Building a Christian Community through Gospel Values

Transcription

1 The Our Fourth Lady Sunday of Mount of Carmel Advent Our Lady of Mount Carmel December 24, 2017 Building a Christian Community through Gospel Values A Catholic parish community served by the Carmelite Order The Nativity, c.1597 Federico Barocci

2 ADVENT The Annuncia on by Henry Ossawa Tanner Pondering Michelle Francl-Donnay, Give Us This Day, December 2017 When I walked into the gallery at the Philadelphia Museum of Art where Henry Ossawa Tanner s luminous pain ng of the Annuncia on is displayed, I took a step back, shocked at its size six feet long and five feet high! I had seen the image so o en in books, and I absently assumed the original was small enough to hold in my hands. Now, listening to Luke s recoun ng of the Annuncia on, I wonder if I have similarly shrunk it to fit dily onto a page. I ve always imagined the dialogue as wri en, just a few hundred words exchanged, and marvel at Mary s decisiveness. But the Gospel says that Mary pondered the angel s gree ng. Was her delibera on really the work of a few seconds, or did Gabriel spend the day with her, walking with her to get water at the well, listening as she pondered what God was s rring up? I am tempted, on this Sunday, which begins as Advent and ends in the great feast of the Na vity, to set pondering to the side. Yes, I absolutely believe that the Word was made flesh and born of a virgin, but I have cinnamon buns to bake and two Masses to get to. Yet I hear within this Gospel an invita on to walk with God s messengers now, today, to wonder at what God is asking of me, even as I knead dough and carry the cross for Midnight Mass: will I make room for the Word to become flesh within me? On this day, of all days, what answer could I give other than yes? Michelle Francl-Donnay is a wife and mother, a professor of chemistry, and an adjunct scholar at the Va can Observatory. She writes for CatholicPhilly.com of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Between God and the World Alfred Delp, Advent of the Heart, cited in Give Us This Day, December 2017 In these last days, God has spoken to us through the Son. Basically, before moving on to personal devo ons and contempla on or reading stories of the Holy Night, one should read these weighty verses of the Le er to the Hebrews to be spiritually touched by the impact of this holy day we are celebra ng. We run the risk of concealing Christmas behind bourgeois customs and sen mentality, behind all those tradi ons that make this holiday dear and precious to us. Yet perhaps the deep meaning is s ll hiding behind all those things. What this celebra on is about is the founding of a final order for the world, a new center of meaning for all existence. We are not celebra ng some children s holiday, but rather the fact that God has spoken His ul mate Word to the world. Christ is the ul mate Word of God to the world. One must let this idea really sink in these days when people are seeking new values. If you take God seriously this rela onship between God and the world and if you know how important God is to society as well as to private life, then this has to touch you. The ul mate Word of God to the world! God does not contradict Himself and does not repeat Himself. One must use every ounce of willpower to comprehend this, and let this concept sink in: Christ, as the ul mate Word of God to the world. Alfred Delp ( ) was a German Jesuit imprisoned and later executed by the Nazis for an -Hitler ac vi es.

3 LOOKING AHEAD WITH FAITH AND PRAYER MASS INTENTIONS :30 AM Lori Hamilton Kathie Majerchin 9:00 AM The People of the Parish 10:30 AM John Glenn MaryLou Glenn :00 AM Blair Lauffer Eva Lauffer :00 AM Mary Murray Eileen Ouimet :00 AM Barry Harvey Anne O Kane :00 AM Peter Surdo Michael Livingstone :00 AM The Rodica Family 4:30 PM Chuck Gonnello George Eilers, Sr :30 AM Daryl See 9:00 AM Roy Schwappach Gerald Loftus 10:30 AM The People of the Parish The special collection January 6th & 7th supports the Capital Reserve Fund Usher Schedule December January 6th & 7th 3:00 PM: J Fanelli, D Hollar, B Horstman, A Tirone, D Arlia, F Madigan, J Madigan, M Schwartz 4:30 PM: C Gathy, P Adamo, L Alvarez, M Gibbs, M Kelsey, P McDermo, L Heatley, L Smith 7:30 AM: D Kill, J O Malley, M E Miller, J Terry, D Terry, D Frederick, M Addams, P Poder 9:00 AM: P Wright, D Coyle, J Kovach, D McMullen, M Vespoli, C Vespoli, M Wright, T & T Lock 10:30 AM: M Halpin, N Halpin, B Crisman, J Duran, J Thomas, M Allender, J Cinanni, B Fisher Reserve FUND Into your hands O Lord, we commend the souls of our recently departed. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace: Robert C. Craft PARISH CALENDAR Mon Christmas Day Parish Office closed 7:30 AM Mass-Fr. Fred 9:00 AM Mass-Fr. Richard 10:30 AM Mass-Fr. JJ McCarthy Tues Parish Office Closed 8:00 AM Mass-Fr. Fred Wed 8:00 AM Mass-Fr. Richard 8:45 AM Praise & Prayer Thurs 8:00 AM Mass-Fr. Fred Fri 8:00 AM Mass-Fr. Richard Sat 8:00 AM Mass-Fr. Fred 3:30 PM Confessions 4:30 PM Mass-Fr. Fred Sun 7:30 AM Mass-Fr. Fred 9:00 AM Mass-Fr. Richard 10:30 AM Mass-Fr. Richard PLEASE NOTE: We will add the 3:00 PM vigil Mass to the Saturday schedule beginning January 6th. STEWARDSHIP OF TREASURE December 23rd & 24th, 2017 CFA Goal 2017: $200, CFA Pledge: $296, CFA Payments: $296, Offertory: $12, Parish Pay is available at our website: Or call the office for more information Readings for the Week of December 25th, 2017 Monday: Vigil: Is 62:1-5; Ps 89:4-5, 16-17, 27-29; Acts 13:16-17, 22-25; Mt 1:1-25 [18-25] During the Night: Is 9:1-6; Ps 96:1-3, 11-13; Ti 2:11-14; Lk 2:1-14 Dawn: Is 62:11-12; Ps 97:1, 6, 11-12; Ti 3:4-7; Lk 2:15-20 Day: Is 52:7-10; Ps 98:1-6; Heb 1:1-6; Jn 1:1-18 [1-5, 9-14] Tuesday: Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59; Ps 31:3cd-4, 6, 8ab, 16bc, 17; Mt 10:17-22 Wednesday: 1 Jn 1:1-4; Ps 97:1-2, 5-6, 11-12; Jn 20:1a, 2-8 Thursday: 1 Jn 1:5 2:2; Ps 124:2-5, 7cd-8; Mt 2:13-18 Friday: 1 Jn 2:3-11; Ps 96:1-3, 5b-6; Lk 2:22-35 Saturday: 1 Jn 2:12-17; Ps 96:7-10; Lk 2:36-40 Sunday: Sir 3:2-6, or Gn 15:1-6; 21:1-3; Ps 128: 1-5 or Ps 105:1-6, 8-9; Col 3:12-21 [12-17] or Hb 11:8, 11-12, 17-19; Lk 2:22-40 [22, 39-40]

4 ADULT FAITH DEVELOPMENT Save the Dates Retreats at OLPH CHRISTIAN MUSIC Light of the World/Luz del Mundo Written and recorded by Jaime Cortez, 2006, Adviento album Our Lady of Perpetual Help Retreat Center, Venice, Florida Retreat for OLMC Men Led by Darwin Reeck Pastoral Minister to the Sick at OLMC Thursday, February 1, 2018 Retreat for OLMC Women Led by Doris R. Brodeur, Ph.D. Adult Faith Development Coordinator at OLMC Friday, February 2, 2018 Details and agendas will be available soon. For more information, contact Doris R. Brodeur, or x314. Light of the world, hope for us all, come, o come and save us. Lux del mundo, Emmanuel, ven, oh ven a salvamos. People of Zion, the Lord will come to save all nations, and your hearts will exult to hear his majestic voice. El Señor nos mostrará su misericordia, y nuestra tierra producirá su fruto. (The Lord will show us his mercy, and our land will yield its fruit.) Rise up, Jerusalem, stand on the heights And see the joy that is coming to you from God. Alégrense siempre en el Señor (2), El Señor, el Señor está cerca. (Rejoice in the Lord, always! (2), The Lord, the Lord is near.) Witnesses for Our Time Doug Venne Maryknoll Missioner ( ) He is remembered on December 30. Mercy is not shown in an act or two. Rather, it is an a tude of heart that does not look at the balance due but at the bond needed to unite. As a Maryknoll seminarian, Doug Venne was inspired by Charles de Foucauld s exhorta on to cry the gospel with your life. A er his ordina on in 1959 he worked for many years in the Philippines, suppor ng small Chris an communi es. A Jeep accident resulted in the loss of his le eye. In 1975 he accepted a request for volunteers for a new mission in Bangladesh. Their aim was not to seek conversions but to offer a witness of Chris an brotherhood among their Muslim neighbors or, as Venne saw it, to live as Jesus lived. For several years he worked in the farm fields among other hired hands. But eventually he se led into a more contempla ve life in a Muslim village. In a small bamboo hut with a dirt floor, he divided his me between prayer and small acts of service. In the whole region, he noted, I am the only Chris an at least when I remember to act like one. When ques oned by a local Imam about his mo ves, he answered, Our Prophet Isa [Jesus] asked us to go and help the poor, and I have chosen to do that among the poor of Bangladesh. If anyone comes closer to Allah because I have come, I will be happy. A er learning that he had a terminal illness, Venne chose to return to his village to spend his last days among his poor neighbors. He died on December 28, 2009.

5 CHRISTMASTIDE Journey of the Magi, Stefano di Giovanni Sassetta, 1435 LIVING OUR FAITH The Christmas Season, also known as Christmastide, extends far longer than the day of Christmas. Although Christmas Day has become the primary celebration of the Incarnation, the celebration includes other aspects of God s divinity becoming united to our humanity in Jesus. In the early church, the main celebration of this season was the Epiphany and the focus was on God s revelation of the divine nature in Jesus. Although Christmas gradually became the primary liturgical focus instead of Epiphany, the whole Christmas season reminds us that our concern is not just on Jesus the baby in the manger. By including the feasts of the martyr Stephen, the massacred Holy Innocents, the Epiphany and Jesus s baptism, we realize that Christ s incarnation always includes not only acceptance but also rejection and persecution. Christmas Day December 25 The feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and the main celebration of the Incarnation Holy Family Usually the Sunday between Christmas and January 1 The feast celebrating Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as the model for Christian families Mary, Mother of God January 1 This celebration venerates Mary as the mother of Jesus, the one who was truly God and truly human. Epiphany Sunday after January 1 this year, January 7 The feast of the manifestation of Christ to the world, in particular to the Gentiles Baptism of Jesus Usually, the Sunday after Epiphany however, this year, January 8 This feast marks the end of Christmastide and celebrates the revelation of Jesus divinity to the Jewish people. All Saints Press THANK YOU TO ALL OUR DEDICATED PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY KNITTERS! OLMC is grateful to all of you for your hard work and prayers over this past year. During 2017 we have given away more than 70 prayer shawls...all were tremendously appreciated! The Prayer Shawl Ministry started at Mt. Carmel in 2009 and since then we have given away more than 420 shawls. Those who received the shawls were touched by the gift and strengthened knowing that someone cared for them. These shawls provided them with a sense of comfort and peace. If you know of someone who is ill, home bound, having surgery, in a nursing home or assisted living, has lost a loved one recently, or anyone who could use a warm loving embrace, please let me know or inform someone at the reception desk. If you are interested in making a shawl for this ministry please call or me and I will send you the information to get you started or come to one of our monthly meetings. This is a beautiful and rewarding ministry. Our mission is to provide, hope, comfort, joy and healing to those who most need a reminder of God's love for them through the work of our hands and the prayers in our hearts. Our next meeting will be January 12, 2018 at 8:30 a.m. Call: Tina O'Leary or olearychristine@yahoo.com The donations for the Giving Tree included 45 Pack n Plays and 14 strollers. The generosity of our parish community continues to astonish! The gifts were distributed to both Immokalee and the Center of Hope.

6 YOUTH CORNER St. Joseph's Staff We continue the focus on the main figures of Advent. Last week we celebrated St. John the Baptist. This week, the focus is on St. Joseph, the foster-father of the Child Jesus. The food we will use to remember St. Joseph this week is the candy cane, either in a cookie, or the simple candy itself. Part of the pious legend of St. Joseph is that his staff is the one that bloomed with lilies so that everyone knew that he was to be the spouse of our Blessed Virgin Mary. So many nativity scenes have St. Joseph carrying or leaning on the staff, which is also a symbol of authority. St. Joseph's Staff -- Candy Cane Cookies (Recipe from Betty Crocker) Prep Time: 40 min. Total Time: 6 hours. Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies. Ingredients: 1 cup sugar 1 cup butter or margarine, softened 1/2 cup milk 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon peppermint extract 1 egg 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon red food coloring 2 Tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candies 2 Tablespoons sugar Stir together 1 cup sugar, butter or margarine, milk, vanilla, peppermint extract, and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Divide dough in half. Stir red food coloring into 1 half of the dough. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours. Heat oven to 375º F. Stir together peppermint candy and 2 tablespoons sugar; set aside. For each candy cane, shape 1 rounded teaspoon of dough from each half into 4-inch rope by rolling back and forth on floured surface. Place 1 red and white rope side by side; press together lightly and twist. For best results, complete cookies one at a time--if all the dough of one color is shaped first, strips become too dry to twist. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; curve top of cookie down to form handle of cane. Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until set and very light brown. Immediately sprinkle candy mixture over cookies. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes. Art of the Crèche: Na vi es from Around the World James L. Govan, Merrill Publishers, 2009 Available in the OLMC Library One of the most enduring and universal Christmas tradi ons is the crèche, or the Na vity scene: a representa on of the story of Christ's birth. This beau fully illustrated book reveals the worldwide appeal and custom of the crèche and the diversity of crea ve expression displayed in this art form. James L. Govan, a foremost collector of crèches, insigh ully interprets more than 100 na vi es and explains the origins of the ar sts' works. From the Makonde in Tanzania to the Wichi in northern Argen na and the Asmats in Indonesia, the indigenous cultures of more than 70 countries are represented, and the collec on is far from restricted to the work of Chris an ar sts: the crèches include examples made by Muslim, Taoist, Buddhist and Jewish ar sts.

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