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Walking With the Stranger: Advent Joy, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and the Call to Courage
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This Sunday’s lectionary readings bring us deeper into the heart of Advent, that season when the Church holds tension between longing and hope, between what is broken and what God is healing. Isaiah encourages a weary people: “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees” (Isaiah 35:3). James echoes that call, urging the early Church to “establish your hearts” (James 5:8) as they wait for the Lord. And in the Gospel (Matthew 11:2–11), Jesus offers signs of the Kingdom already breaking into the world—good news for the poor, healing for the hurting, freedom for those crushed by systems of power.
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For us at Saint Francis Parish and Outreach in Augusta, these Scriptures do not float in the air as spiritual poetry. They land firmly in the middle of our ministry with immigrants, refugees, the poor, and those who have been silenced or mistreated. Advent tells the truth: the world is wounded, but God is at work in those wounds.
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Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Marginalized
This week we also honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Old Catholic Churches International. Her presence reminds us that God often chooses to reveal holy truth through those the world considers unimportant. Mary did not appear to a nobleman, a wealthy family, or a bishop. She appeared to Juan Diego, an Indigenous man living under the weight of colonization, poverty, and cultural erasure.
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Her message was more than comforting—it was disruptive. She lifted up a people whose dignity had been denied and challenged the Church to listen to voices it had often ignored. Her Magnificat is not a sweet lullaby but a declaration of God’s justice:
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Walking With Immigrants in a Climate of Rising Hostility
Here in Georgia, the headlines remind us daily that our immigrant neighbors are living under increasing pressure. Political rhetoric grows harsher, policies become more punitive, and communities already carrying trauma are forced into deeper uncertainty. Some of the language emerging in our national conversation echoes the same authoritarian impulses the Church has resisted in past generations, scapegoating, exclusion, and the portrayal of human beings as threats rather than as bearers of God’s image.
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To walk with immigrants is not about partisanship. It is about discipleship.
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At Saint Francis, we see the sacredness of this calling every day. We meet families fleeing violence and poverty, workers laboring long hours for low wages, and children bravely adapting to a new culture while carrying burdens far beyond their years. We receive far more from them than we give: resilience, joy, faith, and a living witness to hope.
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Standing Against Abuse and the Normalization of Harm
Abuse, whether personal, political, or structural, thrives wherever silence becomes the norm. Advent challenges that silence. It insists that God does not accept cruelty as “the way things are.” Jesus’ words to John, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me,” speak to the courage required to follow him when compassion becomes countercultural.
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Standing against abuse means refusing to normalize hateful speech about immigrants. It means resisting rhetoric that divides communities, justifies harm, or treats vulnerable people as disposable. It also means supporting survivors of domestic violence, workplace exploitation, state violence, and all forms of mistreatment. Advent calls us not only to wait for Christ, but to walk in his way now.
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A Final Word for Our Community
As we celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, may we remember that she stands with the poor, the immigrant, the survivor, and the silenced. She reminds us that God sees those whom society overlooks. She reminds us that tenderness can be revolutionary.
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Her words to Juan Diego echo into our parish today:
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“Am I not here, I who am your mother?”
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May that assurance strengthen our hands, steady our knees, and deepen our resolve to walk with the stranger, confront injustice, and proclaim hope in a world that deeply needs it.
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Join us every Sunday at 3:00 PM at 557 Greene Street in Augusta, Georgia in the sanctuary of the MCC of Our Redeemer. Rosary starts at 2:25 PM every Sunday.
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December 14, 2025: Third Sunday of Advent
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Mass Intention: For a return to joy for those being marginalized in our county.
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December 21, 2025: Fourth Sunday of Advent
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Mass Intention: For immigrants who need our love and support at this moment.
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December 25, 2025: The Nativity of Our Lord - MIDNIGHT MASS
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Mass Intention: For an end of all hatred, abuse, and marginalization of our immigrant friends and family.
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For the St. George family; Fr. Bryan Wolf; Mary Nehls; for Kelesh’s daughter; James (Cancer); Linda (Cancer); Jacob (Cancer); James Long (Cancer); Mickey; Jacob Williams; Kelesh and family; Lindsay; Sherlock Bones; Tatum Johnson (Job); Brittney (Cancer); Jennifer (DV Survivor, Homeless); Bishop James Long; David; John; Joy; Greenbear; Bishop Ben and Darlene Williams; Ryn Ingells; growth for our parish family; all those in the path of the wildfires and severe weather, end of hostilities in Ukraine and the Middle East; for an end to gun violence.
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Can't make it to Mass?
You can still join us virtually, you can by using any of the following outlets:
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Support our Parish!
We are in desperate need to financial support to keep our parish going. We are in need of $350 to pay for our music licenses for 2026. Also consider making an automatic monthly donation to our parish for 2026! Please donate today using the following links or QR Codes:
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Venmo: @saintfrancisparish
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CashApp: $saintfrancisparish
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Joint Fellowship Opportunities
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Parish Bible Study
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Our Bible Study will resume January 8, 2026 with our study of the book of James.
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Our Parish Outreaches
Human First Outreach
This ministry focuses on providing food and toiletry supplies to the homeless in the Augusta, Georgia area. We provide feminine hygiene products to those that need them and food for the pets of our homeless friends and family.
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We are working to bring a human touch to this ministry as we encourage volunteers to engage with the individuals we are helping in a compassionate and loving way. We expect all volunteers to refrain from proselytizing and preaching to those we serve. Instead, take a hint from Hamilton “talk less, listen more”.
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If you would like to donate to this important ministry, you can visit our Amazon wishlist and purchase items to be sent directly to us.
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Reclaiming the Cross Outreach
Check out our newest outreach in which we work to set the record straight on what the Bible says about many of the issues facing our society today!
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Reclaiming the Cross is an outreach of our parish headed up by Subdeacon Luna Godsey.
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Podcast Outreach
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Sunday Selfies
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Don't forget to take your Sunday Selfie and send them to us! You can email them to us at info@oursaintfrancis.org or tag us on Facebook using #saintfrancisparish and #sundayselfie.
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Our Parish goes social...
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