St. Laurence R.C. Church - John Patrick Publishing Company

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Page 3 Pastor’s Corner Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ Most of us have had dreams that were very realistic and vivid. We wake up asking ourselves, "Was that a dream or a real memory?" Most of the time, however, dreams take on a fantastic, weird, sometimes comical, sometimes sad or frightening twist. There may be shreds of truth or real people or events, but things are just not completely reflective of reality. If I dreamt that Norm called me on a cell phone, it would not exactly lead me to believe that I should be awaiting a call at some point from my Beagle! Dreams are not really a reliable source of truth or reality. They can point to some things below the surface that might be affecting us and a vivid, realistic dream can affect us. If we have had a particularly scary or sad dream, we can feel that emotionally. But, it's just a dream. Dreams are a function of our psyche that take in events, thoughts, memories, etc. that happen in reality and are jumbled up and regurgitated into our unconscious state during sleep. Most of our dreams, in fact, are not remembered. So, why would Joseph make a decision to stay with Mary based upon a dream of an angel giving him advice? Sometimes, when we are just newly awake, our hearts and minds can be more easily raised in prayer to God. There is a quietness and peace that can be fertile ground for God's grace. I am not suggesting that every morning that this will happen, but every once in a while, it can. Perhaps this was Joseph's experience. His acceptance of the angel's urgent message was more about discernment than following a dream. St. Ignatius of Loyola explains “discernment of spirits” as examining one's inner reactions, or movements, particularly in prayer. We can have many such reactions, but on some occasions grace can be so quietly strong that one has a certitude within that this experience is not fantasy or imaginary, but real. 4 th Sunday of Advent This sounds like what was going on with Joseph's dream. He had no doubt about the validity of the angel's message. Grace had assured him that this experience was real. Caution is needed here. We can all convince ourselves that anything can be an angelic message from God if we think about it long enough! That is where discernment comes in. Experiences that are of God are quiet, they lead toward God, not away from Him and if valid, have lasting results that endure. Anything to the contrary would reflect experiences not of God. Someone discerning a religious vocation, for example, needs to examine this possible calling over a period of time. Spiritual direction by an experienced spiritual director is key here in discerning God's will. In Joseph’s case, we can see a quiet assurance of God's presence. He was not left feeling unsure or doubtful. Joseph’s dream was as sure as a mother's face or the voice of a close friend. As a man of deep faith, Joseph already had a deep trust in God’s love. He did not experience a diminishment of that trust. Rather, the angel's message only confirmed Joseph’s faith in God and he accepted it as God's will. Often, it is not just in one experience, or time of prayer that we suddenly realize God's will. It is in the ongoing string of events reflected upon in the context of faith and prayer within our everyday life that, like Joseph, we grow in our understanding of the will of God. Have we tuned in to God's presence during these weeks of Advent? Has the busyness of our preparations for Christmas distracted us? Have we been able to discern a particular grace or gift that God wants to give us (for example a spirit of joy, gratitude, etc.)? May we continue to discover as Advent gives way to Christmas God’s plan for us, as Joseph did through trust, faith and prayer. In Christ’s Peace, Fr. O’Neill 222
Page 4 WEEKLY EVENTS Sunday (22) Scrip sales before & after masses, tower Friday (27) Legion of Mary, 5 & 7pm, Spanish - rectory METRO PHILLY JOB SEARCH GROUP “Helping people to find their next job” Despite what you hear in the news, local companies are hiring, With more people than ever competing for these jobs, you need to learn how to find these jobs and how to stand out among all of the other applicants. The Metro Philly Job Search Group will teach you the skills that are required to have a successful job search and how to stay motivated through your job search.The Metro Philly Job Search Group meets in the Parish Hall at 6:30PM on the first Wednesday of each Month. Entrance to the Parish Hall is through the back parking lot of Saint Laurence Church. Ernie Russom at 610-405-4818 PRAYERS for the SICK Baby Landon Cutilli, Dorothy Dougherty, Rose Pinto, Sarah Whitesell, Regina, Grace Teti, Patricia Raiburn,Toni Shoenberger,Frank Murphy, George Perez, Peg Medaglia, Anna Durso, Jackie Egan, Fr. John Rock, S.J.,Theresa Wallace, Margaret Lough, Robert Hallinan, Irene Bradley, Stephen Galifu, Baby Morris,Agnes DeLacy, Nadine Venuti, Paige Eriksen, Maureen Cardelli, Carol Gillespie, Roy & Dorothy Taylor, Ed Spankiewicz, Joseph Mullen, Daniel Egan, Barry & Patricia Kelly, Patricia Ann Cashman, Bill & Peggy Sheeler, Bernadette McHale, Denise O’Teri, Mary O’Donnell, Mildred Hyzinski, James Rogan, Joseph Baehr, Marge O’Connor, James P. Zignorski, Harry McManus, Jeanne Donnelly, Margaret Kerins, Fr. Gabriel Possenti, Sr. Gerfina Silva, St. Laurence students Excel at Msgr. Bonner – Archbishop Prendergast First Honors: Colleen A. Dougherty ’14, Sean J. O’Connell ’15, Allison J. Hart ’16, James B. O’Connell ’16, Aliyah M. Bacon’17, James P. Dougherty ’17. Second Honors: Daniel A. McCormick ’14, Wesley J. Long ’15, Monica K. Crosby ’16, Megan S. Cummings ’16, Dean A. DiCrescenza ’16, Robert E. Guerrieri ’16, Brian N. Fertig ‘17. Cardinal O’Hara First Honors: Vincent Q. Pham’14, Colleen Mary Shanahan ’14, Andrew Khoa Pham ’15, Thomas Pham ‘17 Second Honors: Samantha A. Ferguson’15, Jacob McGowan’17. Archbishop Carroll First Honors: Mary E. Clay’15, Gabriella M. Miele’15, Joshua J. Harrison’16, Marc Munafo’17. Second Honors: Ciara K. O’Sullivan’15 Malvern Preparatory School Distinguished Honors: Benjamin Koo St. Alice students Excel at Msgr. Bonner – Archbishop Prendergast Second Honors: Cindy A. Atiencia’15, Brianna N. Garrick’16. Cardinal OHara First Honors: Ngoc Kim Vo ’15, Hoang N. Nguyen ‘17 SS. John Neumann & Maria Goretti First Honors: Abigail Espinoza ‘15 222
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