St. Maria Goretti

We all like to look forward to things. There’s just something about the anticipation of getting ready for something that you think you’re going to really like or enjoy. You get everything ready. You make all the plans, the preparations. And then you wait for the event that you’re looking forward to, to happen. We all need those special events in life to keep things exciting. We look forward to our birthdays, and our anniversaries, and Christmas. There are just so many things to get excited about. While I won’t speak for everyone, I can tell you, exactly where I learned this. I learned how to anticipate things from Kellogg’s cereal and the United States Post Office. Let me explain: Do you remember all of those “special offers” on the back of the cereal boxes? Come on, sure you do! You know, you’d save three box tops, or four proof-of-purchase seals, or five bar code markers from the box of cereal, and then you’d mail it in to Kellogg’s and they would reward your incredible brand loyalty, by sending you a free Hot Wheel’s car, or a free music recording, or a free miniature Nerf football. It was great. It was amazing how many boxes of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes a boy can eat, when there’s a free Nerf football on the line. I’d eat corn flakes morning, noon, and night. But what was the drawback? The drawback was “four to six weeks delivery”. Can you tell me why, in this great country, where we put a man on the moon, why in the world would it take “four to six weeks delivery” time for absolutely everything that you ever ordered from the back of a box of cereal? Do you remember what that was like as a child? That’s cruel and unusual torture to a kid. And of course, you’d mail all your stuff to Kellogg’s, and then the very next day, you start running out to the mail box to see if it arrived. And your parents would tell you, it said, “Four to Six weeks”. But they could be wrong, you’d think. And still you’d check every day. And then four weeks came. And still no free Nerf football. And then five weeks came, and still NO Nerf football. And then Five weeks, six days would come, and there in the mailbox, was your much anticipated miniature Nerf football. Was there any better feeling in the whole world than getting that package in the mail? That’s how several generations of Americans learned how to anticipate things. Thanks to Kellogg’s and the U.S. Postal Service. It’s fun to look forward to something.

Today in our First Reading from Isaiah, we hear how excited the Prophet Isaiah and all the Jewish people were about the coming of the Messiah. Remember, Isaiah is writing long before Jesus. But his writing, his book, is full of anticipation of how God is going to fix everything, when He fulfils His promise. There’s going to be peace. He’s going to save His people. Everything is going to be all right. It was a time of great expectation and great anticipation. And this is the atmosphere that John the Baptist came into, when he started preparing the way for Jesus. Something big, something great, was about to happen. You can feel the urgency in our Gospel reading today.

Where’s our expectation and anticipation today as Church? Today we rejoice. We rejoice because we are supposed to be filled with hope, and expectation, and anticipation, and excitement about our Faith, about Jesus. Are we? Jesus Who is very much alive, and active, and real, wants to come into our lives today, and be all those things that Isaiah promised. And He’s not going to take “four to six weeks for delivery”. Jesus wants to do these things, be these things, today. I wonder, are we going to let Him? Are we giving Him the real chance to be our Messiah in 2007 & 2008? He wants in your life. Let Him in. You’ll be very glad that you did.

Once again, we get reminded this weekend, that we can see who or what is Lord and God of our lives by where we put our money. What we do with our money is important. And yes, it’s time for a Fruitful Harvest update, so that all of our community knows how we are doing as a Parish. Please join me in welcoming… Dave and Theresa Miller … or… Chuck and Carolyn Bullard … for an update.

May God bless us this Sunday, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…AMEN !!!

St. Maria Goretti…Pray for us !!!