A lovely part of our Catholic heritage is the tradition of blessing of the home in the beginning of the New Year. Thanks to Fr. Greg (Grzegorz) Golba from Our Lady of the Lake Church in Sparta and Fr. Jhon Madrid from Saint Thomas the Apostle in Oak Ridge who recently visited five of our group homes for a blessing.
Matthew 5: "Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:"
On the liturgical (Church) calendar we return to Ordinary time. Ordinary Time is called "ordinary" because the weeks are numbered. The Latin word ordinalis, which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo, from which we get the English word order. Thus, Ordinary Time is in fact the ordered life of the Church—the period in which we live our lives neither in feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) or in more severe penance (as in Advent and Lent), but in watchfulness and expectation of the Second Coming of Christ. Green is the color used to signify this time between liturgical seasons.
“You are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 The third week of advent begins with “Gaudete Sunday” and the lighting of the rose colored candle. Gaudete means “rejoice” or “joyful” in Latin. We prepare this week by feeling the joy. We move through this week feeling a part of the waiting world that rejoices because our longing has prepared us to believe the reign of God is close at hand.
"The birth of Christ is the central event in the history of the earth -- the very thing the whole story has been about." -- C.S. Lewis SECOND WEEK OF ADVENT: HOPE We light a second purple candle on the second Sunday of Advent to represent the hope of Christ coming to the world. The word "hope" has two meanings in the Bible. The first contains the sense of eager anticipation or waiting. The second depicts a sense of confident expectation based on certainty. Biblical hope is secured by God's faithfulness to His promises. For the Old Testament leaders, their hope was in the Messiah's arrival. For us, it is the hope of the Messiah's return.
“It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open the doors of hope.” This week begins a New Year on the liturgical calendar in Christian Churches. It is therefore fitting that we begin with a period of joyful waiting and expectation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The color purple is dominant during this 4 week period of advent. Purple is the color associated with royalty, demonstrating the anticipation and reception of the coming King celebrated during Advent. The Advent wreath, four candles on a wreath of evergreen, is shaped in a perfect circle to symbolize the eternity of God. During each Sunday of the Advent season, we focus on one of the four virtues Jesus brings us: Hope, Love, Joy and Peace.
THE LAST WEEK OF THE LITURGICAL YEAR Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. PSALM 100
October 30, 2015 was a beautiful autumn day in Jefferson Township and a perfect day for the New Hire Orientation designed to give new employees an understanding of the DPD.
It is obvious Lourdes concern for the residents of Fitzpatrick House comes from the heart. Saint Faustina said, “Pure love knows that only one thing is needed to please God: to do even the smallest things out of great love - love, and always love.” You are truly a model of such generous love for the people you serve and work with.
“A friend loves at all times.” Proverbs 17:17 In the DPD we are fortunate to have volunteers who visit our group homes with their therapy dogs also known as "Comfort Dogs" since this is exactly what they bring to the places they visit. The blessing of animals is a tradition as we remember Saint Francis of Assisi.
The DPD is proud and happy to introduce Kelly O'Caiside as the first Director of it's newest group home; the Giuliano House located in Oak Ridge. This home, while still under construction, is scheduled to welcome it's four residents in November. We are blessed to have Kelly ready and willing to take on this new challenge. Kelly came to the DPD in 1996.
Ordinary Time is intended to remind us that Jesus is with us throughout all of our daily trials and triumphs. We should be striving to reflect Jesus’ Teaching with our actions every day.