NOTE: Christ in Our Neighborhood is a parish-based program consisting of small groups that gather in the home weekly to discuss and pray through the upcoming Sunday Mass readings. Find out more at Christ in Our Neighborhood – The Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix (dphx.org)
This coming Sunday, we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent. The question the Christ in Our Neighborhood reflection asks us is: In your time of darkness, to whom do you turn for help?
A speaker at our fellowship group once posed this question differently: In your times of trouble, do you turn to the throne or to the phone for help?
While it’s a wonderful blessing to have supportive wise friends and advisors, nothing beats turning to “Him who sits on the throne,” the One who has dominion, power and glory, as Revelation 5:13 reminds us.
We need to keep in mind that God is carrying us in the palm of His hand and that He has a plan for our good, even when it doesn’t feel like it, even when we’ve been crushed by loss or disappointment.
And then there’s the woman clothed with the Sun, our Blessed Mother. Our Lady was given as a mother to us by Jesus from the Cross. She is always ready to assist her children with her motherly care and intercession.
“Dear Jesus, please help!” is a sincere cry of the heart in a moment of distress. Then there’s, “Mother Mary, get me out of this mess!” These prayers, uttered from the depths of our hearts when things around us seem to be collapsing, are one way we can reach out to the Lord and His Blessed Mother in the midst of darkness.
Watch the video of the weekly podcast segment featuring Christ in Our Neighborhood with Bishop Dolan by clicking HERE.
To sign up for our weekly Christ in Our Neighborhood newsletter that has everything you need for your next meeting, visit: https://phoenixdiocese.flocknote.com/CION
