ICEMANforChrist

  DECEMBER We turn our attention indoors with Advent prayers and preparations for the birth of Christ; for most of us, the indoors makes up the part of our environment in which we spend the most time. It is also the most unregulated and can be the most polluted part of the total environment –due to new home cleaning products and tighter ventilation. Consider a simpler home environment, where houseplants purify the air, where fresh air is plentiful, and where chemical products are limited and controlled. The yearly cycle of twelve months can make us more aware of our human environment and should help us as individuals and as a community to conduct a monthly examination of conscience. Overview of December [1] The liturgy of Advent focuses on remembering Christ's first coming at Bethlehem which then directs our mind to Christ's Second Coming at the end of time. The readings focus on the people of the Old Testament awaiting the Messiah, John the Baptist, heralding the way for C...

  Tuesday In the First Week of Advent Saint Andrew- Giving Tuesday   Proverbs, Chapter 22, Verse 4 The result of humility and FEAR of the LORD is riches, honor and life.   In reflecting on this stanza, the first thing I noticed is that the rewards listed in this proverb are reversed. In that riches are not more important to obtain for oneself than honor and honor is not as valuable as life….or is it. In thinking about this I questioned are we talking about material riches or some other kind of riches? Ghani has said, wealth without work is one of the great evils in the world. It has also been said that even if a poor person was suddenly rich they often again lose their wealth like the story of the prodigal son. True riches it seems actually comes from having sound and grounded thoughts, habits and philosophies; being humble and submitting all to God. Steve Siebold, noted author of “How Rich People Think,” noticed that yes rich people do think differently than...