Prepare the way of the Lord

Transcription

1 Prepare the way of the Lord

2 Fr. Rolly Astudillo x 103 frrolly Priest in Residence Fr. Jiwan Kim jiwankim@yahoo.com Deacon Couple Mar & Vivian Enriquez Marciano.enriquez@yahoo.com Front Office Secretary Yolanda Enriquez x 100 ollenriquezy@gmail.com Parish Bulletin Martha Peale mlpeale@aol.com Accounting Office Nelle Orsburn ollacctg@gmail.com Confirmation Coordinator Deacon Mar Enriquez marciano.enriquez@yahoo.com Religious Ed Coordinator Flor Zano ollre.tujunga@gmail.com Religious Ed Office Manager Lona Barone Evangelization Coordinator Nelle Orsburn ors.ne@verizon.net Safeguarding the Children Soñya Marquez sonyaq@eathlink.net Dear Parishioners, Christmas 2017 Our Parish and School Staff and I extend our warmest greetings to all of you this Christmas. Christmas offers us all an opportunity to recapture Glimpses of childhood s sacred memories. Looking at the crib that adorns our church, in this first year of our journey toward our Parish Centennial, we focus on the truth that God came as a helpless baby born into the family and that he is in every family and in every trial and tribulation families go through in their lives. Let us take a moment to look around to recognize Him in those who do not have joy and peace in their lives. It is the time of the year when children come home to mom and dad. It s because of the story of a child born into a family and born to us to complete our stores of joy and gladness. It is our Christmas wish and prayer for you all that whatever we do out of love for the Lord will not be lost and the joyful peace of Christmas which descends on us will never be taken away. We wish you and your family a Merry Christmas Fr.Rolly Astudillo And the OLL Parish and School Staff Music Director Ania Balon mychoir@live.com OLL Rose Cottage Pre-School Wendy Diaz-Antonio ollrosecottagedirector@mail.com School Principal Evelyn Cortes principal@olltujunga.org School Office Manager Cathy Ercek office manager@olltujunga.org

3 Cast Into the Deep The Joy of Loving Nelle Orsburn - Today the Season of Advent comes to a close. In fact, tonight is Christmas Eve. This was the shortest Advent season we ve had in a while all of three weeks. The last time this happened was 11 years ago in As always it started with a reminder of the second coming of Jesus prompting us to be watchful and to be alert; with a voice crying out in the wilderness to prepare the way of the Lord. Then, last Sunday there was a lightening of the tone as we rejoiced at the coming celebration of the birth of the Christ Child. So, yes, even if we only had a short time, Advent was still just the right time to prepare. To prepare our hearts and soul; to prepare our homes; to buy and wrap our presents; to work toward right relationships. There was really no difference between the spiritual and the physical readiness. As the Christmas decorations came out of hiding, as we adorned the eaves and windows and trimmed the Christmas tree, didn t we have fun sharing the time with the family, reminiscing past Christmases with each ornament we put on the tree? Didn t we do our best to have a beautiful tree to give joy to them and to our friends who came to visit? As we baked the Christmas cookies, didn t we stop to consider which goodies each one would like so that we could make their favorites, especially for them? How about buying presents, agonizing over the best presents, thinking about each one of our recipients before deciding. Or the Christmas cards to let our friends know that we think of them, especially at Christmastime. There was even time to reflect with our OLL family on the things that matter at our Advent retreat and to heal broken relationships during reconciliation at our penance service. A short Advent, yes, but certainly a time with lots of opportunities to love in the everyday things, in the mundane, in the grand. And did we not experience the joy of loving? Did we not feel the presence of Jesus in these moments? We can t help but reflect on the Beauty and the Love that is Christmas. In fact, in those times, we reflect the Beauty and the Love that is Christmas. Continued Continued to Tomorrow is Christmas. Then, it s over. We go back living in ordinary times. But Advent has prepared us. Eve- day that we love one another can be Christmas. ry Merry Christmas, dear OLL family. Wishing you a year of joyful Christmases. The History of 'The Twelve Days of Christmas' The song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface meaning plus a hidden meaning known only to members of the Church. Each element in the carol has a code word for a religious reality which the children could remember. To fit the number scheme, when you reach number 9, representing the Fruits of the Holy Ghost, the originator combined 6 to make 3, taking the 6 fruits that were similar: the fruit in each parenthesis is the that was not named separately. There are actually Twelve Fruits of the Holy Ghost. The two turtle doves were the Old and New Testaments The three French hens stood for faith, hope, and love. The four calling birds were the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The five golden rings represented the first five books of the Old Testament, which describe man's fall into sin and the great love of God in sending a Savior. The six geese a-laying stood for the six days of creation. Seven swans a-swimming represented the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit-----Prophesy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Contribution, Leadership, and Mercy. The eight maids a-milking were the eight beatitudes. Nine ladies dancing were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit-----Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience [Forbearance], Goodness [Kindness], Mildness, Fidelity, Modesty, Continency [Chastity]. The ten lords a-leaping were the Ten Commandments. The eleven pipers piping stood for the eleven faithful Apostles. The twelve drummers drumming symbolized the twelve points of belief in The Apostles' Creed.

4 4 th Sunday of Advent First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-5,8b-12,14a,16 Second Reading: Romans 16:25-27 Gospel Luke 1:26-38 Today is the last Sunday of Advent. Tonight, until tomorrow, we will celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world whose coming into the world has been proclaimed by the prophets of old. In the first reading, we are told that King David would like to build a house for the Lord where the Ark of God should dwell. But through Nathan, the prophet, God told David that it will be God Himself who will build a house, an everlasting dynasty for David. This promise was fulfilled in the eternal kingship of the Lord Jesus. Hence, we responded to the Psalm by saying: Forever, I will sing the goodness of the Lord. We sing of Jesus as God s goodness, a mystery kept secret for long ages but now manifested in Jesus Christ as the second reading tells us. We know how this happened. As we heard from the gospel, God chose Mary to be the mother of the Savior. We ask: Why Mary? Did Mary deserve to be God s choice? There is no point in asking what Mary did to deserve God s gifts, to be full of grace and blessed among women. She received God s gift of Motherhood for the Savior simply because of God s love. It is not Mary s effort that we must discover. It is God s love and goodness that we must discern. No one among us really deserves God s choice. Like in gift-giving, gifts and favors reflect the generosity of the giver, not the worthiness of the receiver. Mary is blessed because of God. It was God who gave blessedness to Mary. Conitnued Again, all of these favors stem, not from David, but from God himself. It is the same thing that St. Paul tells us in the second reading from his letter to the Romans: it is God who ultimately gives the strength to live according to the Good News. Not our strength, but God s strength; not our wisdom, but God s wisdom. Like Mary, David and Paul, we too are chosen and elected by God. The more important aspect of our lives of faith is not just to see our efforts but to discover God s plan for us. In this last Sunday of Advent as we enter the Christmas Season, it is important to see our unworthiness and our undeserving status. But this should not stop us from answering God s call. We need not wallow forever in our failures and weaknesses. We are not prisoners of our failures and weaknesses; we are not prisoners of the past. Rather, we have all the more reason to be motivated and inspired to respond to God s call to a life of grace because we have come to know that God still loves us and puts his hopes in us in spite of who we are. He has a plan for all of us as He had for Mary, David and Paul: to proclaim by our lives who Jesus is to all. As we look to Mary on this fourth Sunday of Advent and her role as Mother of God s beloved Son, may we marvel, not at our own greatness but at God s boundless generosity and love. This extraordinary love of God is also seen in the first reading about David. David and his dynasty were chosen to last forever. But we also remember David as a shepherd; he was the least and undeserving of all the brothers. Yet he was the one preferred by God. God, says of him, through Nathan: His house and sovereignty will be secured forever. Continued

5 TWINKLE, TWINKLE IT S TIME FOR A SPRINKLE.. Baby Shower On January 20th and 21st, the Catholic Daughters are sponsoring the annual Baby Shower. All donations will benefit the Pregnancy Counseling Center in Mission Hills. The center provides HELP, HOPE, an TRUTH to women and their families in times of an unplanned pregnancy and crisis. Your Donations: Diapers (size newborn, 4,5, & 6) Baby Wipes TOGETHER IN MISSION The Together in Mission 2017campaign officially ends on January 15, THANK YOU for your generosity in giving to Together in Mission and helping our less fortunate parishes carry out their mission. We are happy to announce that we have met our goal. As you know anything receivd beyond the goal comes back to our parish. For those who have not yet fulfilled their pledge, you have a little bit more time to honor these pledges. Once again, thank you. Plastic Baby Bottles Baby Tearless shampoo Baby wash Baby Lotion Clothes for boy and girl (size Newborn to 24 months) Gift cards from Target, or Walmart PLEASE no furniture, powders, toys or stuffed animals. Donations of cash or check are accepted. Please make checks payable to: Catholic Daughters or CDA You may drop off your donations at the Hospitality Patio after all Masss, January 20th and January 21st. Thank you for your support and generosity. Memories In these days surrounding Christmas we often remember those who have died. If someone close to us has died during this part year, we think, this is the first Christmas without them. But even if they died long ago, we remember them I a special way at Christmas. We also remembers our childhood, Christmas Eve and Christmas morning as a youngsterwith our family. We would do well to think of Mary and Jesus together on the great Jewishj feasts after Joseph had died. They remembered how they used to celebrate those wonderful days with him. On those days Mary missed her husband, whom she ivd, And Jesu missed his father, whom he loved. On Christmas we can also think of Mary in the years after Jesus died. We don t know the date he was born, but Mary did, and she remembered it. She was probably in her late 40 s when he died and each year afterward she celebrated his birthday without her husband and without her son Whomever you miss at Christmas..talk to Mary. She understands. The Little Blue Book Advent & Christmas Seasons SAFEGUARDING THE CHILDREN Prepare holiday babysitters thoroughly The holidays come with lots of nights out for adults office Christmas parties, last-minute trips to the mall for gifts, neighborhood gift exchanges, etc. and you may need to call upon a babysitter to watch your kids for adults-only events. Think through the policies at your house that you will ask a sitter to follow. These could include basic childcare rules (for example: limits on television viewing, bedtime) as well as safety rules (for example: don t let the kids play with knives or matches). For a copy of the VIRTUS article Preventing Abuse When Selecting and Using a Babysitter, jvienna@la-archdiocese.org or call

6 SAFEGUARDING THE CHILDREN Speak up with concerns about a child's environment Parent and caregiver observations can help protect a child in danger, and you should know when it s important to speak up. Although it may be awkward to approach a parent you do not know, if you have witnessed a scenario where the child is in danger of physical or mental abuse, it is your responsibility to act in that child s best interest. In addition to reporting concerns, think about any practical solutions that can help keep kids safe pending an investigation and solution. For a copy of the VIRTUS article Voicing Concerns About a Child s Environment, jvienna@laarchdiocese.org or call (213) Directory of Ministries Bereavement Brenda Mikhail Catholic Daughters Dorla Marquis Confirmation & Youth Ministry Deacon Mar Divine Mercy Blanca Marco Environment Pauline Penn Eucharistic Jackie Pensanti Evangelization Nelle Orsburn Fellowship Ministry Mary Dausner Filipino Ministry Bobby Rigoroso Health Eloisa de Guzman Greeter Ministry Paul Robich Hispanic Community Irma Velasquez Knights of Columbus Chuck Naudet Lectors Nellie Eustaquio Legion of Mary Linda Bustamante Liturgy/Wedding Coordinator Michelle Laforce Lord s Flock Robert Mallo Martha s Helpers Candy Piscitelli Ministry of the Sick Eleanor Graf Music Ania Balon Pasture Gena Beierschmitt RCIA-Adult Jim Lank Religious Education Flor Zano & Lona Barone Respect Life Joan Noyes Sacristans Raquel Rose Usher Ministry Ben Menicucci Youth Choir Nina Ragonese MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK Saturday December 23 5:00 pm Rafael Xavier L. Calleja Birthday intention Doroteo Cayao Andrea & Renato Ching Fr, Seaman Glenu - Special Intention Veronica Quezada - B/Day Thanksgiving Sunday December 24 7:00 am Antonio & Cristina Ortiz-Luis Wedding Anniversary McKenna Valente Healing 8:30 am Crystal Macias Birthday blessings 10:30 am 12:30 pm Monday December 25 7:45 am Tuesday December 26 7:45 am Marina Micu B-Day Thanksgiving Wednesday December 27 7:45 am G & E Families Thanksgiving & Blessings Thursday December 28 7:45 am Vera Orbin - Thanksgiving Friday December 29 LEARNED AT HOME The mind of Christ is to be learned in the family. Strength of character may be acquired at work, But beauty of character is learned at home. Henry Drummond

7 Ministerios Hispanos Acolitos & Ujieres Rosa Cisneros Clases Pre- Bautismales Cecilia Rico Comunidad Hispana Irma Velasquez Coro Hispano Rosalia Maldonado Cursillos Blanca Nava Eucaristia Alicia Villaseñor Grupo de Oración Yolanda Oliva Lectores Andrea Mata 818* RICA Blanca Nava Recordando... En estos días que rodean la Navidad, a menudo recordamos a los que han muerto. Si alguien cercano a nosotros murió durante esta parte del año, pensamos: "esta es la primera Navidad sin ellos". Pero incluso si murieron hace mucho tiempo, los recordamos de una manera especial en Navidad. También recordamos nuestra niñez, la Nochebuena y la mañana de Navidad cuando éramos jóvenes con nuestra familia. Haríamos bien en pensar en María y Jesús juntos en las grandes fiestas Judías después de la muerte de José. Recordaban cómo salían celebrar esos maravillosos días con él. En aquellos días, María echaba de menos a su esposo, y Jesus echaba de menos a su padre, a quien amaba. En Navidad también podemos pensar en María en los años posteriores a la muerte de Jesús. No sabemos la fecha en que nació, pero Maria sí, y ella lo recordó. Ella probablemente tenía alrededor de 40 años cuando murió y cada año después ella celebró su cumpleaños sin su esposo y sin su hijo. Si extrañan alguien en Navidad, hablemos con María. Ella entiende. GRUPO DE ORACION Siguiendo Luz de Cristo Lluvia de regalos para Bebe Los días 20 y 21 de enero, las Hijas Católicas están patrocinando el Baby Shower anual. Todas las donaciones beneficiarán al Centro de Consejería de Embarazo en Mission Hills. El centro brinda AYUDA, ESPERANZA y VERDAD a las mujeres y sus familias en tiempos de un embarazo no planificado y una crisis. Donaciones: Pañales (tamaño recién nacido, 4,5 y 6) Toallitas para bebé Botellas de plástico para bebés Champú Baby Tearless Baby wash Loción de bebé Ropa para niño y niña (tamaño Recién nacido a 24 meses) Tarjetas de regalo de Target o Walmart No se acptan muebles, polvos, juguetes o animales de peluche. Se aceptan donaciones de efectivo o cheque. Haga los cheques a nombre de: Catholic Daughters o CDA Puede dejar sus donaciones en el Hospitality Patio después de Misa, el 20 de enero y el 21 de enero. Gracias por su apoyo y generosidad. PROTECCION DE LOS NIÑOS Prepare a las niñeras con mucho cuidado La temporada navideña viene con muchas salidas de noche para los adultos, a fiestas de Navidad de la oficina, viajes de último minuto al centro comercial para comprar regalos, intercambios de regalos con los vecinos, etc., y usted quizá tenga que llamar a una niñera para que cuide a sus hijos para ir a los eventos sólo para adultos. Piense con cuidado las políticas en su hogar que usted le va a pedir a la niñera que siga. Estas pueden incluir reglas básicas de cuidado de niños (por ejemplo: límites para ver televisión, hora de ir a dormir) así como reglas de seguridad (por ejemplo: no deje que los niños jueguen con cuchillos o cerillos). Para una copia del artículo de VIRTUS Preventing Abuse When Selecting and Using a Babysitter (Previniendo el abuso cuando seleccione y use a una niñera) envíe un correo electrónico a bmelendez@la-archdiocese.org o llame al (213) 637- invita a sus noches de Oracion y Alabanza Viernes de 7pm - 9 pm Salon Parroquial NIÑOS DE NAVIDAD Es bueno ser niños algunas veces, Y nunca mejor que durante Navidad. Charles Dickens

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