St. Joseph the Worker

Dear Parishioners of SJW:

We begin our 2^nd week of Advent!  I sure hope your first days of this season of expectation and waiting were ones of prayer and growth in the faith. 

This Thursday is another Holy Day in our Catholic Church---the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.  On December 8^th of each year, we celebrate that Mary was given that special privilege of being conceived without original sin, and remained sinless throughout her life.  This in no way says that she was divine.  She was human, just like us.  But not prone to sin as we are.  Why?  Because she would bear the Son of God, and the divine could not come forth from someone that could sin. 

Mary was that pure vessel used by God to deliver to the world the Savior.  Jesus was born of the Immaculate Virgin Mary.  She was conceived without sin so that the Incarnate God could be born from a sinless human. 

We are not as fortunate as Mary to be conceived without sin.  We do sin in the eyes of God.  God knew this, and He promised to send us a Savior to save us from our sinfulness.  And He did, in Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary.

Our country is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception of Mary, as is our diocese.  Our Cathedral in downtown Springfield is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.  So, this Thursday is a special day for us as the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. 

Let us realize and respond to the call of our faith and Church to gather that day to celebrate this solemn Feast.  Masses here for December 8^th will be at 8:30am & 5:30pm.  Yes, we are obligated to be there.  But, shouldn’t we want to be anyway?  Look at the beautiful example of love, faith, purity, sacrifice, joy, and prayer we see in the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The least we can do is come to celebrate her and to praise our God. 

See you on Thursday for sure???

Your Advent Pastor, Fr. Joe

P.S.  I have had several inquiries concerning Reconciliation and the priest’s “role” in it as to forgiveness of sin.  Let me borrow from a priest friend who summed it up very well—

“And I absolve you from your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit”.

It is the doctrinal belief of the Catholic Church that a priest by ordination is given the power to act on behalf of the entire Church (Christ and the members of His Body) to give to the faithful what God desires to give them through the Church’s sacraments.  The priest forgives sins by the power of Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit as wants him to do for the sake of the sinner.  This forgiveness is the work of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Spirit), through the minister of the Church, by the ordained minister, the priest.