Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Merry Christmas! We have only just begun our Church’s Christmas season, so “Merry Christmas!” is still our appropriate greeting for each other at least through Epiphany. They call it the twelve days of Christmas for a reason… They even wrote a song about it!

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we celebrate today the Fourth Sunday of Advent, I sometimes get the question, “Where are the Christmas decorations? The poinsettias? The greenery?” While homes often decorate after Thanksgiving Day (or Halloween, these days), Catholic churches do not because it is Advent, not yet Christmas. You’ll see a few wreaths up by now and possibly some bare trees, but we save the good stuff for the Christmas season, which begins the evening of the 24th and goes through the Baptism of the Lord in January. Our “elves” are making plans and are ready to decorate, and I promise you’ll see a riot of Yuletide colors when you arrive for Christmas Masses!

Dear Brother and Sisters in Christ,

Because of our often busy schedules, we all like (and need) to plan ahead. With that, I bring you our schedule for Masses for Christmas and the Christmas season:

First, please note that on Christmas Day, Saturday, December 25, we will have no confessions or the usual 5pm Mass.

Christmas Eve Masses - 12/24: 4pm, 6pm, & 8pm (in Spanish)

Christmas Midnight Mass - begins at 12 Midnight

Christmas Day Mass - 12/25: 10am

For Sunday, Dec. 26 (Holy Family Sunday), Mass times are like a normal Sunday.

Pope Benedict XVI: God alone could grant Joseph the strength to trust the angel. God alone will give you, dear married couples, the strength to raise your families as he wants.

To think about: Even as we go to the saints for assistance, to our good friends in Heaven, we should always remember all we receive is from Our Lord. As we get to know St. Joseph and other saints, remember all is from God and thank God for everything. God has given us the saints to be intercessors and examples. As the Year of St. Joseph ends, you can ask St. Joseph to direct you to some other saint to help you on your path to Heaven.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Wednesday, December 8, we joyfully celebrate a special Holy Day of Obligation – the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Masses are: Vigil, 7 Dec. at 5:30pm; and 8 Dec. at 8:20am, 12noon, 5:30pm, and 7pm in Spanish. We celebrate the conception of Mary in the womb of St. Ann, her mother – one of the supreme preparations God made for His Son to literally take flesh from Mary at the Incarnation. By preserving Mary at the first moment of her existence (her conception) from the original sin of Adam and Eve, Mary was made pure and ready for the later overshadowing of the Holy Spirit at the Annunciation. On May 13, 1846, the United States bishops unanimously chose the Virgin Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception as patroness of our country. Come pray for your family and our nation on this important Holy Day.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Happy New (Church) Year! Each Advent, we disciples begin a new liturgical year. Our Lectionary Cycle (i.e., the Sunday Gospel readings) changes to Year C, which means most of our Gospel readings this year will come from the Gospel according to St. Luke. Luke was a physician by trade who did not grow up in the Jewish faith. He was a Gentile converted to Christianity and became a companion of St. Paul. In addition to composing his Gospel account, Saint Luke also wrote the Acts of the Apostles, a sort-of “sequel” to his Gospel. Although St. Paul wrote more books, Luke’s two contributions are long enough that they actually make up a greater percentage of the New Testament (about 24%) than those of any other author. Because of his emphasis on the Virgin Mary and women in general, St. Luke has been called the “Marian Gospel” and the “Gospel of women.” Luke is also known to emphasize Jesus’ love of the poor and sick. His Gospel has additionally been called the “Gospel of mercy” and the “Gospel of forgiveness.” Pay special attention to these attributes as we make our way through Luke’s amazing Gospel.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Be thankful: This Thursday, November 25, we will have a special Mass at 9:00am in the church for Thanksgiving Day. (Note that there will be no confessions nor a 5:30pm Mass this day.) As is our custom, a collection will be taken up at this Mass, all of which will go to benefit the poor and those in need.

Today, we “crown” our liturgical year with this Solemnity of Jesus Christ the King. Next Sunday is the 1st Sunday of Advent and a new liturgical year – Year C in the Lectionary cycle. During Year C, most of the Sunday Gospels will come from St. Luke. Advent marks the perfect time to make a new spiritual beginning with new spiritual resolutions. Begin with real, concrete, dedicated time for prayer. Everything else will flow from that.

Blessed Gabriele Allegra: “[St. Joseph] is truly the saint who carried out his duty in silence but with angelic fervor.”

To think about: It’s often hard to just do our job, or our chores, quietly without wanting to be noticed or thanked. It can also be hard to do all our daily, monotonous chores with fervor. We are called to offer all our actions to Our Lord throughout the day. Keeping that in mind should help us do our best in everything, as a gift to the Lord.

St. John Paul II: “In Joseph, the apparent tension between the active and contemplative life finds its ideal harmony that is only possible for those who possess the perfection of charity.”

To think about: How well do we navigate between our active and the contemplative life? It is important to spend quiet time alone with the Lord daily, but our modern life often makes it difficult to quiet our minds and schedule this important prayer time.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Please note that beginning the 1st Sunday of Advent (November 28), the time for the Mass in Spanish will move from 12:30pm to 1:00pm. This will ease the “pressure” of the transition between Masses and give more time for confessions and the holy rosary before Mass.

Pope Benedict XVI: “Saint Joseph was the spouse of Mary. In the same way, each father sees himself entrusted with the mystery of womanhood through his wife.”

Something to think about: “the mystery of womanhood”… We probably realize that in the Holy Family, each member was aware of the mystery of the other. In our own lives, we should also try to become aware of the mystery of each of our loved ones. As we get to know each other in marriage and in the family, over the years, we should always be getting to know each other in a deeper way, and learning new things about the mystery of the other.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

For 2,000 years, the Catholic Church has learned how to lovingly and respectfully say goodbye to our dearly departed loved ones. Together with our Jewish roots, the Church truly knows how to help people grieve. Remember, it’s ok to mourn. Even Jesus wept at the death of His friend, Lazarus. (See John 11:35.)