One of the gifts within our Church is the ritual that is such an integral part of our worship. I say this because literally every gesture that we undertake or participate in, from the beginning of the Liturgy to the end, bears a significant meaning.

The goal of all sacraments and all sacramentals, is to draw us deeper into the mystery of God, and to grow into deeper relationship with our Creator. When you enter the nave of the Church, you dip your finger into the holy water font and make the sign of the cross. Small thing right? But, we are reminding ourselves at that moment of the cross that our Lord endured for our salvation. At the same time, we remember the waters of baptism that allow us unity with Christ. That in Baptism we die with the Him but that we also share in the resurrection to eternal life. Then we may bow or genuflect when entering our pew. We acknowledge publicly that this is the God of all Creation, that there is no god greater than the God we worship. Friends, we have barely arrived at the Church and already we have entered into some significant gestures that assist us in preparing for this remarkable moment in time.

I have always had a fond respect and regard for the rites and rituals that we participate in while preparing for and celebrating the Holy Mass. As a priest, there are things I do during the Mass that for sure help me to enter more deeply into this sacrifice. When I receive and offer the gifts on behalf of the worshipping community, when I genuflect after praying over the bread and the wine during the consecration, when I, as energetically as possible, endeavor to engage our parishioners in the responses to our prayers. These are beautiful moments that help me go deeper into the celebration of the Holy Mass. Rite and ritual seem to be an integral part of who we are, as created human beings.

Many of us grew up watching Hockey Night in Canada, an almost cult-like following on Saturday evenings. For those of you who have already raised your families, I am sure some of you would say, well, Saturday was for grocery shopping. Friday was some form of fish for supper, Saturday morning was for watching cartoons and after school was a time for getting your homework done before supper (so you could do what you wanted after supper.) We all have our rituals and traditions. When I get up in the morning, from my first prayers, to the moment I walk into the parish, my rituals likely do not vary even five minutes from day to day. My get-up time may vary, but what I do after that is remarkably consistent.

In the three years I spent serving Wetaskiwin, Maskwacis and Ponoka, I averaged fifty thousand kilometres per year, within a thousand kms each year, for all three years. In the nine years I served St. Theresa/Corpus Christi parishes in Mill Woods, I averaged twelve thousand kilometres per year, varying by no more than a thousand kilometers per year. All this to say, my ministry and the way I went about it would have some variance for sure, but there was no question about the consistent ritual and practice of it.

The place I wish to get to in this conversation is this: What do you and your family do at this time of year, as a family tradition that if it varied, family members would not be happy about? What are those things you and your family engage in year after year, decade after decade, which assist in making your Christmas celebrations joyful? I encourage you to reflect on these perhaps small, but significant and meaningful events in your families. Why are they important to you and yours? Why is it important that you continue to include them in your celebration of the Christmas season? A particular Mass that you attend on Christmas Eve, the type of meal you serve on Christmas morning and/or Christmas day, the protocol for unwrapping presents... (We always got to unwrap one present on Christmas Eve after we came home from Church. It was invariably new pajamas or socks or the like, but hey it was still wrapped so it qualified as a present. Yeah!)

I hang my hat on an attitude of gratitude often, in much of what I say and do. I encourage you, during this final week of Advent, to focus on the rituals and traditions in your families. Speak with your families about them. Help the young ones appreciate the gift that these traditions are for you and yours. My friends, these practices, rituals, and traditions are what help us to celebrate this coming season with true joy and grateful hearts. We all have much to be grateful for. The traditions and rituals of the Church helps bring us closer to God. The traditions and rituals within our families help bring us closer to one another. We are a people who thrive on ritual. We are a people who thrive on relationships with one another.

Blessings and happy final week of Advent,

Father Jim

Stay connected. Our parish makes it very easy for us all to attend. See the links below:

• OLPH - https://www.olph.ca/

• Online Sunday Mass is here - https://www.olph.ca/video/

• Weekly OLPH Bulletins - https://www.olph.ca/about/communications/

• December 19 - SILC Virtual Christmas Concert @ 1:00pm

• December 20 - Last day before Christmas Break

• December 21- Januray 3 - Christmas Breal

• January 4 - First day back from Christmas Break

• January 12 - English 30 Diploma Exam - PART A @ 8:45 am

• January 13 - Social 30 Diploma Exam - PART A @8:45 am

• January 17 - Semester 1 Course Marks are Due (for semestered students)!

• January 19 - Math 30 Diploma Exam - 9 am **Bring your scientific calculator

• January 20 - English 30 Diploma Exam - PART B - 9 am

• January 23 - Social 30 Diploma Exam - Part B - 9 am

• January 24 - Biology 30 Diploma Exam - 9 am

• January 25 - Chemistry 30 Diploma Exam - 9 am

• January 26 - Physics 30 Diploma Exam - 9 am

• January 27 - Science 30 Diploma Exam - 9 am

• January 30 - PD Day - Schools closed to students

• January 31 - First day of Semester 2

• February 9 & 10 - Schools Closed for Teachers Convention

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