Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: November 26, 2017
In most years the week before Advent begins is usually kind of a quiet one. Whether it’s a short one due to the Thanksgiving holiday or a longer one (like this year) when Advent waits until December to begin, there is not usually a lot scheduled here at the Cathedral. The various seasonal concerts won’t begin until December, and of course even though putting up the Christmas decorations in the Cathedral will be earlier than usual, that’s still a few weeks off.
But this year for me personally it will be a busy week. There is an organization known as the Conference of Chancery and Tribunal Officials of the Provinces of New Orleans and Mobile, and this week they’ll be meeting here at the Cathedral, staying at the Hampton Inn a couple of blocks away. We’re expecting 50 to 60 canon lawyers and their assistants from 14 dioceses to gather together, and then to learn, to pray and even to enjoy life a little! We’ll feed them well and show them some wonderful Baton Rouge hospitality: many are my friends and they’ve already let me know that they expect a good time! So if you see them around Cathedral Square, say hello!
But I recommend that you use the week before Advent slightly differently. I hope you can spend some time getting ready spiritually for the Advent season, sort of preparing for our time of Christmas preparation! Clear out a little extra time for some prayer and personal reflection and planning – I’m going to try to do this early in the morning, a time that works best for me, but you should pick a time and a place that works for you. Resolve to make this Advent and Christmas a time when we don’t just say we value family and friends, but actually show it by our attention and action.
You know, if ever we’re going to make some headway in making our holiday season less secular and more spiritual, if ever we’re going to become less materialistic and live more simply, if ever we’re going to stop looking at our smartphones and rediscover truly valuable pastimes like reading, if ever we’re going to stop arguing about politics and get back to (gasp!) decent human conversations, it’s only going to happen if we decide to make it happen. Human progress never happens by accident, and this is true especially of progress in the spiritual life.
So wake up a bit earlier, or carve out 10 to 15 minutes in the afternoon. Sit comfortably. Then take a few deep breaths and begin to quiet down your mind and body. In simple language, tell the Lord God how much you love Him, and hope for Him to guide you. It’s okay then to pray for other people and your own intentions. A Bible verse or two, or maybe the rosary or other familiar prayers, usually help your focus. I spend a lot of time “lifting up to the Lord” those persons for whom I’ve promised to pray, and of course the Liturgy of the Hours is sort of the omnipresent framework for my prayer, but you don’t have to imitate clergy or religious. What each believer ought to do is find his or her own prayer “style,” and stick with it long enough to benefit from it. The reward of this kind of effort are not just lower blood pressure for that day: the benefits really are everlasting!
As I sat down to write this on November 15 the sad word came in to the Parish Office that Sister Carla Candella, S.S.N.D., died in her sleep overnight. For many years, after “retiring” from a teaching vocation, she helped with our Parish R.C.I.A. process, and endeared herself to many people in our community. Make one of your prayers a kind one, praying for the repose of her soul, for she was a faithful maidservant of the Lord for many years and now can live in the light of the Lord forever.
Sincerely yours in Him,
Fr. Paul
