December 1st Saturday – Advent: Penance & Joy
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Ave Maria!
Fr. Ignatius gives the First Saturday reflection talk for December at the Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center in Bloomington, IN on the purpose of Advent and whether it is a season of penance or joy.
Notes:
The season of Lent and Fridays throughout the year are times of penance. But there is a history of doing penance during advent as a preparation for the joyful season of Christmas and to prepare for the coming of Christ in our hearts in preparation for His final coming at our death. Three comings of Christ Bethlehem as the little babe, a sacrificial lamb, and at the end of time as Christ the King for judgment on the whole human race, living and dead, and the final will be at our own death.
Advent starts a new liturgical year after the previous ended with considerations of the coming of Christ the King and his kingdom.
Pressure to not bring religious devotions into the public.
This is the time for mercy but he is also infinitely just
The day of the Lord will be a day of terror, but only for those who are opposed to Christ and his rule
Christians, friends of God look forward to and pray for the second coming. Staying in the grace of God is how we stay prepared.
Experienced in different ways, begins with fire...
2 Peter, 1 Cor, Jerome, talk about fear of God, even of the friends of God but his a salutary fear, that keeps to the straight path.
Friends of God will go to heaven but without bodies
On judgment day the saints will come down from heaven and will be given back their bodies but glorified with the deeds by which they glorified God with these bodies, and the damned will come up from hell and united with their bodies with which they offended God, which will be horrible.
Blessed are those who do penance for their sins and those of others
St. Peter Alcantra did much penance, appeared to St Theresa of Avila after his death, "O blessed penance."
After the resurrection, everyone will be summoned to the valley of Jehoshaphat, where the good and the bad will be separated, right and the left.
Jesus' main suffering is knowing that His suffering redemption will be ignored by many and thus lost to them.
Our Lady pastures the young goats, the sinners who still have hope for their conversion. She is a spiritual mother and co-redeemer
Those that persist in sin till death will see everlasting fire.
The Day's events include Outdoor Rosary, confession, a talk, and mass.
Also on YouTube: https://youtu.be/p-jJbZl_NHs
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