Page 2 Third Sunday of Advent December 15, 2013

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1 Page 2 Third Sunday of Advent December 15, 2013 Let Us Rejoice The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word meaning rejoice. This Sunday is so named because Rejoice is the first word in the entrance antiphon for today's Mass taken from Philippians 4:4,5: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near. Some people mark this Sunday on their Advent wreath with a pink candle instead of a purple candle. This Sunday is a joyful reminder that our salvation is near. This week's Gospel Reading continues our Advent reflection on the person and message of John the Baptist. Last week we heard John speak about his relationship to the coming Messiah, Jesus. This week, we hear Jesus' message to John the Baptist, now in prison, about the signs of the kingdom found in Jesus' ministry and Jesus' assessment of John's role in the Kingdom of God. The Gospel of Matthew tells the story of John's arrest in chapter 14:3-12. In today's Gospel, John sends word to Jesus from prison, asking if Jesus is the Messiah for whom he has been waiting. Jesus responds by pointing to the miracles that he has worked and invites John and the other hearers to make their own determination. In his next breath, however, Jesus praises John for his role in preparing the way for Jesus. Then Jesus says that all of those who work for the Kingdom of God will be as great as John and even greater. Jesus' message to John about the signs of the kingdom being performed recalls the salvation described by the prophet Isaiah. This passage is a reminder that the beginning of salvation is already mysteriously present to us, but also yet to be fulfilled. Salvation is already in our midst as manifest in the miraculous deeds of Jesus and in the Church. But salvation is also to be fulfilled in the coming reign of God. Even as we observe our world today, we can find glimpses of God's work among us. Even more, we help to prepare the way for God's kingdom by our words and our deeds. This message is indeed a cause for rejoicing. Loyolapress.com Share in the Care... This weekend has been designated for a collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious Elder sisters, brothers, and religious order priests dedicated their lives to service. These women and men more accustomed to giving rather than receiving, to serving rather than being served accept the inevitable challenges of aging with grace, humility, and wisdom. Their habits of prayer sustain them, and many find new ways to minister, even at advanced ages. Please pray for God's continued blessing on those who have faithfully served our Church and world. Through your donation, you share in the actual care of these selfless, dedicated women and men. There are special envelopes in the pews for this collection. Please return the envelope in the collection basket or to the Parish Office. St. Didacus Choir s Advent Concert Wednesday, December 18th 7:30pm in the Church Join us for this special time to focus on the beautiful voices of our talented choir. It s their time to shine! This is a wonderful opportunity to take a break from all the madness of the holiday preparations and focus on the real beauty of the season. Religious Education News There will be no Religious Education classes on the following Wednesdays: December 18, 25 & January 1st. Classes will resume on Wednesday, January 8th.

2 Page 3 Third Sunday of Advent December 15, 2013 Mass Intentions Saturday...December 14 5:00PM... Joe & Eleanor Martinez Sunday.....December 15 8:30AM....People of St. Didacus 10:00AM.. Fred Dueber 11:30AM.. Gerardito Lopez Monday...December 16 7:30AM... Margarita Fielding Tuesday.....December 17 6:00PM...Christmas Novena Wednesday....December 18 8:30AM.Christmas Novena Thursday....December 19 7:30AM..Christmas Novena Friday......December 20 7:30AM...Christmas Novena Saturday...December 21 5:00PM...Christmas Novena Parish Posada Friday, December 20th 7pm starting at the Parish Hall Come share in this reenactment of the journey Mary and Joseph took through Bethlehem seeking a place to stay. Children dressed as Joseph and Mary knock on the doors of houses around the parish neighborhood. As the group processes through the neighborhood a traditional song is sung. At last, Mary and Joseph are welcomed and we conclude the evening back at the Parish Hall for hot chocolate, bread and several piñatas! This is a fun family event and everyone is welcome dress warmly! Welcome to St. Didacus Parish! Masses Saturday 5:00pm Sunday 8:30am & 10:00am English 11:30am in Spanish Daily Mass Mon., Thurs., Fri. 7:30am Wednesday 8:30am & Tues. 6:00pm Eucharistic Adoration Wednesdays 7:30am 8:30am First Fridays 8:00am 9:00am Confessions Saturdays 3:30pm or by appt. Pastor, Fr. Michael J. Sinor Parish Office Weekly Events at St. Didacus Sunday, December 15, 2013 Pastorela 1:00pm Hall Monday, December 16, 2013 Small Faith V 7:00pm Winona Tuesday, December 17, 2013 School s Christmas Play 9:00am & 7:00pm School Youth Night 6:30pm Hall Small Faith IV 7:00pm Hawley Wednesday, December 18, 2013 Eucharistic Adoration 7:30-8:30am Church Choir Concert 7:30pm Church Thursday, December 19, 2013 Divine Mercy 4:00-5:00pm Hall RCIA 7:00pm Hall Friday, December 20, 2013 Posada 7:00pm Hall Saturday, December 21, 2013 Readings for the Week of December 15, 2013 Sunday: Is 35:1-6a, 10/Jas 5:7-10/Mt 11:2-11 Monday: Nm 24:2-7, 15-17a/Mt 21:23-27 Tuesday: Gn 49:2, 8-10/Mt 1:1-17 Wednesday: Jer 23:5-8/Mt 1:18-25 Thursday: Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a/Lk 1:5-25 Friday: Is 7:10-14/Lk 1:26-38 Saturday: Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a/Lk 1:39-45 Next Sunday: Is 7:10-14/Rom 1:1-7/Mt 1:18-24 GIFTS OF OUR TREASURY THE WEEK OF December 8, 2013 Collection for December 8, 2013 $3, Restricted Funds for December 8, 2013 $1, Total Income: $4, Maria Luz Arrellano Katherine Artale Jim Barnes Diann Bauer Dan Bauer Herbert Baxter Martha Becerra Rita Bonnell Norm Boyer Herminia Brignoni Ibeth Brignoni Lee Burnett Ruben Campos Marie Cavanaugh Terry Davidson Irene Davis MaryLou De Luca Juanita Diaz Cecelia Dueber Please Pray For Maria Fielding Susan Guenzel Rosie Kinninger Marcella Halweg Bernie Kober Marilyn Kober Virginia Lantry Juanita Lopez Maria Lopez Dolores Mediano Esteban Mediano Segunda Ordona Sylvia Paiz Dominick Palestini Diane Porter Dolores Robertson Atina Rodriguez Aaron Rodriguez Alette Rodriguez Gladys Palestini Jeff Salazar Patricia Seay Christine Segura Alice Sergi Michael Smith Raymond Sparks Mary Sutton Angel Tapia Pedro Tapia Therese Tucker Carol Verdon Catarina Zizzo Rose Zaragoza Adalina Zarate Josephine And the special intentions in our Book of Needs

3 Page 4 Third Sunday of Advent December 15, 2013 MONDAY IS THE LAST DAY To bring Christmas Toys! th Street, San Diego CA JOIN US! St. Didacus School s Christmas Program Tuesday, December 17th 9:00am or 7:00pm at the school 8th Grade Legacy Gift It has become a tradition for the 8th grade class to leave a gift to current and future students of St. Didacus School. This year s 8th grade class is raising funds to help purchase a Bar-coding System to benefit the St. Didacus School Library. They will be selling specially engraved Christmas ornaments depicting St. Didacus Parish Church to help them meet their goal of purchasing this system for the school. Thank you for your support of this school tradition. This is your last chance to pick up this beautiful St. Didacus Church ornament! The 8th Graders will be selling these special ornaments after Mass this weekend. Your purchases will help them leave a lasting gift to the school. Help us decorate the Church for Christmas! Sunday, December 22nd at 12:30pm after the Spanish Mass Come help us get the Church ready for Christmas. There will be some heavy lifting and tree decorating and we d love your help! The St. Didacus Men s Prayer Group is collecting toys and hygiene items for the needy at Casa de los Pobres, Tijuana, Orfanatorio Nazareth, Tecate and Ejido El Hongo, Tecate. If you d like to donate please bring your unwrapped toys or personal hygiene items to the parish office by Monday, December 16th. Monetary donations are also welcome! If you have any questions, please contact Felipe Enciso at This is the last weekend to get the Knights of Columbus beautiful "Keep Christ in Christmas" Christmas Cards. They are selling them in the Hall after Mass. Our Christmas Novena of Masses starts on TUESDAY! Get your envelopes turned in to the Parish Office ASAP! Our Christmas Mass Schedule has CHANGED this year! When planning ahead, please make note of these times: Tuesday, December 24th Christmas Eve Family Mass 4:00pm Christmas Eve Choir Concert 6:30pm Christmas Eve Bilingual Mass 7:00pm Wednesday, December 25th Christmas Day Mass 9:00am

4 Page 5 Third Sunday of Advent December 15, 2013 Grounded in Gratitude Did you know that there s a science of gratitude? Scientists, psychologists, and others actually study the effect that gratitude has on our brain, behavior patterns, and general well-being. An attitude of gratitude can improve our health, help us sleep better, and decrease anxiety. All the more reason to cultivate gratitude as a way of life. Here s a thought from scripture to help you practice: Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out. Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. Thessalonians 5: Kid s Corner The theme for the third week of Advent is HOPE. Think about that today. What is hope? Well, it s like a little electric light inside your head that keeps brightening your view of the world, telling you that things are good now and will get even better! Hope is like the purr of a kitty cat or the warmth of a soft sweater that makes you feel cozy and tells you everything will be alright. Hope is God. 365 Fun Facts for Catholic Kids Many thanks to Cub Scout Pack 958 for their donation of $ to the Parish Food Pantry from the proceeds of their Pancake Breakfast last month. The Waiting Game Waiting is never easy, especially when we re waiting for something as important and awesome as Christmas. What can we possibly learn about waiting that we don t already know? Waiting is mostly a frustrating business of delayed gratification. Yet it does enlarge the virtue of patience, which in turn causes us to trust in God more than our own resources. So here are some things to do while we wait: #1: Plant something. It could be a seed, a promise, a dream, or a new habit. Things need time to take root, and waiting is good for that. #2: Build something. It could be a playhouse or a birdhouse, a jigsaw puzzle or a Lego castle. Mediate on how each piece adds to a whole much bigger than its parts. #3: Learn something. A language, a musical instrument, a computer program, a new skill. Prove to yourself there s room for improvement. #4: Read something. It could be long, like Les Miserables or War and Peace. Or longer, like the Bible. The nights are colder, perfect for snuggling up with a classic. #5: Write something. If you really want to learn patience, writing will teach you. Start a journal of your spiritual life, or start a novel of your fantasy life as a superhero or miracleworking saint. Sainthood begins in the imagination! #6: Teach something. Literacy programs always need mentors, and kids always need grownups. You have something to share that someone else could use. #7: Invest in something. Put your money, time, energy, wisdom into a project you care about. #8: Go somewhere. Take a pilgrimage to a holy site. Visit the sick, shut-in, imprisoned, or lonely. #9: Love someone. This takes a lot of time, but it s worth every ounce of effort. Exploring the Sunday Readings Jesus boldly left behind concrete pieces of evidence of the absolute reality of who he was and is the Messiah, God among us. What evidence could friends and family use to testify to your steadfast commitment to following Jesus? Each day this week, be conscious to leave proof behind of your desire to emulate Jesus. Your proof may not be as miraculous as curing the blind, yet maybe you can help others see God more clearly this week through your actions, to hear more fully the love of Christ through your words. In loving humbleness, the actions you offer will bring Jesus truly alive.

5 Pagina 6 Tercer Domingo de Adviento 15 de diciembre 2013 Eres tú el que ha de venir? Juan el Bautista desde la cárcel manda emisarios para preguntarle a Jesús si es él el esperado o si deben esperar a otro. Jesús responde a los puros hechos, que pueden ser «vistos y oídos»: «los ciegos ven, los inválidos andan, los leprosos quedan limpios... y a los pobres se les anuncia el Evangelio, la Buena Noticia». Estos «hechos», estas buenas noticias, son la prueba de identidad del Mesías. Y tienen que ser, la prueba de identidad de quienes seguimos a Cristo, o sea, los cristianos. Sólo si nuestra vida produce esos mismos hechos, sólo si somos buena noticia para los demás, sólo entonces estaremos siendo seguidores de aquel Mesías, de Jesucristo, nos pueden llamar cristianos. Acompáñenos a ver nuestra tradicional Pastorela Dónde nacerá el Salvador? HABRA VENTA DE TAMALES Y CHAMURRADO, para ayudar a los jóvenes de confirmación, después de misa Concierto de Navidad del Coro de ingles Miércoles, 18 de diciembre 7:30 pm en la Iglesia Acompáñenos en este momento tan especial para centrarse en las hermosas voces de nuestro talentoso coro. Esta es una buena oportunidad de tomar un descanso de la locura de los preparativos de estas fiestas y centrarse en la verdadera belleza de la temporada. NOTICIAS DEL CATECISMO Este miércoles 18 de diciembre NO habrá catecismo, ni el 25 de diciembre, ni el Primero de Enero. Regresaremos a clases el miércoles 8 de enero, Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo. LA POSADA COMUNITARIA Celebraremos nuestras tradicional POSA- DA, el viernes 20 de diciembre con una procesión por nuestra vecindario, los esperamos en el hall de la parroquia a las 7 PM. Novenario de Misas de Navidad 2013 Recordemos a nuestros seres queridos en esta Navidad al inscribirlos en nuestra Novenario de Misas Navideña del 17 de diciembre al 25 de diciembre. Los sobres están a la entrada de la iglesia. Llene el sobre y colóquelo en la colecta o entregarlo en la oficina parroquial. PROXIMO DOMINGO NECESITAMOS AYUDA El próximo domingo 22 de diciembre necesitamos mover algunas cosas pesadas y decorar la iglesia después de la misa de español, por favor acompáñenos.