January 7 2017 - The Feast of the Epiphany – The Three Magi – The Three Wise Men - Matthew 2:1-12

       While our secular world has moved on from the Christmas season, probably because we've been hearing Christmas carols in the stores and on the radio since early November and have seen Christmas decorations up for several months as well, we in the Catholic Church are still celebrating Christmas. In fact, the Christmas season officially ends this Monday when we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord.  Today, we celebrate Epiphany, one of the high points of our Christmas season.  Our English word “epiphany” comes from the Greek word “epiphaneia,” which means "appearing" or "revealing” or “manifesting.”  Today, on Epiphany, and during the entire Christmas season, we focus on how God manifested himself in Jesus, his divine Son.

         We celebrate Epiphany in the visit of the kings, the Magi, as they traveled from afar to honor the Christ child and to bring him gifts.  It is interesting to look up the feast of the Epiphany on the internet to find the different ways it is celebrated throughout the world.   The Guardian newspaper showed a series of photos of the celebration of Epiphany.  Carolers in Germany dress up as the three kings – they sing Christmas carols and ask for donations to fund children’s aid projects throughout the world as they go house to house.  Many in the Eastern and Orthodox Churches celebrate the baptism of the Lord on Epiphany – a photo showed swimmers jumping into the frigid waters of a river in Bulgaria as they raced to retrieve a cross positioned in the icy waters.  Getting the cross brings good luck and wards off evil spirits. In Romania, there is a special blessing of horses on this day. In different parts of the world, we have special traditions to mark today’s feast of the Epiphany, which is very appropriate, since the feast of the Epiphany shows how Jesus is a gift to all people, how his message speaks to all of us, no matter our culture or our ethnic group.  Part of the richness of our community of St Jude here in Pearl is our diversity.  Today, we all come together to honor the Christ child just like the Magi did.  

        I have always loved the story of the three kings.  I guess I’ve always dreamed about going to faraway lands and I had a great sense of adventure as a child and as a youth, so the story of the three kings appealed to my imagination and my adventurous spirit. There is that wonderful image of the star of Bethlehem leading the Magi to the place where they can find the baby Jesus. As we think about the star of Bethlehem that guided them to their destination, we realize that we all follow something in life, don’t we?  We might not even be aware of what is pointing us in the direction we are going, but God speaking to us in our lives points us in the direction in which he wants us to go. 

        Our Gospel tells us that the chief priests and the scribes closed their hearts to the surprising ways that God can reveal himself to us in our lives.  So many people failed to recognize who he was, both at Jesus' birth and during his lifetime and his ministry.  Yet, these three Magi, these mysterious men from the East, who were perhaps astronomers, scientists, wisemen or scholars, or a combination of those things, they received a message that a very special child was to be born in the world, a child who significance would be meant for all people and all generations.  
        Sometimes we expect to see God in a certain way, sometimes we expect our journey of faith to go down a certain road, but often God leads us down a road less traveled or down a road with struggles and challenges.  God can speak to us in the human world and in the non-human world, too.  God spoke to the Magi through a dream and through a star.  He spoke to them in a way that surpassed the impossible, the unimaginable.  There are many ways God is speaking to us today, but sometimes we don’t pay attention or listen to him, sometimes we close our hearts to him.  
        Through the wonderful story of the Magi, God is speaking to us during this joyful Christmas season, that’s for sure.   May it stimulate our imagination to seek him out today and every day. 

1/5/2018 - Weekday of the Christmas season - Friday - 1 John 3:11-24 - St John Neumann

     In the letter to John, we hear that the key to discipleship is love.   The letter goes on to say that hate and jealousy drive the contempt that most of the world has for Christians.  Yet, out of love, out of compassion, we persevere in our faith and we endure.  St John Neumann is the saint we celebrate today. Neumann was born in 1811 in the country of Bohemia, a very Catholic country that had a large number of priests.  He felt called to travel to North America, where he attended seminary in New York and to serve as a priest in the growing missionary Church there.  Neumann had a great gift for learning languages, which served him well in the very diverse Catholic Church in the United States.  Although he started as a diocesan priest, he joined the Redemptorist missionary order in the United States, eventually serving as its provincial. In 1848, he became a citizen of the United States.  In 1852, Neumann became the 4th Bishop of Philadelphia.  One of his main accomplishments was to establish a thriving system of parochial schools in the United States, the first in this country, a legacy that still has a large impact in our American Catholic Church today.  Under his auspices, the schools in his diocese grew in number from 2 to 100.  He is the patron saint of Catholic eduction. A hard worker, he died of exhaustion at the young age of 49.  Pope Paul VI canonized him in 1977.  We here in the United States can great pride in St John Neumann as our of the Fathers of the Catholic Church in our country.  Here is a great quote for St John Neumann about our vocation as Christians: “Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random…  God sees every one of us; he creates every soul, . . . for a purpose. He needs, he deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for him. As Christ has his work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also.”  What wonderful words upon which we may ponder. 

1/4/2018 – weekday of the Christmas season – Thursday - John 1:35-42

     “What are you looking for?”  This is the question that Jesus asks two men who are intrigued by him after they hear John the Baptist call him the Lamb of God.  So many of us are searching for something in our lives.  So many feel unfulfilled.  Many try to fill a void in their lives with other things: drugs, alcohol, music, video games, entertainment, pleasure, or even work.  Many of these things are not bad in themselves in moderation, if we don’t make them our idols or our gods.  Yet, if we are looking for something in our life, our faith is where we will find it.

       Yet, we won’t always get an answer to all the questions we have.  Many times we will have to walk by faith.  We are to learn.  We are to grow.  On our journey of faith, the journey itself is important.  
         We celebrate St Elizabeth Ann Seton today.  She was born in an Episcopalian here in North America in the late 18th century before we were even an independent country.  She became Catholic after the death of her husband while on a trip to Italy.  Her own father was a great example of someone who lived a life of charity toward others.  Elizabeth Ann Seton gives us a great example of faith today as the first American born Catholic to be beatified, as the founder of the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity, as the founder of the first American parish-affiliated Catholic school, and the first American Catholic orphanage.  What are you looking for?  Elizabeth Ann Seton answered this question by the life of faith that she lived in service to God and in service to her brothers and sisters.  We have to answer this same question with our own lives of faith. 

1/3/2018 – Homily for a Weekday in the Octave of Christmas – Wednesday - 1 John 2:29 – 3:6

      We are in the first week of the new year of 2018.  We are still in the Christmas season.  We are hearing excerpts from the letters of John in our first readings this week.  These letters were probably produced by the same community that wrote the Gospel of John.  That community wrote these letters probably more than 100 years after Jesus’ birth, so they were still trying to understand who Jesus really was.  We can hear this community being called to have confidence in its faith in the Lord, in the identity it has as children of God.  However, we hear the community deal very openly about sin, about the need to give up our sinfulness if we are to truly become followers of Christ. 

         When I was a seminarian, I spent a summer working as a chaplain at Baptist Hospital in Jackson.  That was a very wonderful experience, but very challenging and difficult at times as well.  Every week, we would write down a pastoral ministry conversation that we had with a patient whom we visited, and then our professor and fellow classmates would give us a critique of that conversation, high-lightings our pastoral strengths and weaknesses.  Even though we all have our gifts as well as our struggles, it is difficult to look at them and to name them and to try to grow.  I really grew a lot that summer in my ministry, and I think it shows how important it is to look at our sins and to try to achieve a conversion of heart in our journey of faith.
          May we all acknowledge ourselves as true children of God, but may we also accept that responsibilities and challenges that this identity entails.

1/2/2018 - Tuesday of the Christmas weekday – St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen – 1 John 2:22-28

     We hear some very harsh words in the first letter of John today, with charges of “liar” and “anti-Christ,” about those who intentionally deceive us about our faith.  Why would we hear such a harsh message in the middle of the joyful Christmas season?  Perhaps it helps us to know that this letter was written when the Johannine community was splitting apart, probably over differences in their belief about Jesus' divinity.  The author of this letter is writing in order to warn his community of some members who have broken away, who deny that God was fully present in Jesus, his begotten Son. Today, too, we unfortunately see a lot of factionalism in our Church.  Some in our Church today think that their interpretations and views of the faith are the only true ones; they think that anyone with a different outlook is not loyal to the Church, not true to the faith.

     Divisiveness and factionalism are not modern developments, as we hear in the reading from the first letter of John this evening, but that does not mean we should passively accept this reality.  Our reading today should encourage us to work toward unity and dialogue in our community of faith.  I can attest that I have been edified and challenged as a priest by those who I have interacted with in my parishes who perhaps have a different theological perspective than my own. Being open to the diversity in unity that exists in our Church is so important.

         We have 2 great saints & doctors of the Church to celebrate today in the context of unity & defending the faith.  St. Basil was an influential founder of monasticism in the East, a bishop and great defender of the faith against the Arian heresies in the fourth century. Basil's friend, Gregory of Nazianzen, became the Archbishop of the great city of Constantinople in this same era after it had been under the control of Arian bishops for over 3 decades.  Gregory helped restore the true faith in that holy city; his teachings remain a great example for us to this day. 
         With Gregory of Nazianzen and Basil the Great as examples for us, may we be called to work together for our faith.  May we be true to the faith that has been passed down to us by the early Church Fathers, a faith that is taught to us through Tradition, the Scriptures, and the Magisterium of the Church.  Let us pray that one day we may all be one in the faith, that our work for Church unity will never cease and will bear fruit.  

December 31, 2017 - Feast of the Holy Family - Mass introductions and Prayers of the faithful

Introduction: 

We celebrate the Holy Family today, the first Sunday after Christmas, as we honor Jesus, Mary and Joseph. We worship God who shared the life of the human family.  We thank God for all the gifts we continue to receive in each other.

Penitential Rite: As we give thanks for the love in our families, we recall our own failure to show love, recognizing our sins: 

Lord Jesus, you are the son of God and son of Mary - Lord have mercy. 

Christ Jesus, you bring salvation to the world - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus, you show us to eternal life - Lord have mercy.  

Prayers of the Faithful: 

Priest; Let us bring our prayers to God, who showers blessings upon all his sons and daughters.

Response: Lord, hear our prayer.  

1. For the members of the Christian family, that they may have joy and peace throughout the Christmas celebration. 

2. For the families of our community, that members may learn to give way to each other in tolerance and respect. 

3. For families where there is hurt or difficulty or division, that those who have suffered may find healing. 

4. For families which live with illness and frailty, may their members reach out to each other with gentleness and patience. 

5. For the members of our families who have died, and for all those we knew who died during 2017, whom we remember now.  That the light of heaven may be theirs.  

6. For the needs and prayers we carry in our hearts. 

Priest:  O God, your care for your family is constant: hear the prayers we make, in faith and trust, through Christ our Lord for ever and ever. Amen.

Mass introductions and prayers of the faithful - Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God - January 1 - 2018

Opening:

We wish all of you a happy New Year! On this first day of the year of 2018, we acclaim Mary as Mother of God and ask her to watch over us and our loved ones during this new year. Today is also World Peace Day, a day during which we pray for peace.

Penitential Rite

As we prepare to celebrate this new start, let us acknowledge our sinfulness — and praise God’s unending mercy: (pause)

Lord Jesus, you are mighty God and Prince of Peace: Lord, have mercy

Lord Jesus, you are Son of God and Son of Mary: Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are Word made flesh and splendor of the Father: Lord, have mercy

Alternative Opening Prayer (1998 ICEL Missal)

Most high God,

you come near to us this Christmas season

in the child born of the Virgin Mary.

In the depths of darkness, Mary gave birth to light;

in the depths of silence, Mary brought forth the Word.

Grant that we who ponder these things in our hearts

may recognize in her child

our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

in the splendor of eternal light, God for ever and ever.

Prayers of the faithful

Priest: God graciously blesses all of humanity, so let us now bring our needs forward to him with confidence:

1. That those who follow Christ may remain faithful throughout this New Year, finding new ways to grow in our faith. 

2. That all who worship God may grow in respect and tolerance for each other.  We pray for more collaboration and cooperation amongst the different religions of the world. 

3. That peace may come in all the warn-torn corners of our world. For the healing of hearts torn by bitterness, violence, and anger.  

4. That we may continue to work for peace with justice. 

5. That all of us may learn from Mary the Mother of God to treasure the lives of our children and youth. 

6. That this New Year may bring fresh enthusiasm in our community of faith.  

7. For the Sick and Shut-ins.  For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed.  

Priest: Gracious God, you bless your people with peace and justice. Under the love and guidance of our Mother, Mary, we graciously ask you to accept our prayers and give us your help, through Christ our Lord for ever and ever. 

Prayer celebrating the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God - January 1 - 1998 ICEL Missal translation

Alternative Opening Prayer (1998 ICEL Missal)

Most high God,

you come near to us this Christmas season

in the child born of the Virgin Mary.

In the depths of darkness, Mary gave birth to light;

in the depths of silence, Mary brought forth the Word.

Grant that we who ponder these things in our hearts

may recognize in her child

our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

in the splendor of eternal light, God for ever and ever.

Statue of Mary from the grounds of 

St Bernhard Benedictine Abbey, 

Cullman, Alabama

lecturas de la misa de 1 de enero de 2018 - María, la Madre de Dios - Iglesia Católica

Primera lectura 

Números 6, 22-27

En aquel tiempo, el Señor habló a Moisés y le dijo:

"Di a Aarón y a sus hijos:

'De esta manera bendecirán a los israelitas:

El Señor te bendiga y te proteja,

haga resplandecer su rostro sobre ti y te conceda su favor.

Que el Señor te mire con benevolencia

y te conceda la paz'.

Así invocarán mi nombre sobre los israelitas

y yo los bendeciré".

Palabra de Dios

Salmo Responsorial

Salmo 66, 2-3. 5. 6 y 8

R. Ten piedad de nosotros, Señor, y bendícenos.

Ten piedad de nosotros, y bendícenos;

vuelve, Señor , tus ojos a nosotros. 

Que conozca la tierra tu bondad 

y los pueblos tu obra savadora. 

R. Ten piedad de nosotros, Señor, y bendícenos.

Las naciones con júbilo te canten, 

porque juzgas al mundo con justicia; 

con equidad tú juzgas a los pueblos 

y riges en la tierra a las naciones. 

R. Ten piedad de nosotros, Señor, y bendícenos.

Que te alaben, Señor , todos los pueblos, 

que los pueblos te aclamen todos juntos. 

Que nos bendiga Dios 

y que le rinda honor el mundo entero.

R. Ten piedad de nosotros, Señor, y bendícenos.

Segunda lectura

Gálatas 4, 4-7

Hermanos: Al llegar la plenitud de los tiempos, envió Dios a su Hijo, nacido de una mujer, nacido bajo la ley, para rescatar a los que estábamos bajo la ley, a fin de hacernos hijos suyos.

Puesto que ya son ustedes hijos, Dios envió a sus corazones el Espíritu de su Hijo, que clama "¡Abbá!", es decir, ¡Padre! Así que ya no eres siervo, sino hijo; y siendo hijo, eres también heredero por voluntad de Dios.

Palabra de Dios

Aclamación antes del Evangelio

Hebrero 1, 1-2

R. Aleluya, aleluya.

En distintas ocasiones y de muchas maneras

habló Dios en el pasado a nuestros padres, por boca de los profetas.

Ahora, en estos tiempos, nos ha hablado por medio de su Hijo.

R. Aleluya.

Evangelio

Lúcas 2, 16-21

En aquel tiempo, los pastores fueron a toda prisa hacia Belén y encontraron a María, a José y al niño, recostado en el pesebre. Después de verlo, contaron lo que se les había dicho de aquel niño, y cuantos los oían quedaban maravillados. María, por su parte, guardaba todas estas cosas y las meditaba en su corazón.

Los pastores se volvieron a sus campos, alabando y glorificando a Dios por todo cuanto habían visto y oído, según lo que se les había anunciado.

Cumplidos los ocho días, circuncidaron al niño y le pusieron el nombre de Jesús, aquel mismo que había dicho el ángel, antes de que el niño fuera concebido.

Palabra del Señor

1 de enero de 2018 - la solemnidad de María, Madre de Dios - Lucas 2: 16-21

     Hoy, celebramos el fin del año de 2017 y el comienzo del Año Nuevo de 2018.  Para iniciar el año nuevo, celebramos la solemnidad de la Santísima Virgen María, la Madre de Dios - María, como el Theotokos, la portadora de Dios por quien Jesús vino al mundo.  En Lumen Gentium, la Constitución dogmática del la Iglesia del Concilio Vaticano Segundo, se declaró que Dios no empleó a María de manera

pasiva, sino que ella cooperó libremente en la obra de salvación humana a través de su fe y su obediencia. Las palabras de San Ireneo dice eso en Lumen Gentium sobre María: "Siempre obediente, María se convirtió en la causa de la salvación para ella y para toda la raza humana".  María es la nueva Eva, como declaró San Ireneo : "El nudo de la desobediencia de Eva fue desatado por la obediencia de María; Lo que la virgen Eva enlazó a través de su incredulidad, la Virgen María se aflojó a través de su fe. "  Al Papa Francisco, le gusta mucho esa imagen de María que ella nos ayuda a desatar los nudos que nos impiden en el camino de fe.  En nuestra relación con Dios, cuando desobedecemos su voluntad, cuando no le escuchamos, cuando nos falta confianza, un tipo de nudo se crea en nosotros.  Estos nudos nos quitan la paz,  la serenidad, y la esperanza.  Estos nudos pueden enredarnos.  Sin embargo, sabemos que nada es imposible con Dios.  María abrió la puerta a Dios para deshacer el nudo del pecado original, la antigua desobediencia.  María, la Madre de Dios y nuestra Madre, nos lleva con paciencia y ternura a Dios para que pueda desentrañar los nudos de nuestras almas.  María concibió por primera vez a Jesús en la fe y lo concibió en la carne siguiendo la voluntad de Dios en su vida. 

        Lo que pasó en nuestra Madre María puede colocarse dentro de nosotros en un sentido espiritual.  Cuando recibimos la palabra de Dios en nuestros corazones, cuando ponemos su palabra en práctica, Dios toma carne dentro de nosotros y habita en nosotros.  De esta manera, María como Madre de Dios y como el primer discípulo es nuestro mayor ejemplo de fe.  Ella es nuestra Madre que nos guía y conduce a Cristo.  Podemos llevar a Jesús a la vida en un sentido espiritual, de la misma manera María lo trajo a la vida.

      Celebramos el Año Nuevo con María, pidiendo sus oraciones e intercesiones.   El 1 de enero, celebramos también el Día Mundial de la Paz. Por este año, el Papa Francisco tiene este tema:  migrantes y refugiados: hombres y mujeres que buscan la paz.  En su documento, el Papa pide: ¿Por qué hay tantos refugiados y migrantes?  El Papa dice que por muchos de ellos, hay una desesperación de un futuro imposible de construir en su patria.  En mensaje de paz este año nuevo contiene la palabras del Papa Juan Pablo Segundo también: «Si son muchos los que comparten el “sueño” de un mundo en paz, y si se valora la aportación de los migrantes y los refugiados, la humanidad puede transformarse cada vez más en familia de todos, y nuestra tierra verdaderamente en “casa común”»

    Vamos a terminar con una oración por los migrantes y los refugiados:

Padre de amor y misericordia,

proveíste a tu pueblo Israel en su éxodo de la esclavitud la tierra prometida que estableciste para ellos, y en Jesucristo provees un acogedor refugio para todos los necesitados.

Te pedimos tu protección divina para todos los migrantes que han abandonado sus casas en busca de nuevas oportunidades en otro país.

Por los refugiados que se ven obligados a partir de sus casas por las amenazas de violencia, te imploramos que les proporciones un refugio seguro.

Por los migrantes, víctimas del tráfico de esclavos, concédeles el rescate, la sanación y la fuerza para empezar de nuevo.

Para los inmigrantes, que a menudo dejan atrás a sus amigos y familia, concédeles una vida mejor y más oportunidades en otros lugares.

Te rogamos de manera especial por los niños migrantes, que son vulnerables a la explotación y al abuso en manos de otros.

Te impooramos que otorgues a todos los migrantes tu protección y los guíes hacia un lugar seguro.

Acompaña a todos los que necesitan tu poder salvador.

Amén.  

Moniciones - misa de la solemnidad de María, Madre de Dios - 1 de enero de 2018

Introducción: 

Mis hermanos en Cristo y María:  Hoy la Iglesia nos presenta a la Madre de Dios en esta fiesta que desde el siglo quinto, fue la primera fiesta mariana de la Iglesia. Por su “si” a la voluntad de Dios, nuestra Madre María dio a luz a la fuente de la gracia, a la salvación del mundo. Por eso, ella es Madre de Dios y Madre de la Iglesia, l símbolo de la comunidad cristiana, en donde los creyentes, encontramos a Cristo.  Por eso, para celebrar estos sagrados misterios, reconozcamos nuestros pecados:

Yo confieso, ante Dios Padre todopoderoso…

Profesión de fe: 

Con nuestra Madre María como nuestro ejemplo de fe, vamos a profesar esta fe: 

Oraciones de los fieles: 

Sacerdote: Con corazones humildes, vamos a presentar nuestras oraciones a nuestro Dios: 

1. Por el Papa Francisco, por nuestro obispo José, por todos los pastores y líderes de la Iglesia: para que sean incansables mensajeros de la verdad y testigos de la paz, al servicio del pueblo de Dios. Roguemos al Señor.

2. Por todos los que tienen particulares responsabilidades políticas, educativas y sociales: para que sepan proyectar y construir la verdadera paz, que nunca se desanima, que cura las heridas y que protege y promueve la vida. Roguemos al Señor.

3. Por las familias: para que realicen dentro de sí el modelo de humanidad reconciliada en el amor e irradien en su entorno el evangelio de la paz. Roguemos al Señor.

4. Por las víctimas de la violencia, por los perseguidos, los marginados, los oprimidos: para que se les reconozcan sus derechos de hombres libres y se respete en ellos la imagen del Hijo de Dios, hecho hombre por nosotros. Roguemos al Señor.

5. Por todos nosotros: para que sepamos experimentar la paz en la casa, en la escuela, en el trabajo y en todos los campos de la convivencia humana. Roguemos al Señor.

Sacerdote:  Con la ternura de nuestra Madre, María, presentamos nuestras oraciones en el nombre de Hijo, Jesucristo, nuestro Señor por los siglos de los siglos.  Amén.  

Celebrate the Christmas season with us - St Jude Catholic Church - Pearl Mississippi

St Jude Catholic Church in Pearl, Mississippi - Come celebrate the rest of the Christmas season with us!

Mass for the feast of the Holy Family
Vigil mass - Saturday - December 30 - 5:30 pm
Sunday - December 31 - 8:30 am and 11:00 am

Vigil Mass - Mary, Mother of God - in Spanish
Sunday - December 31 - 6:00 pm

Family Friendly New Year's Eve celebration
Bring snack food to share
Sunday - December 31 - 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm

Holy Day Mass - Mary, Mother of God
Monday, January 1 - 10:00 am

Feast of the Epiphany - The Three Wise Men
Vigil Mass - Saturday, January 6 - 5:30 pm
Sunday - January 7 - 8:30 am and 11:00 am
Sunday - January 7 - 1:00 pm mass in Spanish

Blessings to all this Christmas season - Father Lincoln

Capitol - Jackson Mississippi

I took this photo of the Capital building when I was in Jackson for a meeting the other day.  It is a beautiful building.  

Old Train Station - Downtown Jackson Mississippi

I came across this old train station in downtown Jackson on a hike I went on yesterday.  It had started as the Old Illinois Central rail station in the 1920s.  It closed down in the 1950s and was abandoned by the rail company in the 1970s, as train travel was no longer the norm.  It is now an office for the Mississippi dept of History and Archives.  The train car on display is from the country of France, given to each state in the United States in gratitude for our help during WWII.  What a wonderful glimpse into history.  

Christmas season at St Jude Catholic Church - Pearl, Mississippi

Christmas and New Year's Mass Schedule - St Jude Catholic Church - Pearl, Mississippi

Fourth weekend of Advent - Mass
Saturday - December 23 - 5:30 pm
Sunday - December 24 - 10:00 am (only one mass in the morning)

Christmas Eve Mass -
5:30 pm - English - Family Mass with Children's Choir
11:30 pm music and 12:00 Midnight Mass
8:00 pm - Mass in Spanish

Christmas Morning
10:00 am Mass in English

No daily masses - December 26 thru December 29

Feast of the Holy Family
Saturday - Dec 30 - Vigil Mass at 5:30 pm
Sunday - December 31 - 8:30 AM and 11:00 AM

Mary, Mother of God Mass -
Sunday, December 31 - Mass in Spanish - 6:00 PM
Monday, January 1 - Mass in English - 10:00 AM

Family New Year's Eve Gathering and Party
Sunday, December 31 - 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.

Mass introductions - Christmas Eve - December 24 2018

Introduction: 

In the dark of this winter night, we proclaim the new light that shines on the world: Jesus Christ is born! With the angels, tonight, we worship God who saves us.  Through the life, death and resurrection of the child Jesus, salvation is ours.

Penitential Rite

As we enter in to the mystery of God’s love tonight, let us pause and call to mind our unworthiness and our sins: 

Lord Jesus, you are the Prince of Peace: Lord, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are Son of God and Son of Mary: Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you are Word made flesh: Lord, have mercy.  

Introduction to the profession of Faith: 

The ancient promise of a light in the darkness, of a child born for us, is fulfilled this Christmas night.  In the presence of Christ the light, let us profess our faith:  

(PRIEST) My dear sisters and brothers, as we stand together in the bright light of our Christmas celebration, let us ask God to fill the whole world with Christ’s love in answer to our prayers: 

1. That those who mark the birth of Christ all over the world tonight may have new hope in their hearts.  

2. That those whose loves are torn apart by violence, war, and terrorism, may receive the gift of God’s healing and God’s peace.  

3. That they stranger in our midst may find compassion and mercy.  

4. That the hungry and homeless people may be looked after. 

5. That those bereaved in 2017 may be comforted.  We pray for the repose of the souls of the faithful departed.  

6. That those who are lonely may experience friendship and love. 

7. For the sick and shut-ins.  For healing and wholeness.  

(PRIEST) Maker of heaven and earth, your Son is born for us this day, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God: hear the prayers we make with confidence, through the same Christ, your son, our Lord for ever and ever.  Amen.

Lighting of the Advent wreath - 4th Sunday of Advent - December 24 2017

Lord, our time of preparation is almost at an end 

as we light all the candles on our Advent wreath today. 

Soon we will celebrate the birth of your son. 

Help us to recognize the great gift that you give us 

in the incarnate Lord Jesus Christ. 

As you share your son with us, 

help us to share your son with everyone we meet. 
Let Jesus become incarnate in us.  AMEN.  

4th Sunday in Advent - December 24, 2017 - Mass Introductions and the prayers of the faithful

Introduction:  Advent comes to a close today as we celebrate the birth of our Savior at mass this evening.  As we prepare for Christ’s birth, let us call to mind our sins: 

Lord Jesus - you embrace us with your mercy - Lord have mercy. 

Christ Jesus - you call us to love and compassion - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you instruct us with your Word - Lord have mercy. 

Introduction to the Creed:  In hope and in anticipation, let us now profess our faith: 

Prayers of the faithful: 

(PRIEST) God’s love for us endures forever, so now let us present our needs to God with confidence.

1. For all of us who profess the Christian faith, that with open hearts we may welcome their Savior.  

2. For the Jewish people, descendants of the great King David, that God’s promises to them may be fulfilled. 

3. For the those in our community who feel they lack courage on their journey of faith, that they may be inspired by Mary’s trust in God this Christmas season.  

4. For our relatives and friends coming home for Christmas, for all who are traveling, that they may travel safely and find joy in their Christmas celebrations 

5. For people who have suffered grief or illness in 2017, that their friends may support them when they are lonely.  For healing and wholeness in their lives.  

6.  For those who have gone before us in faith, for all who have died, may receive a welcome to God’s kingdom.

(PRIEST): As our Advent journey soon comes to an end, we present these prayers to you through your Son Jesus Christ, our Lord for ever and ever.  AMEN.  

Book Review - Flambards by K M Peyton

I remember back in high school, watching a mini series on PBS produced in England entitled Flambards.  It was based by a trilogy of books written for young adults (before that genre of fiction became so popular) written by the British author K M Peyton.  It was a wonderful series that enchanted me.  Over the years, I have read each of those three books at least once.  I have decided that I would like to read them again.  The novels start in the year 1908 on a big country estate in England.  Christina, an orphan, is sent to live with the Russell family - her uncle and his two sons.  Mark, the oldest son, is enamored with fox hunting, a relic of an England that is passing away.  The younger son, William, possessed with a very curious intellect, becomes involved with the new field of aviation.  Christina is pulled between these two world, between the old traditions of the past and the new scientific and technological advances that promise a new world.  It is a delightful read, tackling topics our society still struggles with today.  Having read the first book,  Flambards, I am now starting the second in the trilogy, The Edge of the Cloud.  

01/1/2018 – Mary, Mother of God – Luke 2:16-21

    Today, we celebrate Mary as the Mother of God as we welcome in the new year.  Mary is always an important part of our Catholic consciousness, but even more so this time of the year.  We not only hear a lot about Mary during Advent and Christmas in her connection to Christ’s birth, but in the past month, we also had the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe, in addition to the solemnity that we celebrate today. Even though Mary has a unique role in our history of salvation and in the story of Jesus, Protestants and Catholics alike can have misconceptions about Mary’s role in our Catholic faith.  As a priest, when people ask me about our Catholic faith, many questions often revolve around Mary and her role in our faith. I am structuring my homily around some questions we are asked about Mary.  

       To begin with, we might ask ourselves: Why exactly would we celebrate a solemnity of Mary as the Mother of God?  This title does not come directly from Scripture, but it evolved in the Early Church and was defined as a dogma of our Catholic faith at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD.  Mary was defined as “the Mother of God” rather than “the Mother of Jesus” because it was a part of the discussion the Early Church fathers had about the divinity and humanity of Jesus.  The Church did not want to give the impression that his divinity and humanity are two independent components of his being. By referring to Mary as the Mother of God, the Church confirms that Jesus is one person that is at the same time fully human and fully divine. The title “Mother of God” gives us deeper understanding of Jesus, since we must always remember that Mary does not direct honor and glory to herself, but rather her role in our faith is to always point us in the direction of Jesus. 

     One of my favorite Catholic writers, Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister, tells this amusing story.  There once was an elderly man who came to the shrine of Mary, Mother of God to pray there each day.  Jesus himself heard the prayers of this devout believer, and wanted to show him a sign that blessings would certainly come to him.  So, Jesus as the Christ child appeared to this man right above the altar of this beautiful shrine in place of the statue of Mary that was normally there.  Seeing the Christ child in front of him instead of Mary, the old man was irritated, and cried out: “Go away, little boy.  I am here to talk to your mama.”  This illustrates the devotion that we Catholics traditionally have to Mary, how we can so naturally relate to the motherly love, how we see her not only as Jesus’ mother, the Mother of God, but our mother, the mother of our Church.  So we might ask: Is it ok to pray to Mary?  I think a better way to describe it is to say that we pray through Mary and with Mary. We don’t worship Mary as God, we don’t see her as an equal to God. Rather, Mary is an intercessor who prayers for us and with us, who strengthens our faith and who nurtures us with motherly love. 

       So, how can we see Mary today as modern Catholics?  How can we see her as a model of faith?  Mary has always been a part of our faith story, but she has been interpreted in different ways as our Catholic faith has developed throughout our human history.  At times, she has been held up as a model of a believer who was docile and passive, submissive and unquestioning.  Yet, even in today's short Gospel passage, as we hear how the shepherds visit Mary and Jesus in the manger, how Mary pondered what she heard from the shepherds in her heart.  Mary does not follow blindly, but rather thinks, reflects, ponders, meditates, and makes up her own mind. Mary is formed by her Jewish faith traditions, but she makes the decision to accept God’s will for her in her life.  Through Mary’s courage and strength of character, she truly becomes Christ’s first disciple. 

       As someone who came to the Catholic faith as an adult from a Protestant upbringing, I can honestly say that Mary has played a major role in helping me grow in my Catholic faith and in bringing me to the Church.  Today, as we welcome in the new year of 2018, as we celebrate the day where we pray for peace throughout our world, as we honor Mary as the Mother of God, let us ask Mary for her prayers and intercessions, to help us, to guide us, to be with us as we journey in faith. 

12/31/2017 – The Feast of the Holy Family – Cycle B - Luke 2:22-40

      Today, we mark a great feast of the Holy Family in our Church on this first Sunday after Christmas Day as we continue our celebration of the Christmas season.   Throughout the last couple of years, the topic of the family has been at the forefront of our Church discussions, with Pope Francis convening a Synod on the Family a couple of years ago.  That Synod looked at the questions and issues facing the family in our modern world, with a specific emphasis on the pastoral care needs of the family.   The Church rightfully sees the family as the traditional unit upon which society is built, but in our modern reality, the family faces great changes and challenges.  Families and religion have traditionally been two of the things that bind us together in society and that help form us as children, youth, and adults.  Yet, Cardinal Walter Kasper from Germany has noted that in the past 50 years, modern society has been more about breaking down those things that bind us together, with consumerism and individualism becoming the more important values that are being embraced.

       With all the challenges and obstacles families face in the world, the feast of the Holy Family that we celebrate today becomes even more important and relevant to our journey.  We see many people in our society today on a quest to find meaning and significance in their lives, to find fulfillment and happiness.  And they are looking in a lot of places to find those things. Simeon in today’s Gospel from Luke was on a quest as well: a quest for the Messiah.  Three different times in the Gospel, it says that the Holy Spirit was guiding Simeon in his quest, that the Spirit revealed to him that he would not die until seeing the Messiah with his own eyes.  We don’t know how the Holy Spirit revealed to him that Jesus was indeed a very special child, but at the moment he saw Jesus and his parents, he took Jesus into his arms and pronounced his quest accomplished, saying that he was ready to depart from this world.   But Simeon’s quest was not self-centered or narrow-minded.  He saw in Jesus a gift for all the people: a light that would be revealed to the Gentiles and all the nations, a Messiah who would bring glory to the people of Israel.

        On Christmas day, we heard from the beginning of John’s Gospel that Jesus was the Word of God made incarnate in our world. Yet, today’s Gospel points out that after Jesus and his parents returned to their home town of Nazareth, after they had fulfilled what was required of them by presenting Jesus in the Temple, Jesus grew up there filled with wisdom and became strong. The baptismal rite in our Church states that the parents are supposed to the first teachers and the best of teachers to the child in the ways of the faith.   The Church family, the friends and loved ones, the godparents, the catechists, the priests and the lay leaders in the Church have a role in shaping the faith of the children and youth, yet the primary responsibility in the eyes of the Church falls to the parents and the immediate family.  Even though Jesus was the Son of God,  he was influenced and formed by his parents, his family, his community, and his environment.

         Today's feast of the Holy Family declares the importance of the family in our human development and in the development of our faith.  Any of us who are priests or consecrated sister or brothers or lay leaders in the Church can attest to the way our parents and our upbringing had an affect on our vocations to serve in the Church.  Today, we honor our families through the example of the Holy Family.  I would like to close today’s feast with a prayer that Pope John Paul II wrote for the family.  Let us pray: 

Lord God, from you every family in Heaven and on earth takes its name. Father, you are love and life.

Through Your Son, Jesus Christ, born of woman, and through the Holy Spirit, the fountain of divine charity, grant that every family on earth may become for each successive generation a true shrine of life and love.

Grant that your grace may guide the thoughts and actions of husbands and wives for the good of their families and of all the families in the world.

Grant that the young may find in the family solid support for their human dignity and for their growth in truth and love.

Grant that love, strengthened by the grace of the sacrament of marriage, may prove mightier than all the weaknesses and trials through which our families sometimes pass.

Through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that the Church may fruitfully carry out her worldwide mission in the family and through the family.

We ask this of You, God the Father, who is life, truth and love with the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

30 December 2017 -- the sixth day of the Octave of Christmas – Luke 2: 36-40

       What does our faith call us to do?  Back before the Second Vatican Council, many Catholics approached their faith from the perspective of the obligations and demands it puts on them.  We may look at the bare minimum we must do in order to live out our faith.  As a priest, it edifies me to see those in our parish who are called to specific devotions and practices to live out their faith, such as those who pray weekly in the presence of the blessed sacrament, or those who faithfully come to the daily mass to be fed by the Eucharist and by God's word.   

         In today’s Gospel, a widow named Anna never left the Temple.  She worshipped God through fasting and prayer, both day and night.  This was Anna's calling; she would have been able to persevere with such deep devotion without her faith or without a calling from God.  Many in Ancient Israel did not recognize Jesus as the Son of God even in the midst of his miracles and his public ministry. However, Anna and Simeon instantly recognized Jesus as the child who would bring redemption to Israel. We're told that Anna was a prophetess. Her simple act of love and prophecy still speaks to us so strongly today.

         Where is God calling us to live out our faith?   Where are we called to go beyond the bare minimum?   Just as Anna saw Jesus' true identity in the little baby who was brought to the Temple by his family in accordance to Jewish law, where do we see Jesus in our world today?  These are good questions that we can ask ourselves today.