Third Sunday of Advent
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

“They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song.”  A song perhaps is just a simple thing.  It does not need to be complicated. It is ever so repetitive and can be a simple melody, a simple rhythm, a simple tune. A hymn we can all follow and perhaps dance a line or two. However, in the depths of the lyrics, in the emotion of the words, in the art of rhythm and rhyme, a heartfelt story can be told.  An intimate experience can be shared. Sorrow and longing can be expressed. Joy can move us past our heartaches and pain.  A song can cause us to worship and praise. To dance and rejoice. To cry or be sad. To sing-a-long, hum-a-long, or simply be silent and still.  We sing with our hearts, with our souls, with our spirits, with our lips. Our silence can also sing as well as our smiles and our tears. We sing when we are happy.  We sing when we are sad.  We sing when we are joyful.  Some of us even sing when we are angry and mad.  It helps to sing especially in difficult moments and times.  When words escape us, a song says what needs to be said. The songwriter somehow knows. The words jump off the page and into our joy and sorrow.  The lyrics express what we cannot. The song expresses what we cannot describe or say.  The song speaks to us and the song speaks for us.  It speaks our language. It reads our hearts and expresses our mood, our emotion, our sentiment, our attitude. A song is such a simple but a powerful thing.  During Advent, we are invited to bring the song down a notch or two. To be simple in the instrumentation. To perhaps chant a hymn or two. To remain reflective, spiritual, prayerful, watchful. To sing quietly from within. To listen to the ancient hymn placed within us so long ago. A tiny whisper. An ancient call to repent, to return, to believe. A heartfelt song of mercy. A joyful hymn of thanksgiving and peace. It is a melodious tune sung by the heavenly choir of Angels and Saints. We join them at every Mass along with our family and friends who have gone before us in faith.  Together we rejoice and joyfully sing: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.”

 

 

Reflections from the Heart – March 6, 2022

Reflections from the Heart - March 6, 2022
First Sunday of Lentby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to ...

Reflections from the Heart – February 26, 2022

Reflections from the Heart - February 26, 2022
Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” ...

Reflections from the Heart – February 20, 2022

Reflections from the Heart - February 20, 2022
Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those ...

Reflection from the Heart – February 13, 2022

Reflection from the Heart - February 13, 2022
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those ...

Reflections from the Heart – February 6, 2022

Reflections from the Heart - February 6, 2022
Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." ...

Reflections from the Heart – January 30, 2022

Reflections from the Heart - January 30, 2022
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “O God, you have taught me from my youth, and till the ...

Reflections from the Heart – January 23, 2022

Reflections from the Heart - January 23, 2022
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their ...

Reflections from the Heart – January 16, 2022

Reflections from the Heart - January 16, 2022
Second Sunday in Ordinary Timeby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?” At ...

Reflections from the Heart – January 9, 2022

Reflections from the Heart - January 9, 2022
The Baptism of the Lordby Fr. Ivan Olmo “I am baptizing you with water. He will baptize you with the ...

Reflections from the Heart – January 2, 2022

Reflections from the Heart - January 2, 2022
The Epiphany of the Lordby Fr. Ivan Olmo “Justice shall flower in his days, and profound peace, till the moon ...

Reflections from the Heart – December 26, 2021

Reflections from the Heart - December 26, 2021
Feast of the Holy Familyby Fr. Ivan Olmo “After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the ...

Reflections from the Heart – December 19, 2021

Reflections from the Heart - December 19, 2021
Fourth Sunday in Adventby Fr. Ivan Olmo “The holy Spirit will come upon you… the child to be born will ...