Although
it is still the Fourth Sunday of Advent
this weekend, I take this time to wish you and your families a happy and holy
Christmas season and a blessed New Year! (Unfortunately, we do not publish a
bulletin specifically for Christmas day.)
Is
it my imagination or does every year seems to go by faster and faster? As
I get older, I wish that things would slow
down a little! In my opinion, there seems to be a constant push to move on
to the next thing without necessarily taking the time to appreciate the
present. Enjoy the Christmas season!
In
the Church, the celebration of Christmas lasts for eight days. The
joy of this wonderful solemnity is too great to contain within a single
day! We refer to this time as the Octave of Christmas. Most
people not familiar with the liturgical calendar would probably be surprised to
find out that the Christmas season actually extends to January
11, 2026—the Baptism of the Lord.
Sadly, by then many will not be in the Christmas spirit any longer because of
how early the commercial Christmas preparations begin. By the time
Christmas arrives, people are ready to take down their decorations. The Christmas
music will disappear. Many people often seem exhausted from all of
the things that they feel pressured into buying or doing.
With
Christmas upon us, please try to keep Christ at the heart of the
celebration. Society may tell us that we need to shop and exchange gifts,
to cook, to clean the house, to party and to do other things. All of this
seems to add to increased tension and lack of peace in peoples’ lives. Our
faith tells us to pray and to ready our hearts for Christ. This spiritual
preparation can bring us peace, happiness and joy that the world cannot
give. What type of Christmas do we want to have? The choice is always
ours to make.
This
Christmas, I ask that you pray for a stronger faith in Jesus
Christ, the Incarnate Son of God. As we get to know Him and fall
more deeply in love with Him, we can begin to realize how He is truly here for
us when everyone and everything else fails. He
gives meaning and purpose to our lives. He gives
us hope. He embodies love. He is love.
Our Christian faith involves an intimate, personal relationship that
God desires for us to have with Him. The celebration of
Christmas is truly about Jesus and His tremendous,
self-giving love for us. Christmas is all about love—Love that becomes Incarnate!
I
thank all who work so hard in the parish and continue to strengthen our
Christian community. Please be aware of how much we depend on you for your
prayers, your volunteering and service and your financial support. Christianity
is not like a “spectator sport” where we simply watch and cheer from a
distance. Rather, it truly involves active participation and
a life commitment: prayer, attendance at weekly Mass, a sacramental
life, Christian service, love of neighbor, etc. Our parish family will be
only as strong and vibrant as the people who faithfully participate
in it each week.
Be
assured that all members of this parish are remembered in my daily prayers and
Masses. May I ask a small remembrance in your prayers and Masses as
well?
On
behalf of Fr. Victorino Coronado, the parish staff and me, have a blessed and
peace-filled Christmas!
Fr. Ed Namiotka
Pastor
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