Fr. Todd 12/4/25

Dear Sacred Heart and St. Mary on the Lake,

            I hope you are having a Blessed Advent.  Of all the seasons I think that Advent is the one most underexperienced.  With all of our Christmas plannings and parties that happen even before Christmas happens it tends to get lost.  The frenetic pace of life is the opposite of the sense the season should have.

            That being the case Advent requires fighting for it a bit more than the other seasons.  What do we have to fight for?

            We need to fight for some quiet amid the noise.  This may require some fasting on our part to get some silence.  Turning off devices, radios, t.v.’s, music, etc.  We don’t realize how attached we are to them until we experience not having them!

            What is the point of that fasting?  It is to make room for God in my heart and my life.  With how busy the season is we easily come to Christmas and discover that we are much like the people of Bethlehem.  Too busy and full of other things, good though they may be, so we don’t have room for Jesus.  Our lives are too loud with other voices that we can’t hear Jesus when He speaks.

            When is the last time we just wasted time with God?  That is what we do with friends. We just hang out and waste time together.  Not doing anything in particular other that being together.  Here is what prayer can be at its simplest.  My brother, Fr. Gary, had an experience in prayer where Jesus reminded him of that truth.  He had asked Jesus to wake him up on the hour if he wanted him to get up early to pray.  So he woke up at 5am sharp.  When he asked the Lord why he work him up Jesus told him it was because He likes to be with him.  I don’t know how often we approach prayer with that truth in mind- Jesus likes to be with us.  Give Him that gift and we will prepare well for Christmas.

            I am just over a month into the Catechism in a year with Fr. Mike Schmitz.  (He did this following up on the Bible in a Year which I have gone through twice now).  I know of several parishioners who have already gone through it.  Now that I have started I can second their feedback- it has been excellent.  You can find this podcast on any podcast player.

What does the Catechism in a year offer?

• Read the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church in 365 days

• Understand the essentials of the Catholic Faith and why they matter

• See how Church teaching is rooted in Sacred Scripture

• Absorb over 2,000 years of Sacred Tradition

• Encounter God’s plan of sheer goodness

• Transform their relationship with the Church that Christ founded.

If you have ever wanted to understand what it means to be Catholic and allow those truths to shape your life—this podcast is for you!

We can’t wait to start this incredible journey with you!

God Bless, Fr. Todd