Our Vision Statement: ‘With the heart and mind of Christ, we transform the world.’

Reflections from our Pastors

Tuesday, December 9, 2025

2^nd Week of Advent --

A Call to Holiness in the Chaos -- still

This coming Sunday’s Gospel reading carries the question of identity when John asks, “Are you the one who is to come or are we to wait for another? (Matt 11:2)

What does John’s question reveal about his relationship with Jesus? Who is Jesus? How does he describe himself? What is our identity? How do we describe ourselves? Who are we in relation to Jesus? What does any of this have to do with Light and Joy?

This is akin to the questions asked on the 1^st Sunday of Advent: As a community in a deepening relationship with the Holy, are we called to be Light-Bearers? Can we actualize the Light that is already within us, experiencing that joy? When we are challenged, can we meet that challenge with Light?

Our current prophets, Richard Rohr, Ilia Delio, Bruno Barnhart, Thomas Keating, Cythia Bourgeault, and others, ask us to move more deeply into our knowledge and experience of God. Ilia Delia names God, The Not-Yet God ( also a book 2023). Ilia writes about what that takes, to go deeper: “The wholeness of God emerges through the healing of opposites. In a sense we have to ‘go against’ our self to find our true self. This ‘going against the self’ (agere contra) means embracing the suffering of our unreconciled lives as the path to wholeness. The most difficult journey to make is the journey within. Without this journey, Christ is not born in us, God remains incomplete, and the world remains in partial darkness. St. Paul writes: [We] make up in our bodies what is lacking in the suffering of Christ” (Col. 1:24).” So we look at our relationship with Jesus the Christ.

Are we stopped by this idea of co-creating? Can we grasp the important connection that we intentionally participate in the healing of ourselves and at the same time the healing all that we as created beings are in relationship with? 

In our national transactional culture of unbridled capitalism and dehumanization, may we find that this may be the time to seek a deeper transformation of our own hearts while accepting the suffering of hardened hearts that accompany our neighbors’ fears. Fire melts wax. May we be the fire, the flame, of God so our actions of life-giving service may melt the most hardened of hearts. Seeing some of our neighbors in this way, reminds us to love our enemies, something we have been struggling to do. Below is a lecture by Ken Wilbur* that may shed light on our understanding of hardened hearts. We truly may find that Love is our salvation, not our possession.

There may be a cost to us as we look to spiritually grow. Constance FitzGerald, a Carmelite nun writes, “The price for this new insight and compassionate love, however, seems to be darkness and suffering and even death. Our gods have to die before we reach for the God who is beyond all our human images and projections and who waits on the brink of the known in the darkness.”**

Are we ready? Have we lost enough of ourselves to be receptive? Is our light bright enough, even just enough, to move forward in the chaos to the brink of the known in the darkness?

Peace,

Pastor Jane

* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zz95MHLjfo&t=17s

** The Desire for God and the Transformative Power of Contemplation; Chapter 6 in Desire, Darkness, and Hope: Theology in a Time of Impasse. Laurie Cassidy and M. Shawn Copeland, editors. 2020

For Zoom links and information on Mass, Prayer and Service scheduled in December click here. (Updated 12/2/25)

This week at Mary of Magdala

Tuesday Evening

Peace Prayer Canceled

Hope to see you next week!

 Community Christmas Video

One of our Mary of Magdala traditions for our Christmas Mass is a video sharing images of how our members celebrate Christmas in their homes. The Christmas video for 2024 can be viewed here:

Please review the video. If you have changes in your household since last Christmas or have new images you would like to share, please send to Tom Moos (tjmoos@aol.com) with the details or new, high resolution JPG pictures by Dec 17.

In addition, please get any pictures of your Christmas creche decorations to Tom for the Christmas Day video. Pictures can include people!

Remember: The last day to send is December 17th.

Family Housing Network Sign-Up

Many thanks to all those who have already signed up to serve our FFH families during such a busy holiday time. We still need some help for a few volunteer positions: 

• one overnight host (8 p .m. to 7 a.m.) for Monday December 29th
• 2 evening hosts (6 to 8 p.m) for Tuesday, December 30th.

You get to eat dinner with our families and help with the children after dinner while the parents have a meeting. You can sign up here, or write to Lynne Barnes at this email, who can do that for you.

Thank you, Lynne and Jean

Advent Mid Week Soup & Supper This Week

Take a midweek pause this Advent and join us Wednesdays, December 10 & 17.


• Holden Evening Prayer at 6 PM, and
• Soup Supper at 6:30 PM.

This service offers a time of reflection, community, and warmth. The service will be hybrid, using the same Zoom link as Trinity's weekend worship, click HERE to join online.

To make these evenings run smoothly, we kindly ask everyone to help fill all the spots on our Sign-Up Genius link HERE. We need all the helping hands we can get, whether it’s bringing soup, setting up, or cleaning up afterward. Soup is especially needed, since we often run low!

Save the Date for the 301 Faith Partners Pub Get Together

Mark your December calendars for Thursday, December 11th at 3:30. We will gather at another favorite pub- Otto Pint, located at 1100 Oakridge Dr., just a few blocks South of Harmony on the corner with Lemay.



Happy hour is daily from 3 - 6 PM. For those who haven't been there, Otto Pint offers 42 different brews and a pizza menu that is out of this world!

No RSVP necessary, all are welcome! And yes, 8 different kinds of wine for wine lovers!

Christmas Poinsettias Donations

You are invited to remember family and friends this Christmas with a suggested donation of $12 for poinsettias that we will display right before Christmas. Your name and intentions (“In memory of …” “In celebration of …”, etc.) will be listed in the Christmas bulletins.

If you would like a poinsettia to take home or to a shut-in, they will be available on a first-come, first-served basis after the Christmas services of all three congregations are over. If you would like to remember or celebrate someone with poinsettias, please email Amanda by Monday, December 15.

Service Recordings

Service Recording for the 2nd Sunday of Advent

The recording of the readings and homily for the 1st Sunday of Advent, December 7, has been uploaded here. Mother Rosean Amaral presided and delivered the homily.

Missed a homily or readings? Here is the link to past recorded services.

Social Justice Reflection

by Tom Moos, Chair Social Justice Ministry

Food insecurity is a socioeconomic and household-level condition where there is limited or uncertain access to enough safe and nutritious food. Food insecurity can be caused by a lack of food or a lack of resources to obtain food. People who are food secure have adequate access to food in both quantity and quality.  Mild food insecurity is uncertainty about continued ability to obtain adequate food, for example during the disruption to SNAP benefits during the recent government shutdown or new, stricter work requirements and eligibility changes from recent legislation. People facing moderate food insecurity are forced to decrease the quality and quantity of food they consume. People who have run out of food and gone one or more days without eating are facing severe food insecurity.

The Food Bank for Larimer County estimates that almost 11 percent of the county’s population (approximately 40,000 people!) may be facing some level of food insecurity.

The 301 Faith Partners are responding to food insecurity in several ways. We operate the Little Pantry outside the church on Stuart street. Volunteers replenish the pantry daily with non-perishable canned goods. During Advent, the 301 Combined Social and Eco-Justice Committee is running our annual Reverse Advent Calendar. Most Advent calendars consist of a series of doors or windows to open, revealing a picture, small chocolate or little gift for each day. But the Reverse Advent Calendar is different! Instead of receiving a daily gift, those taking part intentionally put a food item into a box or bag each day and bring their donations to church on Sundays or Christmas Eve. A link to the calendar can be found in Saturday’s e-bulletin.

Sometimes folks need some extra and immediate help. For example, the Food Bank’s food distribution hours fall during the work day, the Little Pantry may be empty when someone visits , or a traveling family just needs a tank of gas to continue their trip. Our Pastors try to help in these situations by providing grocery cards. In light of increasing food insecurity, the need for such cards has substantially increased. As a Mary of Magdala Advent project, the Social Justice Committee is collecting King Soopers and Safeway grocery cards in denominations of $25 or $10 during Advent. If you can help with this project, please purchase the cards, write the card’s value on the paper packaging and drop them into the collection baskets.

In this Advent season, I thank you for being light, love, peace, joy and hope to many facing food insecurity. Thank you and God bless. -- Tom

Prayer Requests

Praying for peace, health and well-being through challenging times.

+Deborah Hughes, for healing, spouse of Laura Templet, member

+Len Russ, member

+Fr. Frank Quintana, ECC priest

+Zoe Wahl, sister of Kristina Bulik-Hocum, member

+Colleen DeMuth, member

+Courtney and Cache, family of Jean Christin, member

+Jane Kommrusch, spouse of Richard Kommrusch, member

+ Jeff Klein, son of Debbie Klein

+Mary Powers and Katie Richards, members healing from long COVID

+Milo Pasquale Cushman, brother of Liz Urban, member

+Julie Lucas, daughter of Bruce & Carol Yeazell

+The Grant and Cloyd families, for healing

+Pastor Rick Reiten, Pastor at Trinity Lutheran

~~~~~~~~~~~

A blessed and peaceful repose of souls for those who've passed and comfort for the friends and families.

+Roy Harsh - brother-in-law to Linda Joyce, member

+Lois Hug, mother of MaryAnne Heyman, member

+Richard Life, member of Mary of Magdala

+Donald Sherlock, brother-in-law of Dori Healy

+Joseph Grant, nephew of David and Cindy Cloyd

+Dennis Healy, Tom Healy's brother and Dori's brother-in-law

+Pauline Devlin, David Devlin's mother

+Jim Carroll, husband of member Dori Carroll

Please send prayer requests to marymagdalafc@gmail.com. Prayers will be listed for one month unless requested for longer. Prayers for the repose of souls will be listed for six months unless requested for a longer time.

Wednesday - Weekday Mass

December 10, 11:00 am

• Weekday Mass in the Fireside room
• No Zoom available
• Mother Rosean Amaral presiding

Sunday Mass -

December 14 12:30 pm

• In person and Zoom available (see above for Zoom link)
• Rev. Jane Reina presiding

Wednesday - Weekday Mass

December 17, 11:00 am

• Weekday Mass in the Fireside room
• No Zoom available
• Mother Rosean Amaral presiding

Sunday Mass -

December 21 12:30 pm

• In person and Zoom available (see above for Zoom link)
• Mother Rosean Amaral presiding

Did you miss an article or announcement?



Past e-bulletins are posted on our website here. Below are links to some key articles:

• House of Laity Newsletter Nov. 2025 here (lots of photos included!)
• Read the Sept 29th pastoral letter from Bishop Pablo here.
• Read the ECC statement on immigration here.
• Ongoing Giving Opportunities in Fellowship hall; see list here.
• Dedicating Altar Flowers? Contact Joan Stepleton at JoanStepleton@gmail.com or 864-650-2816. A $25 dollar donation is kindly requested.

Mary of Magdala Parish Community

Members: Need to view, update information or download a copy of the member directory? Just click here.

-->If you are in need of a picture for the directory, contact David Cloyd via this email. Put 'Need Picture for the Directory' in the subject line and include your name and telephone number in your email <--

CONTRIBUTIONS TO MARY OF MAGDALA

If you would like to contribute to Mary of Magdala,

click here to schedule a single or recurring Sunday offertory.

All are invited and ALL are welcome to join our parish community. Here is the webpage with more information on membership

The ECC Regional Website - View here.

Newsletters of Trinity Lutheran Church and the St. Paul's Episcopal  

Click here for the Trinity Lutheran Church monthly newsletter, "Tidings". And here is St Paul's weekly bulletin.