Advent Adoration with Individual Confessions
Monday, December 20^th
5:30pm to 6:30pm

Children’s Christmas Pageant
Friday, December 24^th
3:15pm in the Churchyard

In your plans to celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord, think about what would be the most joyfully spiritual experience for your family. In addition to the 4:00 pm Mass on Christmas Eve, which everyone wants to attend, there will be three other Masses that you might consider. There will be an addition Vigil Mass at 6pm. I realize Mass on Christmas Eve usually works better for younger families. But a growing trend, which I am happy to see, is that parishioners and guests to our faith community are returning to the old tradition of participating in Mass on Christmas Day. Masses on Christmas Day are at 8:00 am and 10:00 am.

These Masses probably will not be as well attended as the vigil Masses and during a pandemic that’s a good thing. My hope would be not to turn anyone away because there’s no room in the Inn. At the 4pm Vigil Mass if the ushers need to redirect you to the gym, please show them some Christmas kindness. Crowds can cause a certain amount of stress but if you bring the joy of Christmas with you, all will be well, and we’ll have a beautiful celebration of the Lord’s birth.

At my Christmas Masses, I always like to have a boy and girl, carry the Christ child up in procession so we can lay him in the manger. If you have a child or grandchild who would like to help me, please give the Parish Office a call. Finally, I want to offer a big, big thank you to all of you who helped in any way to make our Advent and Christmas liturgies prayerful. I also want to thank all of you who are so generous to our faith community and to me personally. I am always humbled by parishioners’ goodness.

Finally, most culture Catholic will attend Mass on Christmas alone, but intentional Disciples will participate both in a Christmas Mass and Mass on Sunday, the Feast of the Holy Family. Be an Intentional Disciple type of Catholic. Never miss Sunday Mass.
Sunday, December 19, 2021 | Fourth Sunday of Advent
by The Faithful Disciple 
Mi 5:1-4 | Heb 10:5-10 | Lk 1:39-45
GROW:
  "You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah
    too small to be among the clans of Judah,
  from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to be ruler in Israel;"
We do not have to go see the most recent superhero movie, or binge-watch a streaming TV series that celebrates the underdog to feel the elation that comes with overcoming evil. We need only to look at our own lives, and God’s plan of salvation for us, to understand what it truly means to be triumphant. From tiny little Bethlehem – a town of no consequence – would arise the Savior of the world. He would be the One who came to do God’s will, and thus consecrated us to God through the offering of his own body as sacrifice, once for all. This is the One Mary carried in her womb and whom Elizabeth’s unborn child – we know to be John the Baptist – recognized. He is the child-most-vulnerable who would become King of the Universe, “stand[ing] firm and shepherd[ing] his flock by the strength of the Lord.” This is the God we serve: the One who became like us so that we may one day be like him. We shall soon celebrate the anniversary of his birth, while also waiting in joyful hope for his coming again. In this time of preparation, then, we pray for the grace to know the Lord more fully and to appreciate with gratitude the Savior he truly is.
GO: As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, now is the time many of us will begin to gather – as families, friends, and faith communities. What an ideal opportunity to renew our relationships with one another and with Jesus, asking the Holy Spirit to help us recognize the presence of God in our lives and in others. Micah’s prophesy from today’s first reading endures: “His greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace.” Let’s do our part to share the peace and joy of Christ with those we encounter, witnessing to his saving grace in our lives, and offering others an opportunity to be a part of the greatest story, ever – of God’s saving action.
INVITE/PRAY: Invite visiting family members to your parish or faith community for a concert, worship or other Advent activity. If that’s not possible, pray the O Antiphons together at home.