Bulletins on Sunday Bulletins (Page 6)

After the arrest of John the Baptist, Jesus takes up his proclamation, “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” After that, Jesus immediately begins calling the disciples: brothers Simon and Andrew and then Zebedee’s sons, James and John. The response of these first apostles was not tentative, but definite: They abandoned their nets. . .[and] left their father. Moving from the Christmas Season into winter Ordinary Time, focusing no longer on the “Baby” Jesus, we encounter Him in the Scriptures, now as an adult at the beginning of His public ministry. As the Lord called the apostles and others to follow Him, so Jesus continues to call us. We follow by the way we live our lives, reaching out in what we now call “Christlike” ways as we serve most especially those in need. May our following be as total and complete as that of Simon, Andrew, James and John and all the other disciples.

This weekend, we hear God’s call to Samuel and Jesus’ invitation to Andrew and his brother, Simon Peter, to follow Him. As He did for the disciples, the Lord welcomes us to “come and see” Who He is. Jesus’ identity is defined by His relationship with the Father and by fidelity to the Father’s will. Later in the gospel, we hear Jesus tell the apostles, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” The relationship of the Jesus and His followers is modeled on the intimate union of the Father and the Son. By virtue of Baptism, we enter into communion with the Father and the Son, through the indwelling of the Spirit. Our Baptism is both invitation and pledge of God’s abiding presence in our lives. The Lord calls us and gives us the grace to be able to follow, to “come and see” and to “remain in Him.”

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you (Isaiah 60:1). The great feast of Epiphany is a celebration of the revelation of Christ, the Light, to the whole world. And more than that: “Nations shall walk by your light.” The appearance of the magi, offering gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah and a challenge for us to continue their work. The Light that shines upon us is not for our personal benefit. As bearers of the Light, we are sent to bring the light of faith to all. We are sent to be evangelizers, sharers of the Good News of Jesus, not simply by our word, but by our lives. This Monday, we will celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, marking the conclusion of the Christmas Season. We will then begin Ordinary Time, the periods throughout the year that observe not major feasts or seasons, but the ‘ordinal’ or ‘numbered’ (hence, “Ordinary”) weeks. On February 14, we will enter Lent on Ash Wednesday; Easter will be early this year, on March 31. We will not return to Ordinary Time until May 20, the day after Pentecost. Let us keep the feasts and seasons together, hearing the Lord’s word, celebrating the Eucharist and growing more and more as the people He has joined together in faith.

The Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth – Jesus, Mary and Joseph – encourages us in our familial relationships; it does not condemn us for being less than perfect. What the feast does is to place before us virtues, which we can aim toward in our lives: “heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another” (Colossians 3). To use a common expression, we cannot let our pursuit of the perfect be the enemy of the good. No family is perfect, but all of us and our families are called to a love, “that binds [the virtues] together.” As we celebrate in this season the Incarnation, the coming “in the flesh” of the Lord Jesus, we keep in mind that, like us, He was born into and nurtured by a family, for He was a real human person while, at the very same time, being also truly God.

Dear Parishioners, During this time, we have looked back to the hopeful preaching of the prophets and the coming – of – time of the Lord Whose Birth we now celebrate. This season also invites us to look towards the future, when the Lord will come to us again – at the end of our time on earth and on the day that time meets eternity. We should welcome those appearances of the Lord Jesus with the same joyful expectation of our Christmas celebrations. Finally, on these days – and all days – we hear the invitation to recognize the Lord among us: Now the Lord comes to meet us, in every person and in every time, so that we may receive Him in faith and charity as we bear witness to the glorious hope of God’s reign. – Advent Preface I-A, Portuguese Roman Missal May the Lord – present in our midst – enlighten the path of your lives now and always! Christmas prayers and blessings from all of us to all of you Sincerely,

This year, the last Sunday of Advent is also the last day of the season that helps us prepare for Christmas. Our reading from the Gospel of Luke begins with these words: “The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.” So begins the story of the mystery of our salvation in Christ. What seemed impossible is not only real, but becomes foundation of that salvation. Mary’s question, “How can this happen?” is answered by the angel: “Nothing will be impossible for God.” We do not have long to reflect upon this gospel account, for in a few short hours, we will celebrate the Birth that we believe changed the trajectory of the universe. And this, in the most unexpected ways: born of the Virgin, lying in a manger. God continues to do the impossible, even today and in our lives and our world. God’s work is veiled in mystery; we cannot immediately perceive the Lord’s presence or His ability to change hearts. Every time a person chooses reconciliation over confrontation, peace instead of war, dialogue in place of shouting, God is present. As we prepare to enter into our Christmas celebrations, may we be open to the mysteries that God is working in each of our lives.

The Third Sunday of Advent has traditionally been given the name, “Gaudete,” Latin for “Rejoice.” It is the Sunday of the rose/pink candle of our Advent Wreath. On this day, the Church gives us these words of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians as our second reading: Brothers and sisters: Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. Refrain from every kind of evil. May the God of peace make you perfectly holy and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body, be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it (1 Thess. 5:16-24). The First Letter to the Thessalonians is nearly as old as Christianity, as it is the first book of the New Testament to be written. In spite of persecution, Saint Paul encouraged the Church of Thessalonica to rejoice. This should not be lost on us, even as we wade through the challenges of 2023. May this Sunday find us rejoicing in the Lord who is ever near to us and rejoicing in the nearness of those we love.

In the biblical television series, The Chosen, the Apostles refer to John the Baptist as “creepy John.” I do not think this is done to disrespect John, but to illustrate for the viewers how truly radical was John – in his lifestyle and in his mission. He proclaimed repentance and pointed to Jesus, the Lamb of God. He called his hearers to change their lives. He knew that his was the “voice that cries in the wilderness.” As I mentioned in my homily last weekend, Advent (and, in fact, the whole of Christian faith) is counter-cultural. We are not called to dance to the drummers of society, but to hear the words of Saint John the Baptist and the prophet Isaiah. Both called their hearers to repentance, to “ready the way of the Lord.” We cannot do this without taking an honest look at our lives. While it is easy to get wrapped up in all the ways we prepare our homes for Christmas, do we take the time to prepare ourselves for the many times that the Lord breaks into our lives each and every day? Advent is a graced time because it offer us just such an opportunity. Let us make the most of this short season!