Make Straight the Way of the Lord - Prepare Him Room

An Advent Reection by Fr Samuel Medley, SOLT

Be not angry, O Lord, and remember no longer our iniquity : behold the city of thy sanctuary is become a desert, Sion is made a desert. Jerusalem is desolate, the house of our holiness and of thy glory, where our fathers praised thee.

We have sinned, and we are become as one unclean, and we have all fallen as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast crushed us by the hand of our iniquity.

See, O Lord, the affliction of thy people, and send him whom thou hast promised to send. Send forth the Lamb, the ruler of the earth, from the rock of the desert to the mount of the daughter of Sion, that he himself may take off the yoke of our captivity.

Be comforted, be comforted, my people; thy salvation shall speedily come. Why wilt thou waste away in sadness? why hath sorrow seized thee? I will save thee; fear not: for I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Redeemer.

The Sacred Liturgy - the Participation of the People of God in the Work of God
The Sacred Liturgy, the prayer of the Church, the public prayer of the people and ministers of God united in faith in sacred rites proscribed by divine authority shared with Christs Church, is the means willed by Jesus Christ "through which the work of our redemption is accomplished," (9th Sunday after Pentecost). The Liturgy of Advent is to help us make straight the way of the Lord (John 1:23), to fulll in our lives the words of the prophet Isaiah Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low (40:4). Filling in the vastly deep valleys of our fears and insecurities and making low the huge mountains of our pride and arrogance are not easy. These are a work of God with which we cooperate. It is also a work of the holy Mother of God, who is the most perfect means by which we may prepare for Christ. What is the greatest way to cooperate with the work of God and of his Mother? Frequent and intense contact with Jesus: Mass and Confession The greatest penance, or thing which would change your life the most, is to go to daily mass and I would recommend monthly confession, even weekly if you are able.
DOVER St Paul Sat 6;30 Su 9:30, 11 Confessions Sat 11-12, 5:30pm KEARSNEY St Augustine Su 8:30am Confessions By Appointment FOLKESTONE Help of Christians Sun 9:30, 11 M, Tu 9:30 W 8:30 F 10 Sat 11:30, 6:30 Confessions Sat Sat 10:30-11:15am 5:45 - 6:30pm DEAL St Thomas Sun 9, 11 M, Tu 10 W 12, F 12 Sat 6:30 Confessions Sat Sat 11:30-12pm 6-6:15pm HYTHE Good Counsel Su 8, 9:30, 11:15am, 7pm Mon - Fri 10 Sat 12, 6:30 Confessions Sat 11-11:45am 6-6:25pm Confessions W 10:30-11:30am Sat 10:30-11:30am 4:30-5:30pm CANTERBURY St Thomas Su 8, 9:30, 11 Mon - Sat 12

BUCKLAND ST MARGARETS Our Lady of Dover St Francis Su 10:30, 6pm Confessions Sat 10:30am Su 9am Confessions By Appointment

Our Lord said to St. Mechtilde: In Mass I come with such humility that there is no sinner, no matter how depraved he be, that I am not ready to receive, if only he desires it. I come with such sweetness and mercy that I will pardon my greatest enemies, if they ask for pardon. I come with such generosity that there is no one so poor that I will not fill him with the riches of my love. I come with such heavenly food as will strengthen the weakest, with such light as will illumine the blindest, with such a plenitude of graces as will remove all miseries, overcome all obstinacy, and dissipate all fears.

How to get the Most out of Mass Prepare- Pray and ask God to prepare you. Read the readings before Mass. Always come warmed up, so-to-speak, ready to hear the Word of the Lord and ready to receive his graces. Spend some time in silence before mass starts. Give thanks- Pray and spend some time after mass is over giving thanks for the benets, graces, blessings, love, joy, and peace that he has given you. Thanksgiving is what allows us to fully accept and root these blessings in our souls and makes us truly open to new blessings. Receive Communion with Our Lady- As you approach the Lord, ask Mary to receive Jesus in you. Or in other words, listen to how Our Lady receives Jesus, adores him, blesses him, worships him. Live It! Accept the fact that God speaks to you and acts in you fully through the Sacred Liturgy so that you will hear him in the readings, prayers, and gestures of Mass speaking directly and intimately to you. Accept also that he gives you a particular work at every Mass so that it truly changes the way you live your life. How to make a good confession - First perhaps we need to look at what confession is: It is the act of God the Father reconciling you with himself (Isaiah 1:18, the Prodigal Son): Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; Though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool. Instituted by Christ himself (John 20:19-23): On the evening of that rst day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, Peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained. Is is the power of the Holy Spirit creating you anew (Ezekiel 36:26): I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you hearts of esh. Confession has 4 principle parts: Confession- Confession of sins in kind and number- makes up the quality of your honesty and how open you permit Gods grace to enter. Contrition- Sorrow for sins. However, this must at least be attrition to be valid. Satisfaction- to apply some penance for restitution. This is salutary not equal to the offence. This is because both Jesus and his minister do your penance for you. Absolution- the absolution of Christ through his minister. St Faustina had said that the more we trust in the Mercy of God and the moment of absolution, the more we allow him to heal. OTHER WAYS TO MAKE STRAIGHT THE WAY OF THE LORD Silence- Actual physical silence begets interior silence. Be weary of devices that rob you of peace and make noise in your life. Turn off the television, turn off the internet and computer, and if you have the courage even get rid of the device. Silence bears the fruit of prayer. Prayer- When charity and obedience to your state in life do not require you present to someone recede into the inmost heart and keep intimate company with Our Lady and the Trinity. Prayer will always lead you back to sanctify your relationships. Relationships- Model your relationships on the Blessed Trinity, especially your marriage and family - truth, love, life. Are your conversations and interactions based on truth, life-giving and love-giving? Do you love Christ through them and love them through Christ?