Month: December 2018

An Alphonsian Crib Meditation

After beginning with a group prayer, Lee Morrison reads an Alphonsus’ reflection on the nativity and tells her own very touching Christmas story.

“How happy the cave that witnesses the birth of the divine word. How happy the manger that receives the lord of heaven. How happy the straw which served as a bed for the one who makes a throne upon the seraphim.  Yes, happy that cave, that manger, that straw. Happier still are those people who love such a Lord with fervor and tenderness. With what desire and pleasure does Jesus Christ enter into and rest in a heart that loves him.”

-Discourse For Christmas Night, St Alphonsus Liguori

Announcements and the “Ritual of Enrollment”

After several announcements Lee and Fr Paul describe the “Ritual of Enrollment” to be used January 20th.

Mary – Our Mother

St Alphonsus dedicated the Institute he founded in 1732 to the patronage of the Immaculate Conception – more than 100 years ahead of its official proclamation in 1854. Fr Paul reflects on St Alphonsus’ lifelong devotion to Mary using Fr Michael Brehl’s excellent article, St Alphonsus and Mary, the Mother of God, as a guide.  Listen also as Fr Paul’s leads the group in a meditation on Mary as our Mother.  (Music: Richard Wagner’s Quiet Heart/Spirit Wind. Poem: Magna Mater by Edwina Gateley (Holiness of the Feminine Sprit: The Art of Janet Mckenzie, p 19.)

On Making a commitment – Part I

On January 20, 2018, the Our Lady of the Desert Associates will make a commitment to a personal ministry that resonates with the Redemptorist mission to the poor and most abandoned.  A commitment, Fr Paul explains, can as simple as committing to attend associate circle meeting in 2019, caring for a family member or making sandwiches for the poor once a month.  A sample commitment letter was provided for discussion.  Fr Greg May points out that the Tucson group will be the first group making commitments as Redemptorist Associates in the Denver Province as a result of last year’s initiative.  Further discussions are planned for the December 13th meeting.

 

In a wide ranging presentation drawing on theological ideas of redemption spanning three millennia, Fr Greg concludes that Jesus’ understanding of redemption was very different from the “vengeful-god-exacting-payment” idea that many of us grew up with.  

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Jesus is our redeemer, Fr Greg points out, because he is our brother, our closest relative, our go’el. Jesus is our redeemer because that’s what brothers (and sisters) do for their siblings in need. Jesus is our redeemer because he seeks to restore us to our rightful place with him beside “Our Father.”  Jesus is our redeemer because we are all one family in God.

About Fr Greg May: Ordained in 1988, Fr Greg has served in a number of roles including as an associate at Our Lady of the Desert Church (2012-215). Fr. Greg has a profound interest in studying Scripture and loves to share what he’s learned. He is currently located at Denver Province headquarters in Chicago serving both as provincial treasurer and provincial representative on the North American Conference’s Partners in Mission Secretariat.