Author: St. Ann's Webmaster

Have you ever being in a situation where you have been indignant about what has happened to another individual? Maybe abuse or injustice. You are furious but that individual is not too excited, perhaps even making excuses about why the other person had to be abusive and you are not having any of it. This is the way the First Reading sounds: for Zion’s sake I will not be silent. This says that so...
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A sidewalk preacher came across a man who looked a little down and out. The preacher yelled at the man, “Do you want to find Jesus?!” and the man said, “Sure!” So the preacher grabbed the man, baptized him on the spot in a tank that he had for such occasions. When he pulled the man out the preacher asked him, “Did you see Jesus?” The man said, “No.” So the preacher dunked him again, this time f...
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It is said that after the wise men came and gave their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, the three wise women came and gave them a one year supply of diapers, some casseroles and free babysitting. I mean seriously, why these gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh? A comedian, Tim Hawkins, said, “Have you ever listened to the song about the star, and the tail and sheep speaking?” He goes ...
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One of the things that stands out to me when I read this Gospel is the obedience of Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Not obedience under their terms but under God’s terms. There was such a loving trust of God that He worked all for their goodness. I have often read over the text with pretty glossy eyes thinking that the lives of Mary and Joseph were easy lives and there were no real challenges, but, in fa...
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Pope St John Paul II was found him lying prostrate on the floor in his private chapel. Thinking him not well, his guards picked him up to discover he had only been deep in prayer. The guard apologized, “Sorry, sorry. We were worried about your Holiness.” ‘Your Holiness’ is a title given to the pope. The pope smiled and said, “I, too, am worried about my holiness.” It is interesting to n...
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It is a great and noble thing to meditate on what happened this day many years ago, that God became man and lived among us. He did not just become man but He became a little, small, vulnerable baby. I am sure that it is easily understandable that God would come here powerful, ready to destroy, scaring people back into order, yet He did not come to us in that way. It is really shocking that God wo...
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When I was in elementary school, one of my sister’s classmates won a colouring contest that for the prize, took his family to an exotic place, like Disney Land or Hawaii. The colouring contest was put on by Safeway. I remember the picture. It had a koala bear on it with a can of fruit cocktail. This fellow took a ruler and coloured that picture line by line. He even took a fruit cocktail can an...
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Rejoice! Rejoice! Again I say, Rejoice! A professor gave his students a writing assignment. There was a piece of paper with a single dot on it and the assignment was to comment on what you see. Each student did that from their own perspective. Each saw the dot and worked from that perspective. When the professor gave the papers back, he commented to the students that each student had written i...
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A lady was walking down the street in a populous city and she noticed two boys warming their feet over a steam vent coming from the sewers. She took the boys and bought them socks and shoes. One of the little boys said to her, “Are you God’s wife?” and she replied, “No, one of His daughters.” The little boy said, “I knew you were related somehow.” Today is the Second Sunday in Advent. How ar...
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We need to beware of the Grinch who will steal our Christmas this year. I know that Advent is upon us now and perhaps we have not gotten ready or thought of what we should do for Advent, but we can make a plan right now, today, for how we are going to really celebrate and receive the joy this Christmas as we have never celebrated it before. We have to ask ourselves the question why are we doing a...
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