We invite you to support our bilingual ministry of God’s Word, "Preacher Exchange," which includes "First Impressions." Our free internet preaching and liturgical ministry seeks to share the Gospel, deepen faith, and bring the richness of our Catholic liturgical tradition to people wherever they may be. Your generosity will help sustain this ministry and, importantly, support the lives and ministry of our Dominican friars, assist with the needs of our parish community, and provide food and essential assistance to the local poor who come to us seeking help. Every contribution, large or small, makes a difference. By supporting "First Impressions," you are helping us continue to preach the Gospel not only through words and prayer but also through concrete acts of compassion, service, and love for our neighbors.

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"First Impressions"

Dominican Friars

3600 Travis Street

Houston, Texas 77002

His first readers were people experiencing suffering. They had been separated from their homeland. Their questions were very much like the ones we ask when life becomes difficult: "Where is God now, when I am experiencing so much pain? Has God forgotten me? Have I done something to offend God and am now being punished?"

The opening words of the reading offer consolation when times are difficult: "Comfort, give comfort to my people."

What may surprise us is that God does not do what we might expect. God does not begin by criticizing the people for their failures or reminding them of their sins. Instead, through the prophet, God speaks tenderly to them, offering comfort, reassurance, and hope. God wants them to know that their suffering will not have the final word. A new beginning is possible. These are reassuring and trustworthy words, especially when we cannot see how such a new beginning could come about with our limited resources.

The reading is not addressed only to us as individuals; it also speaks to us as members of our parish community. We know what it means to experience difficult moments. Even if we are not experiencing them ourselves, surely we know someone who is burdened by illness, grief, family difficulties, financial worries, loneliness, or uncertainty about the future. Entire communities of immigrants, people who are homeless, and those experiencing civic unrest know these struggles all too well.

Others struggle with disappointment in their personal lives or even in the Church itself. Can we blame them for wondering where God is? We are an Advent people, waiting for God to come to our rescue – or at least to strengthen us in our trials – as we struggle to keep hope alive.

We reach out with open hands to take Isaiah's words into our troubled hearts and anxious minds. The prophet assures us that God can lift the valleys of discouragement, bring down the mountains of pride and selfishness, and smooth the rough roads of resentment and division. This is more than a poetic image of a landscape being transformed. It is an invitation to allow God to change our hearts and repair broken relationships.

Hear the prophet's announcement. Take it to heart and let it strengthen our resolve: "Here comes with power the Lord God!" Ours is a God with the power to accomplish what we cannot accomplish on our own. God is not a distant ruler demanding obedience through fear. Rather, God comes like a shepherd who sees that the sheep are hungry and feeds them, gathering them into tender arms, close to God's heart, and leading them gently to a place of safety and care. What a beautiful image of God's love! God's power is expressed through tenderness, compassion, and care. God does not abandon the weak, overlook the vulnerable, or forget those who are struggling. God draws especially close to those who need comfort and encouragement.

This also places a responsibility on us as a parish community. We must reflect the tenderness God has shown us and continues to show to all who are in need. We cannot simply receive God's comfort for ourselves and remain indifferent to the suffering of others. Each and every one of us is called to be an instrument of God's consolation, as Isaiah and Jesus teach us through their words and actions.

We visit the sick, accompany those who grieve, welcome strangers, forgive those who have hurt us, reach out to the lonely, and offer encouragement to those who have lost hope. That is what God has done for us, and that is what we are called to do for others. If we experience the comforting presence of God, then we must share that experience.

Our faith is not measured only by the prayers we recite and the rituals we perform. It is also measured by the compassion we show, the burdens we help carry, and the hope we bring into the lives of others. After all, we have entered the season of Advent, a time of hope not only for us but for all people.

The God who tenderly gathers lambs calls us to do the same for one another.

Happy Advent!

— Pope Leo XIV, Jubilee Audience, December 6, 2025.

JUSTICE BULLETIN BOARD

— Psalm 85: 11-12

I find the imagery from this passage in Psalms to be captivating. I can picture a divine dance of celebration. Here you find divine activity personified as pairs of attributes: kindness and truth, justice and peace. The presence of these attributes or virtues, makes a fit place for God to dwell. They are relationships of order and harmony that sin has destroyed. How often has someone spoken the truth about something, only to be roundly condemned by the status quo? Or, worse still, by those who would rather live with blinders on their eyes? It happened to Jesus quite frequently.

Beginning with Pope Francis and continuing with Pope Leo XIV, the idea of synodality is being promoted. This is NOT a new idea and can be traced all the way back to the Council of Jerusalem around 50AD, when it was decided that converts do not have to be circumcised or keep the full Law of Moses to be saved. So, what is synodality? Synodality is the practice of gathering together those whose views may vary in order to listen, learn, discuss, and discern with an openness and a willingness to understand what others are saying. Pope Leo states that, "All Christians are called to be builders of Christ’s communion, formed in a synodal Church in which everyone cooperates in the same mission according to their own charism and ministry." ( Pope Leo XIV: Women and Men in Religious Life ‘Are Called to Become Experts in Synodality’ | National Catholic Register 8/11-14/26).

Active listening is perhaps the hardest part of the synodal method. This type of listening means to listen and accept another’s thoughts on a subject without trying to challenge, critique, or even respond to them aloud. Unfortunately, our society is caught up in sound bites and where the squeakiest wheels are the only ones being heard.

With the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, synodality enables that Spirit to be heard and helps us to continue in our common mission to bring God’s kindness, truth, and justice to the world.

This second week of Advent, try to engage in an earnest, respectful, and loving conversation with others who may see things differently than you. Don’t try to solve the difference, just listen in order to understand. It just might be the beginning of a new way to dance in the world.

Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director

Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries

Inmates on death row are the most forgotten people in the prison system. Each week I am posting in this space several inmates’ names and locations. I invite you to write a postcard to one or more of them to let them know that: we have not forgotten them; are praying for them and their families; or whatever personal encouragement you might like to give them. If the inmate responds, you might consider becoming pen pals.

Please write to:

Central Prison PO Box 247, Phoenix, MD 21131

(While the prison is in Raleigh mail for inmates is processed at this address)