ALL THE BLESSINGS
I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS
¨ Increased Prayer Time: ?? (individual / family)
¨ Use Advent Wreath Prayer at home: ??
¨ Special Time Visiting with spouse/ child/ friend ??
¨ Helping children understand the symbolic meaning of the
Traditional decorations we put up
in our homes (Christmas Tree, Star, angels, lights, nativity scene, candy cane,
etc.)
¨ Good Deeds: ??
¨ Gifts of Charity: ??
¨ Preparing to forgive and seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation ???
-RECONCILIATION FOR CHRISTMAS-
-Thursday, 20
December @
available)
-Friday, 21
December @
-Saturday, 22 December @
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Christmas EVE Children’s Mass @
IMPORTANT: IF YOU DO
NOT HAVE CHILDREN
BELOW GRADE 6, PLEASE TRY TO ATTEND THE OTHER MASSES, SO THAT THE CHILDREN
HAVE SPACE TO SIT & HAVE A GOOD CHRISTMAS MASS EXPERIENCE!!
Christmas
Christmas DAY Mass
8 AM &
“(JESUS), ARE YOU THE ONE WHO IS TO COME,
OR SHOULD WE LOOK FOR ANOTHER?” (MT. 11:3)
The question asked
above, in Jesus’ time, has been asked again and again over these two thousand
years and is still being asked today.
The question can be re-worded or stated in another way, “Is Jesus the
Savior of the World, the Author of Life, the Son of God, the
One who will save us from our hapless condition?” People who have been caught up in all sorts
of predicaments, sinful or otherwise, have had to wrestle with the
question. There are three general
categories of persons, not exclusive to each other, that
seem to make up this pool of questioners.
First, those born
blind, deaf, maimed, sick, diseased or with other physical or psychological
impairments or handicaps; those who have been discriminated against on grounds
of race, color or nationality; those who are
victims of tragedy
or abuse and
others caught on
the lower end of the economic
spectrum with no
housing, no jobs, no
food, no opportunities for education, no money and no available assistance make
up one category of the world’s population asking the question.
The second
category of questioners
include those who
are intellectually blocked
from accepting or
acknowledging any
form of God who is in control of their lives and to whom they owe an
explanation and account of their activities or decisions; those who have an
excessive amount of money or political power and have no material needs or need
for God; and those who refuse to ‘see’ God or recognize His Signature stamped
on our world.
The third
category are those
who recognize God, but because of addiction to all kinds of
sinful pursuits,
especially of sex, drugs,
alcohol and the like, find themselves entrapped and unwilling to call upon God
or His saving grace because of their unwillingness to give up their sinful
habits. In this category the persons
involved want a Savior who will allow them to have their sin and yet be saved
at the same time. They do not want a
Jesus who seeks repentance, conversion of life and who demands that they live a
life of virtue.
As I said before
the categories are not mutually exclusive and there will be individuals who
have all of the above or a
combination at one
or another time
of their lives.
You and
I are called, regardless of our
circumstances or background or
sin, to make an act of faith in Jesus and to unconditionally seek His mercy
and graces through
the Sacraments. By an
act of faith and a surrender of our lives into God’s hands we
allow him to become
King and Lord of our body, mind and soul.
Only after we claim Jesus as our Messiah and Savior and recognize that
He has the power to lift us from our sinful predicaments and support us in our
difficult circumstances.
This third
weekend of Advent
is celebrated as ‘Gaudete Sunday,’ which means ‘Rejoice Sunday’. As
believers, we look to the
Lord expecting Him to physically or spiritually heal us from sin and infirmity,
to better our circumstance to transform our sorrow into gladness, to bring
vindication and to raise us up from the travails and trials of our life. Do not fear, do not doubt, do not be
discouraged and do not give up the faith when put to the test. Those who persevere to the end will be saved. Let us confidently and assuredly accept Jesus
on His terms as Son of God, Son of Mary, our Savior and our Lord and God, this
Christmas.
“He (Jesus) came to what was His own, but His own people did not accept Him. But to those who did accept Him He gave power to become children of God.” (John 1: 12)
