St. Augustine's Advent Calendar 2021

    Lamb of God  (in Latin,  Agnus Dei ) is an oil painting completed between 1635 and 1640 by the Spanish  Baroque  artist  Francisco de Zurbarán . It is housed in the  Prado Museum  in  Madrid , Spain   “Come, all you who are thirsty,      come to the waters; and you who have no money,      come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk      without money and without cost.   Why spend money on what is not bread,      and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,      and you will delight in the richest of fare.   Give ear and come to me;      listen, that you may live.” Isaiah 55:1-3 “The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples,   and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’” John 1:35-36 The word “come” appears 12 times in today’s readings. Of course it does! During Advent we hear and speak the word often. We repeat our request, “Come, Lord Jesus, come.” The expression comes

  Francisco de Zurbaran, St. Francis (1659) 2 Peter 1:1-11 1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: 2  Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3  His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  4  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. 5  For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;  6  and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness;  7  and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.  8  For if you possess t

      Photo by Michael Larsen Glass Beach Feb. 2021 Luke 21:5-9 5  Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6  “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” 7  “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?” 8  He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 9  When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” Each time I see or read of rocks and stones in the Bible, I envision one of God’s creations playing a vital role in one of His stories.   There are numerous references to rocks and stones throughout the Bible. Moses strikin