Letter from the Pastor: December 2021

I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed:
she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel. (Gen. iii, 15)

Dear Faithful,

The beautiful season of Advent, with all the contemplative grandeur of its Liturgy, marvelously prepares souls for the arrival of the Christ Child. Although seemingly feeble and helpless upon His coming, this Infant Kings brings life. “I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly.” (John x, 10)

Yet there are those who want not this life which Our Lord offers. “And you will not come to me that you may have life.” (John v, 40)  Indeed, men were even willing to put the very Author of life to death. Driven by that same spirit of Satan, men in our own day somehow find reason to condemn unborn life. “But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world.” (Wisdom ii, 20)

This week, we have the feast of the Immaculate Conception — and the intercession of our national patroness at this very hour would be nothing short of timely. With the Supreme Court taking up Dobbs v. Jackson, there is a chance to deal the greatest blow to Roe v. Wade since that abominable decision was made. Although we likely will not know the decision until the summer, we will be holding a special Holy Hour at 6pm on Wednesday, the feast of the Immaculate Conception. In the presence of the only true Arbiter of life and death, we will recite the 15 decades of the Rosary leading into the 7pm Sung Mass. Please make every effort to attend — the most innocent lives in our country need our prayers now.

This is truly the ongoing battle between the seed of the woman and the seed of the demon! 

Clearly, the defense of life also demands action in the public forum. For those young adults once again interested in attending the March for Life in our nation’s capital, please sign up here. Decision date is Monday, December 20. 

The events of Christmas are so moving — how could they not be? Yet nothing does more to lend towards the edification of an authentic Christmas spirit than the Gospels themselves, as well as accompanying Biblical and historical commentary. To that end, I would like to suggest this book for your reading during Advent and throughout Christmastide. I think it may fill in the picture of what is quite simply, outside of the Cross, the most moving scene in human history!

God bless,
Fr. Deister