The night before Thanksgiving as I was going home, a deer crashed into my car on the Edgewood exit to Redwood City. I realized that I wasn't hurt and that the deer was, no doubt, dead. I pulled over to gather my wits about me and got out to examine my car. As I was doing so, I noticed that the car behind me was a Highway Patrol vehicle and behind that was a sheriff's car! The CHP officer was very helpful, filling out the report, calling AAA, and letting me use his phone. [He happened to be a Catholic who had grown up in Sacramento.] As I conveyed my experience to my sisters and the staff, I always said that I wasn't afraid and that I knew God was watching over me. The motto of the foundress of my particular Franciscan community was, "God will provide" and I surely felt that. Someone asked me, "And if the CHP hadn't been there, would you still say God was watching over you?" I answered that I would because even if I had been seriously hurt, I hopefully would have felt that God was with me, no matter what. I was grateful that our community has insurance and that our provincial house had an extra car which was available for my use. I thought of all the people for whom this would have been a tragedy, not just an accident.

Our Advent group shared about many things when we gathered for the first time, but one common thread was our image of God. What was it like for you as a child? How do you think of God now as an adult? Advent invites us to listen again, to look again into our hearts. This God, who almost desperately wants to come close to us, to be with us, becomes a child whom no one could fear. We even call him Emmanuel, God-with-Us. How do the confusing events of our lives and our world shape our sense of God? How might our sense of God shape the way we understand the confusing events of our lives and our world?

VALLOMBROSA CENTER
250 Oak Grove Ave.
Menlo Park, Ca 94025-3218
(650) 325-5614
www.vallombrosa.org

Wisdom for the ages - Dec. 31, 2003 to Jan 1, 2004
A New Years Eve Retreat
Patrick Collins

EL RETIRO
300 Manresa Way
Los Altos, Ca 94022-4646
(650) 948-4491
www.elretiro.org

The Journey of Surrendering to God's Love - Jan. 2-4
Recovery Retreat for Women
Fr. Thomas Allender, S.J.

Jesus Said, "What do you want me to do for you?" - Jan. 9-11
Silent Retreat for Men
Fr. Bernard J. Bush., S.J.

Spiritual Living in a Material World - Jan. 23-25
Silent retreat for Women
Fr. Gerald P. McCourt, S.J.

SAN DAMIANO
P.O. Box 767
Danville, Ca 94526
(925) 837-9141

Single Adults Reterat - Jan. 2-4
Living in Love's Embrace
Michelle L. Allier, OSF
Barry Brunsman, OFM

Fransciscan Spirituality - Jan. 16-18
The good world of Frances of Assisi

Women's Retreat - Jan. 23-25
Soul Sisters
Edwina Gateley

Beginning Enneagram - Jan. 24
Growing Spiritually

Registration for Kindergarten for the 2004-2005 school year will take place January 7-14, 2004. Our annual Open House will take place on January 12, 2004 at 7:00 pm.

This week you can light the two purple candles of your Advent wreath as well as the pink one symbolizing our joy that his coming is near! Pray this prayer: Our hearts are filled with joy as we look forward to the coming of your Son, the Promised One. Help us to share our time and our possessions with those who need them this week. We pray in his name, Emmanuel, God-with-Us. Amen.

The first reading for today admonishes us to rejoice and not be afraid or anxious over anything because "the Lord is in your midst, a mighty Savior." How often does anxiety keep us from experiencing the joy which God is eager to give us. How amazing! Many of us are so focused on our weaknesses and our failings, we find it hard to believe that God really cares about us, much less rejoices over us. The second reading promises that if we act with kindness and if we ask God for what we need, we will experience the peace of God.

Once we are conscious of God's love for us, we can ask the question the crowd asked John the Baptist, "What shall we do?" John has shaken them by his strong words which we heard last week. He responds with very simple directives, suited to each one's situation: share your extra cloak and food, be honest, don't use your authority to abuse others, don't complain about your salary. If we can imagine that God loves us, what shall we do in response? This might be a good place to begin as an examination of conscience for reconciliation service. If we remember God's forgiveness of our sins, might we be moved to forgive someone who has offended us? If God has loved us with our faults, might we try harder to be non-judgmental of someone whose choices we disagree with? Another approach is to ask ourselves: what one attitude or habit of mine most keeps me from being a good instrument for God in my family, my work, my circle of friends?

Reconciliation Services
If you'd like to prepare your heart for the celebration of His coming, there are two opportunities for you: Monday, Dec. 15 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, Dec. 20 at 3 pm. Both will take place in church with readings and songs to help us receive the gift of forgiveness which God constantly offers us.

Christmas Singers!
If you love to sing, you are cordially invited to come to a few practices so you can sing for Christmas! Singers of any age are invited to sing for the 8 pm and Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and for the 7:30am, 9:30 am and 11:30 am Mass Christmas Day. Please see Kevin, Griselda or Sr. Sheral.

Help Prepare God's House
Now that your home is just about ready for Christmas, do you have an hour or two Christmas Eve morning to help us get this holy place ready? The Marthas do a wonderful ministry every week; George will be doing major cleaning once school is out; and Tom Dachauer and his crew will be transforming the environment for the celebration. But even with all this, we'd love to have you help put on the finishing touches. We'll begin at 9 am and be finished by noon. Please call Sr. Sheral at the rectory if you're interested.

Listed our a few of the food stuffs that we are running low on: jams and jellies, canned vegetables, cereal and oatmeal, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, juices, packaged cookies, and other condiments, and canned meats and tuna. Cereals are in high demand.

We are also collecting Gift Certificates and Scrip for MOLLYSTONE, ALBERTSON'S, LUNARDI'S, and SAFEWAY  in lieu of frozen turkeys. You may make out certificates to Saint Vincent de Paul and either mail them or drop them in the rectory mailbox.

A NOTE FROM FATHER RING

Dear Parishioners,

During Advent we are always conscious of the needs of those less fortunate than ourselves. I would like to give special thanks to all those who give of themselves by lending a helping hand. We should all be very proud of Melissa Hansell and Kacie LeCompte who grew up in our Parish and attended our Parish school and having graduated from college, are now devoting a year of their lives to serving the poor among us. Melissa is helping at Catholic Worker House here is San Bruno and Kacie is helping in Atlanta, Georgia. Say a prayer for them and all those who give of their time, talents and treasure to serve others.

Advent Evening Prayer
Monday, December 22nd at 7:30 pm

Christmas Poinsettias will decorate the Church during the Christmas Season. If you would like to make a donation of $10 (please make check out to St. Robert’s Poinsettias Fund) toward their purchase in memory of a loved one, fill out the form below and return it to the Parish Office by Sunday, December 21st. Please make a check out to St. Robert's Poinsettia Fund.