December 25, 2009

Congratulations to our choir students who sang in the Advent Lessons and Carols under the direction of Ms. Kathleen Winters.
Joshua Aaker
Matthew Brooks
Andrew Ford
Peter Goodwin
Michael Haeuser
Jay Hipolito
James Howard
Alan Le
Christopher Nguyen
Dominic Perez
Joseph Porretta
Michael Porretta
Marco Saglietto
Charles Sandoval
Joseph Terlisner
James Tran

Advent Lessons and Carols Homily by Abbot Eugene Hayes, O.Praem.

“The people… have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, as they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as people make merry when dividing spoils.” These words heard moments ago both encapsulate the spirit of our annual Lessons and Carols and reveal sentiments with which our own spirits might resound, in the impending birth of the Savior. During Advent, there are a number of spiritual gifts to be claimed by us, graces especially synonymous with the season – peace and gratitude, love and joy. This is what this evening is about and what it is meant to convey through what we both see and hear: festive adornments and music so well and indeed lovingly prepared and executed under the direction of Ms. Winters, and, of course, the prayer which flows from it all.

These elements communicate not only imminent joy but recall blessings of immediately past mysteries celebrated in the Church’s liturgy. Tuesday there was the solemnity of the immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a reminder of God’s big plan, God’s vision for us, prepared from all time, one which will finally triumph. Yesterday was the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of our diocese, marking our Lady’s momentous appearance in our own land and her request and message of joy and hope “… so that… I can show and bestow my love, compassion, help and protection to all whom inhabit this land…” What consolation for us here in a place which at that time would have been considered that land of which she spoke. Yesterday’s feast we can see as prelude, we might say, to today’s observance, hence her image which we honored yesterday still adorns the front of this ambo. Today, of course and as most know, we celebrate a significant milestone in Advent with this third Sunday called Gaudete Sunday, rejoicing Sunday, strikingly marked by rose colored vestments, signifying restrained joy, a foretaste, spiritual sample, a momentary and fragrant sensation of what is to come. Hence, the rose colored cope, the flowers which adorn the front of the altar and the Guadalupe Madonna. These flowers, then, recall not only this point in Advent but also Mary who figures so prominently in Advent and whose appearance at Guadalupe was marked with the Castilian roses which fell from the tilma of St. Juan Diego before the unbelieving bishop. They also recall Mary herself, whom we honor in her litany as the rosa mystica and also the cause of our joy, a fitting invocation at this time. For isn’t it, after all, that joy for which we strive most at Christmas time?

The second reading of today’s Mass, St. Paul’s epistle to the Ephesians, with words heard throughout this day in the liturgical texts, puts it so well and so simply: Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near.” Our joy then is to be not only in the Lord, but it to be the Lord himself, fruit of Mary’s womb, the one born and brought to birth with what the liturgy calls a love (and certainly also a joy) beyond all telling. This is the sentiment which is enjoined upon us throughout this day as the watchword for the rest of our Advent preparation. Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart sing joyfully. Cry out with joy and gladness in the glad tidings and the good news. Often we know these sentiments are not those of the world, our coworkers, friends, relatives, maybe even some of us for whom such joy may seem so far away indeed. The reasons are countless, both all around and even within us. Some might even say this whole Christmas season is one big headache or more fittingly one heartache, made worse during this season when we are supposed to look back, and look ahead and look around.

We began Advent on the same note as the end of the liturgical year, especially looking ahead to the future, definitive coming of the Lord. We then moved, liturgically speaking, into his coming as Messiah, as fulfillment of prophecy and now in this final stage with the focus on his first coming on Christmas day. While expected to live Advent in this threefold way, past, future and what is at hand, we are not encouraged to live Christmas in the personal memories of Christmas past. No, what the Church and her liturgy requests is to live very much in the present, for it is in the present and at this moment that Christ wishes us to allow Him to be our joy. Speaking about this challenge, to live this time in the present, one preacher explains:….

“In my life, I have found my self gripped in the powerful hand of the temptation to live in the past around the holiday season. There are so many delightful memories… from my childhood and youth… memories so intoxicating I find myself too inebriated by the past to enjoy the present… As it is tempting to live completely in the past it is tempting to live entirely in the future….[to] forget about the present and live only in the future, facing the approaching return of Jesus as Judge…. Living under the threat of future judgment and condemnation [with a] guilt… grievous and burdensome that we will succumb to ...

…Advent reminds us that the only way to awake from the intoxicatingly pleasant dreams of the past and the nightmare of future judgment is to live in the present with one eye on the past and one eye on the future. Our Christian life is not to be a life of revelry or fear; it is to be a life of joy, true joy. This joy is accessible only to those who live in the present. The present is a perilous dimension of time and full of temptation, but we have not been left on our own. The same Jesus, who was born to Mary in the past and who will come again as judge in the future has promised to be with us always in our souls. Now is the time to awake from our slumbers and see the presence of Jesus Christ clothing us in his peace, clothing us in his righteousness and clothing us in his joy, that deep satisfying joy (http://www.sbanglican.org/adventi.html).”

So, to the degree that these thoughts are applicable and helpful to us, may they and other fitting sentiments fill our hearts as we live these few weeks, these remaining days before the coming of Our Lord.

In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced by the parents or friends of St. Michael’s without written permission of the author.

Prayer Requests
• Mrs. Betty Evans, who has been diagnosed with malignant melanoma
• Mrs. Amber Manly for a healthy pregnancy
• Mr. Richard Nelson, grandfather of David Hall, who is battling cancer
• St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
• Those who suffer in the current economic crisis.
• Those who are in the armed forces.

For the week of December 20, 2009

Thanks to the following families who helped this past week
• Dr. and Mrs. Bruce Schardt who set up chemistry labs and tutored in chemistry
• Those who provided the Semester Exam Parent Lunch: Mrs. Lauren Hanson, Mrs. Mary Lakomy, Mrs. Regina Lim with baby David, and Mr. and Mrs. Hao Lim with their daughter

Congratulations to our students
• Nicholas Hanson, who passed his review board to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. Nicholas’ success with his final project was organizing a community outreach with the Bethesda Project in Philadelphia, PA in May 2009.
• Christmas Door Decorating Contest Winners: First Place –Thomas Nguyen, Conrad Lakomy, Daniel Murphy-Dimen, and Alexander Stropko. Second Place – Jake Holke, Josh Aaker, Michael Martin, and Jack Milolaycik.

Birthdays
Jan. 10th Spencer Manson
Jan. 12th Marc LeMire
Jan. 14th Alan Le

Admissions
• Fr. Victor will host an information table after all the Masses at San Secondo D' Asti in Guasti, CA on Sunday, December 27th. If you know any families who would enjoy finding out more information about St. Michael’s, please let them know about this event.
• St. Michael’s entrance test is Saturday, January 30th at 9 am.


Weekly Homily by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O.Praem.
Among other things, Fr. John Henry teaches English in the Prep School

In today’s Gospel, Jesus commands the disciples of St John the Baptist: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard.” The holy Baptist appears to us in this Advent season as the Lord’s Precursor, as the one who prepared the Lord’s way. And he did this by giving testimony, bearing witness to Christ. He bore his own testimony--not someone else’s--not by hearsay, but by his own experience he bore witness to Christ. The Lord wants each of us to have our own testimony about Him--not someone else’s, but our own. Saint John sent two of his disciples to see Jesus so that they would have their own testimony about Him, and not simply take his word for it.

We are called to imitate the disciples of the Baptist, and all the saints, like St John the Baptist, by imitating them according to what is most important about them. We are not to mimic their actions or parrot their words or otherwise pretend. To imitate the saints, in any age, is to surrender ourselves to Christ and experience Him in our lives firsthand. No one else can believe for us, hope for us, or love for us. This is ours to receive from God and ours to give back to Him.

In St Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus asks His disciples: “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” But He is not satisfied to hear about what others are saying; He turns the question directly at them: “But you, who do you say that I am?”

The experience of St Peter, who responded to the Lord’s question, was not that of St John the Baptist, though they both believed in the same Christ. The experience of St Ignatius of Antioch was not the same as St Ignatius of Loyola, though they had the same catholic faith. The experience of St Catherine of Alexandria was not that of St Catherine of Siena, though they both loved the same Lord Jesus. Nor was the experience of St Teresa of Jesus that of St Therese of the Child Jesus or of Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

And yet they all had something in common: an authentic, personal encounter with Christ. They were redeemed people and they acted like redeemed people. They were loved and they acted like loved people act. They were forgiven and they lived as forgiven people live--all with humility, generosity, gratitude, an eagerness to love and forgive others as they had been loved and forgiven: signs of authentic contact with Christ.

An image of the spiritual life that Blessed Columba Marmion uses may help us to figure out why the saints had such intimacy with the Lord, whereas our devotion may alternate between hot and cold. He says, Our God is a consuming fire, and most of us spend our lives circling round the fire instead of plunging into it.

We all need to be purged of something that stands in the way of our relationship with Christ. Maybe for most of us it is something we habitually postpone--even in a season whose purpose is to prepare us for Christ. We are always waiting for just the right conditions before we will change: a different setting for my spirituality, different people to serve or to work with or live with--something outside of us must change before we do. The perfect family, monastery, friends, co-workers--none of these exist in reality. And Christ does not expect us to live under such perfect conditions, but to come to Him in the sinful and imperfect circumstances of our lives—and plunge ourselves into them as into His transforming fire.

This is where our transformation takes place, where we are purged, instructed, corrected, chastised, and saved. This is how we can imitate St John’s disciples, and all saints throughout the ages: They approached the consuming fire and allowed it to shape and mold them in the ordinary circumstances of their lives. St Josemaria Escriva says that “Either we learn to find Him there (in the ordinary), or we will never find Him.”

The ultimate message of all the saints, beginning with Our Lady, is: See what the Lord has done for me! We will meet many saints in heaven, canonized and un-canonized, whose victories we will rejoice in, as they will rejoice in ours. Here is one, we will say, who overcame pride and haughtiness; here is another who acquired chastity after a long struggle; here is still another who finally learned to trust after living in fear for so long. We will look at each other and understand without speaking: Look what Jesus did for me! Look what Jesus did for you! He is the Lord, and there is no other!

At this point--not only in Advent, but in our lives, do we have a testimony? Not someone else’s testimony, but the one you were made to have? Could you go and tell John what you have seen and heard?

In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced by the parents or friends of St. Michael’s without written permission of the author.

Prayer Requests
• Mrs. Ermelinda Carino, who recently lost a lung and now struggles to afford the oxygen she needs.
• Mr. Jack Doherty who is battling cancer
• Mrs. Betty Evans, who has been diagnosed with malignant melanoma
• Mrs. Marilyn Garvey’s recuperation after surgery.
• Mrs. Amber Manly for a healthy pregnancy
• Mr. Richard Nelson, grandfather of David Hall, who is battling cancer
• St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
• Those who suffer in the current economic crisis.
• Those who are in the armed forces.

For the week of December 13, 2009

Thanks to the following families who helped this past week
• Hosting students over the weekend: the Le Family, Nguyen (Thomas) Family, and the Rivero Family.
• Hosting our Advent Carols and Lessons reception: Mrs. Maria Saglietto
• Hosting the Speech and Debate Winter Showcase: Mr. and Mrs. Peter Bonello
• Carpooling students: Mrs. Catherine Bowe

Congratulations to our students
• Daniel Murphy-Dimen who earned first place in our Speech and Debate Winter Showcase.
• Members of the choir who sang for the Advent Lessons and Carols.

Academics
Semester exams this week! The semester exam tests the student’s ability to synthesize large quantities of materials. Semester grades which appear on the formal school transcript as a letter grade (A, B, C, etc.) are calculated from three weighted factors. Each of the two quarter grades weighs 40%. The semester exam itself weighs 20% of the semester grade. For more information about the semester grades and their importance please refer to Chapter 3 of the Parent Student Handbook.


Birthdays
Dec. 15th Michael Porretta
Dec. 18th Anthony Guerra
Dec. 19th James Howard
Dec. 27th Brendan Bowe
Jan. 10th Spencer Manson

Admissions
• Early Action application deadline is Friday, December 18th
• Fr. Victor will host an information table after all the Masses at San Secondo D' Asti in Guasti, CA on Sunday, December 27th. If you know any families who would enjoy finding out more information about St. Michael’s, please let them know about this event.
• St. Michael’s entrance test is Saturday, January 30th at 9 am. Registration is required.

Weekly Homily by Fr. Victor Szczurek, O.Praem.
Among other things, Fr..Victor teaches religion in the Prep School

The feast day of any saint is always an opportunity to reflect on the wonderful works of God—Deus est mirabilis in sanctis suis, “God is wonderful in His saints”; but a feast day of a saint who also happens to be a pope, like St. Damasus, gives us even more cause to admire God’s works, which, we are told in today’s Gospel, are the justification of His wisdom. God’s power and wisdom are so evident in the lives of the popes because it is there especially that we see divine power working through our human weakness. You can say that, in the life of any pope, the power and wisdom of God, placed as they are against the backdrop of feeble human nature, stand out in bold relief, as it were. And what better way to prepare for Christmas than to consider such a meeting of the human and the divine, since on Christmas Morning we will celebrate that day when the almighty power of God shone out from the nothingness of our human nature in a most wonderful manner!

The office of the papacy—the idea that the entire weight of the Church should rest on the bent shoulders of one single man, and that Christ should leave His own flock in the hands of a frail human being—this office of the papacy is a great example of how God often chooses to perform His greatest works employing the humblest means. The Carpenter from Nazareth, Who could make a table out of a piece of wood, also willed to make man out of the slime of the earth and a pope out of a fisherman. Wisdom is justified in its works.

You might even say that God prefers it when the odds are stacked high against Him; that’s when He’s at His best, when He works His greatest wonders, when His wisdom and power shine forth the most. Even a cursory glance at the history of the Church shows God over and over again raising up popes to teach, rule and sanctify His Church in the midst of seemingly impossible circumstances. Some were great saints, others great sinners, all of them only human; and yet, by the power and wisdom of God, they taught more than Elijah, ruled more than David, and sanctified more than Moses and Aaron; and they did all this while facing lions in the ancient arenas, turning back barbarian leaders from the gates of Rome, building the most magnificent cathedrals, standing up to the tyrants of the world, and saving entire nations from extermination. And yet, should we be surprised that God would will to rule His Church through a mere man when He Himself had ruled it from a manger?

Yes, God loves the seemingly impossible and He loves to work through the humblest means. Pope St. Damasus understood this well, which might explain why he himself had such a great devotion to the relics of the martyrs, adorning their tombs as he did with over 100 epithets. One of these was written for his own tomb and is a confession of God’s love for the dramatic, the seemingly impossible: [God] Who trods the tumultuous waves, Who restores life to the seeds which die in the earth, Who could unloosen the lethal bonds of death after darkness, and restore life after three days to Martha’s brother, will, I believe, make Damasus rise from his ashes.

God can do all that, and much more. And so, if you have on your Christmas Wish List this year what you think is a nearly impossible request, bring it with you to the manger, and place it at the feet of the Christ Child, place it there with complete trust; and then watch the wisdom of God manifest itself in His works.

In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced by the parents or friends of St. Michael’s without written permission of the author.

Prayer Requests
• Mr. Jack Doherty who is battling cancer
• Mrs. Betty Evans, who has been diagnosed with malignant melanoma
• For Mrs. Marilyn Garvey’s recuperation after surgery.
• Mrs. Amber Manly for a healthy pregnancy
• Mr. Richard Nelson, grandfather of David Hall, who is battling cancer
• St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
• Students preparing for semester exams
• Those who suffer in the current economic crisis.
• Those who are in the armed forces.

For the week of December 6, 2009

Thanks to the following families who helped this past week
• Hosting students over the weekend: The Goodwin, Hipolito, Rivero and Tran Families
• Hosting the students returning from Thomas Aquinas College for Sunday brunch: Mr. and Mrs. George Dimen

Announcements and Updates
• School is in session on Tuesday, December 8th. However, the school office has reduced staffing on that day. Please be patient with our response time.
• Mrs. Ryan distributed PSAT score reports to all 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students who took the PSAT last October. This score information is also in the mail and on its way to parents.

Congratulations to our students
Josh Aaker and Michael Porretta who scored goals for our team in soccer matches this week.

Soccer games this week:
Tuesday, Dec. 8th vs. Emerson @ Emerson El Dorado; 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 10th vs. TVT @ SMP; 3:00 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 13th Alumni soccer game @ SMP; 3:30 p.m.

Birthdays This Week
12/07 Alex Porrello

Admissions
You probably know several families whose sons would prosper at St. Michael’s. Help us offer this opportunity to them by recommending to us two boys who would appreciate and contribute to our unique environment!

The young men you recommend should be ready to enter at the freshman or sophomore level in August 2010. (There may be an opening available for an outstanding junior.) Please take a moment and talk about it as a family. Next, provide us with the contact information listed below. Before we reach out to these young men, we encourage you to speak with the families yourself.

Email your recommendations to Mrs. Christian by Friday, December 18th. PamChristian@StMichaelsPrep.org
• Parents’ Names
• Home or Cell Phone
• Student’s Name

It would even be better if you could also provide
• Parents’ email address
• Student’s current grade
• Name of his current school
• Family’s mailing address

Weekly Homily by Fr. Claude Williams, O.Praem.
Among other things, Fr. Claude is the assistant dean of students.

In the 6th chapter of St. John's Gospel, we hear that one year, when the feast of Passover was near, Jesus went up a mountain, sat down with his disciples, looked up, and saw that a large crowd was coming to Him. At the sight of the throng, He said to Philip, "Where can we buy enough food for them to eat?" Philip answered him, "Two hundred days' wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have even a little bit."

Then, another one of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter and the saint whose feastday we celebrate today, replied, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?"

Jesus, who knows (and is Himself) the answer to all life's troubles, asks His followers a question. He asks, even though he already knows the answer because by asking, He teaches his disciples, and us, about His readiness and willingness to supply our needs. Interestingly, Andrews answer to Jesus' question, itself includes another question. "What good are these (five barley loaves and two fish) for so many?"

Like the disciples, we sometimes are don't perceive the Like the disciples in today's Gospel, perhaps you, too, sometimes find yourself overwhelmed with some particular life situation, or, even with the situation of your life in general. Following the example of today's Saint, when any of us are confronted by some great concern or another, and we don't perceive the solution to our problem, let us pray to our the Divine Teacher and point out to Him that little bit of good that we are still able to see. Then, as He did for St. Andrew, Jesus will take the little loaves and fish that we point out, namely, our short and distracted prayers, our little good works, our joys and sufferings, or even those of our neighbors, maybe some boy standing by. Taking these good things, few though they be, He will give thanks . . . He will give thanks! In giving thanks to His Father in Heaven, Jesus gives us a powerful example of how we are to overcome the trials, troubles and temptations of our lives. In so far as we are grateful, we have the power to face life's difficulties with confidence and peace. The same God, who fed more than 5,000 on the mountain so long ago, will feed us and provide for us as He sees fit. He is good, gracious and grateful. He is ready and able to work wonders out of the humblest of our offerings.

Long ago, St. Andrew kept his eyes open and saw around him a miracle in the making. For our part, we will do well to remain attentive for just such an hour and moment in our own lives.

In publishing this homily, we hope to share a portion of the spiritual treasure by which the students are enriched every day. However, this homily may not be reproduced by the parents or friends of St. Michael’s without written permission of the author.

Prayer Requests
• Nathaniel and Anna Currie who have recently suffered the miscarriage of their first child.
• Mr. Jack Doherty who is battling cancer
• Mr. Robert Greer, maternal grandfather of senior Michael Haeuser, who suffers from declining health.
• Mrs. Amber Manly for a healthy pregnancy
• Miss Helene Rufran who is undergoing surgery.
• St. Michael’s older priests and those who care for them.
• Students preparing for semester exams
• Those who suffer in the current economic crisis.
• Those who are in the armed forces.

Contact the school office for more information: PamChristian@StMichaelsPrep.org (949) 858-0222 ext 237