November 13th, 2022

thirty-Third Sunday in ordinary time

by Fr. Boniface Endorf, O.P.

Dear St. Joseph Parish Family,

Advent is only two weeks away—it’s hard to believe it’s already almost here. Advent is a time to ready ourselves for the coming of our Lord at Christmas, so it’s a time of spiritual preparation. It can be seen as a mini-Lent, a time for greater prayer and some penance. Consider upping your prayer schedule for this Advent and giving something up as a penance to help focus on the spiritual meaning of this Season.

It’s always difficult to spiritually live the Advent Season because our culture acts as if Christmas starts the Monday after Thanksgiving; but, Christmas comes only with the coming of Christ on Christmas day, while in Advent we relive the long wait for our Savior’s arrival. Make this Advent a time of great spiritual growth so that this Christmas we may find ourselves ready to again welcome Christ into our lives.

Mass Tidbit

The Responsorial Psalm comes after the first reading and before the second reading, if there is a second reading. Originally, instead of a responsorial psalm, the gradual was sung. The gradual is a chant based on the text of a psalm. After the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, provision was made for a responsorial psalm to be used instead of the gradual because many choirs found the gradual too difficult. The responsorial psalm was meant to be read in place of the sung gradual. At St. Joseph’s, we use both—our traditional choir chants the gradual while our contemporary choir sings the responsorial psalm.

God Bless,
Fr. Boniface