end of time, straight from the lips of the One who will come in glory on that day. This is Christ the King who rules over God’s creation.

The Giving Tree will be in church the weekend of November 25th & 26th . Wrapped gifts with ornament tags must be returned to the rectory no later than December 13th .

Jesus tells the parable of the talents, in which he teaches about the importance of using the gifts that God has given to us in service to the Kingdom of Heaven. This Gospel reminds us that Christian spirituality is not passive or inactive. Our life of prayer helps us to discern the gifts that have been given to us by God. This prayer and discernment ought to lead us to use our gifts in the service of God and our neighbor. God’s grace allows us to share in the work of serving the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Gospel parable of the wise and foolish virgins remind us to keep vigil for Jesus. It is easy to get distracted by the details of work, family life, and other responsibilities so that we forget the real purpose and mission of our lives. As we begin this week, take some time to reflect on how we can live out our vocation in life—readying ourselves for the LORD’S coming.  

We welcome the Most Reverend Alfred C. Hughes, Archbishop Emeritus, to St. Peter Parish. He will confirm twenty-four (24) students and adults from St. Peter and St. Hubert Parishes on Monday, November 6th at 7:00 P.M. I invite all parishioners to attend the Confirmation Liturgy on Monday night.

We are reminded in today’s Gospel what Jesus considered to be the greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Let us strive to live by these two commandments every day.

Today is WORLD MISSION SUNDAY, celebrated by Catholics throughout the world. We celebrate this day by remembering our baptismal call to bring the Gospel to all! The second collection today for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith supports the work and witness of the Mission Church, as it provides for priests, religious sisters and brothers, and lay leaders who offer the Lord’s mercy and concrete help to the most vulnerable communities in the Pope’s missions.

Today we hear Jesus tell the story of a king who invites everyone he can find to a feast for his son. Today and every Sunday everyone is invited here to a feast where we receive God’s Son. Many Sundays we take this invitation for granted or see it only as an obligation. Let this be an opportunity to be reminded that the Eucharist is a feast, that God’s son offers Himself for us each time, and that this is just a foretaste of the heavenly banquet to come.

Like the last few Sundays, the readings today speak of a vineyard. It is an excellent time of the year to contemplate a vineyard — vines heavy with grapes waiting to be harvested. However, when Jesus speaks in parables, each element stands for something else. The vineyard we are invited to contemplate today is not just a large field planted with vines, but our very home in the Lord. The fruit it produces is not just grapes or wine, but the kingdom of God made manifest in our world.

Every October the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Month, and the first Sunday in October is observed as Respect Life Sunday. As Catholics, we are called to cherish, defend, and protect those who are most vulnerable, from the beginning to the end of their lives, and at ever point in between. During the month of October, the Church asks us to reflect more deeply on the dignity of every human life.

The annual Blessing of Pets will take place on Sunday, October 8th at 10:00 A.M. behind the church, near the Veterans’ Flagpole. We pray through the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi for the health and safety of all our pets.

Today, throughout the Archdiocese of New Orleans, church parishes are celebrating FAMILY DAY. The purpose of Family Day is to provide the parishes an opportunity to gather their families and encourage them to renew their life together, strengthen friendships, form new ones, and to cultivate an appreciation for the importance and goodness of family life.

Today, we take up the collection for the Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC). Your support helps the CCC engage and build Catholic communities in the United States and around the world using the internet, television, radio, and print media. Half the funds we collect remain here in the Archdiocese of New Orleans to support local efforts. Be a part of this campaign to spread the gospel message.

The liturgical gathering makes Christ present in numerous ways, such as through the proclamation of the Word of God and in the Eucharist. Perhaps the most overlooked reality of Christ’s presence comes through the physical gathering of God’s people, who are instructed to owe nothing to anyone except love. This love between us makes God’s presence visible on earth. In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus assure His disciples that “whenever two or three are gathered in His name, He is there with them. Our confidence in His promise assures us that Jesus is here with us now as we celebrate the Eucharist—the Mass.

As we celebrate Labor Day on Monday, let us remember in our prayers all those whose labor enhances our lives and the lives of others; we recognize the holiness of the work we do. Whether we labor for an employer, for our own families, or both, we set aside our own desires to expend our time and effort to do something for others. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that they must deny themselves and take up their crosses. We all have crosses that we are called to bear and some of them can be found in the work we must do for others. Let us strive to make the work we do more closely unite us with Christ.