Author: manager

Giáo Lý Ơi February 2017

The February edition of Giao Ly Oi is here!    Please click below, read up and enjoy 🙂 Giao Ly Oi February 2017

The February edition of Giao Ly Oi is here!    Please click below, read up and enjoy 🙂

Giao Ly Oi February 2017

Don't Judge a Manger by its Appearance

Don’t Judge a Manger by its Appearance

Posted on by manager

Luke 2:16-21 (Gospel Reading for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God)

Even before the Christmas season began, there were many signs that made it obvious that it was coming. Christmas lights are hung, Christmas trees brought out and decorated, Christmas music playing on every radio station, and the list goes on. All the visuals made it blatantly clear that the special holiday season was upon us.

What isn’t made clear is that the greatest gift everyone receives is a King, the King above all Kings. Why? It’s simple. Jesus, the Son of God, was born as a baby boy in a lowly place, and laid in a manger, a feeding trough for cows and horses. Not the first image I would think of when I think of royalty, of a God. Where’s the warrior? The great Messiah to deliver us all? If anything, being born in a feeding trough sounds unsanitary.

Yet, in the most unexpected of places, we find our Savior and our friend. Would we think to look in this sort of place for something so great? In this Sunday’s Gospel, the shep-herds were in such a hurry to go to find Jesus. They were tending their flock of sheep, going about their daily lives when they received news from the angel about the birth of Jesus. They came as they were, not worrying about looking physically presentable to Jesus because their hearts were open to Jesus. They willingly let Jesus into their lives, and as a result, they received so much joy and happiness. So much that they had to share this news to all they met!

In life, it’s easy to overlook the difficult moments in our lives, questioning where God is. But in the coldest of nights, in the humblest of places, Jesus made himself accessible to us as a vulnerable baby. He didn’t want to come to us as a great, untouchable person. In coming to us as a baby boy, Jesus signaled to everyone that he wanted to create a loving relationship with us. Not only did he came to redeem us, but he came to know us, to live among us, and to love us. As we all walk on our faith journey, this Gospel encourages us to seek for Christ in the mangers of our lives and to continue building a relationship with him. Sometimes in the dark-est of times is when the pure light of Jesus shines through and transforms us anew.

Quỳnh-Như Nguyễn, Phụ Trách Giáo Xứ (Parish Life Coordinator)

Got Space?

Posted on by manager

This past Thanksgiving, my family had a potluck and everyone brought the most delicious food including prime ribs, turkey, stuffing, and so much more. I ate so much that I had no more room to eat dessert!

It seems that every time Thanksgiving comes around and we enter into Advent, we are filled with so many things.  We are filled with food, parties, shopping, friends and family visits which are all wonderful things.  In that “busy-ness”, Cha Thanh reminded me last week during mass, that Advent, which means “Coming”, is a time for us to prepare for Jesus to come into our lives more fully.  But for Jesus to do that, He needs some space.  When Mary said “yes” to God, she had to make a sacrifice of her time and space to carry Jesus in her womb.  In contrast to Mary’s “yes”, the innkeepers and others said “no” to the Holy Family as they tried to find shelter for the night and give birth to Jesus.  It is so easy and even rational for me to say “no” either from fear or from lack of space or time.  I don’t really know who this stranger is. I don’t want my comfortable life to change or be inconvenienced.  My house and heart is too full.  I am too busy to spend a moment with Jesus.

The image of Mother Mary is a great reminder that in order to allow Jesus into my heart and soul, I need to clear it of the clutter which includes the good as well as the bad.  Sometimes I am tempted to do more good things.  Giao Ly needs me to do more. My work needs me to work longer. Friends and family need more of my time.  Then there are the bad temptations which take up more space such as pride, anger, arrogance and indifference.  These things push Jesus even further out of my heart.

Advent is a time to prepare to not just celebrate Jesus coming into the world 2000 years ago, but to anticipate His coming into my heart and soul more fully. Can I put down my phone and not check the latest Facebook post or that text message from a friend?  Can I put down the video game or skip watching that funny show on TV?  What can I do to clear some space in my heart and soul and spend some time with Jesus so that Jesus can enter and transform it?

Sơn Trần, Phụ Trách Tâm Linh (Spiritual Life Coordinator)