December 16, 2018 Third day of Advent ST. GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL CATHOLIC CHURCH STEWARDSHIP REFLECTION ON READINGS ZEP 3:14-18A; IS 12:2-6; PHIL 4:4-7; LK3:10-18 We have arrived at Gaudete day (Gaudete is the Latin word for rejoice ) this Third Week of Advent, and the Scriptures take on a joyful tone as we continue our preparations for the feast of our Savior s birth. Our Second Reading gives us cause for joy as St Paul reminds us, The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all. Then he gives us a prescription for maintaining this peace: In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Paul s instructions for obtaining peace come as an early Christmas gift. They remind us that we can and should go to God with all our needs and present them to Him along with our thanks. This guidance calls to mind a vital aspect of a stewardship way of life: gratitude to God in response to His great love and countless gifts to us. The Gospel passage, from Luke, shows us how to live out this thanks, making our lives a Christmas gift to Christ in joyful response to His love for us. When the crowds hear John the Baptist s message that their Savior is coming, they ask him what they should do to prepare. He responds, Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do the same. He tells tax collectors to stop collecting more than is prescribed and soldiers, to be satisfied with their wages. In other words, he tells them to be good and generous stewards of all God s gifts to them! As the great feast of Christmas draws near, let us rejoice in Christ s extravagant love. Let s avail ourselves of the peace He longs to give us. And let s look carefully at our lives to make sure we are indeed making of them a gift fitting for Him. PARISH OFFICE 8755 Scarborough Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80920 www.saintgabriel.net Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 am-5:00 pm Phone: (719) 528-8407 Fax: (719) 598-1696 Email: office@saintgabriel.net PARISH CLERGY Pastor, Fr. Kirk Slattery frkslattery@saintgabriel.net Deacon Mike McGrady mmcgrady@saintgabriel.net Deacon Dave Geislinger dgeislinger@diocs.org MASS SCHEDULE Weekend: Saturday 5:00 pm; day 8:30 am, 10:30 am, 12:30 pm (Spanish) & 4:30 pm Weekdays: Tuesday-Friday 12:15 pm SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Tuesday-Friday: 11:50 am-12:10 pm, Saturday: 2:30-3:30 pm. First Friday: 10am to noon. Eucharistic Adoration: Wednesday 10 am to 7 pm.
FLOWERS OF THE HOLY NIGHT/ FLORES DE LA NOCHE SANTA Christmas is fast approaching, and the Environment Committee will be decorating the nave and narthex for this exciting season! Your donations for the flowers would be greatly appreciated. There will be envelopes on a table in the narthex the weekends of December 15th-16th. Please place your donations in the envelopes and deposit them in the white mailbox outside the parish office. INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY Snow season is here! For office hours and possible Confession and Mass cancellation, please call 528-8407, for recorded information which will be updated by 9am. For specific ministry event cancellations, look for information from the ministry coordinator. Please be safe during these winter months. ADVENT HAPPENINGS Extended Reconciliation times December 22 from 2:30-4:30pm. Advent Celebration December 21 from 6:00-8:30pm. 2018 CONTRIBUTION DEADLINE Any contribution that is to be credited to tax year 2018 must be given to the church or postmarked no later than Dec 31, 2018. Last day to bring in contributions to the office will be Friday December 28, 2018, as the office will be closed on Monday, December 31, 2018. Any contribution received after Dec 31, 2018 will be credited to tax year 2019. All checks must be dated no later than Dec 31, 2018. Any check dated Jan 1, 2019 or later must be credited to tax year 2019. HOLIDAY OFFICE HOURS The office will be closed Monday Dec 24,Tuesday Dec 25, Monday December 31, and January 1. YEAR END GIVING OPTIONS As you begin yearend tax planning for your family or business over the next few months, don t forget that donations to St. Gabriel church qualify as a tax deductible charitable contribution. Your donation to the parish helps support our ministries growth and life in our parish. Most members give weekly, monthly and/or annual cash gifts, but a gift of stocks or bonds is another way to benefit your church and gain a tax advantage. We invite you to help us finish the year strong and prepare ourselves for an exciting 2019 by prayerfully considering an end-of-year financial gift to St. Gabriel. Christmas Eve Masses December 24 Masses at 4pm, 6:30pm, 8:30pm (Spanish), and Midnight Christmas Day Mass December 25 Mass at 10am New Year s Day Mass January 1 Mass at 10:00 am (combined) St. Gabriel the Archangel 2 Colorado Springs, CO
CALENDAR THIS WEEKEND RCIC 9:45-11:15am. RCIA 9:45-11:15am. YSF 9:45-11:15am. Faith Formation Grades K-5 11:45am-1:15pm. Faith Formation Grades 6-Confirmation 2:30-4pm. YDisciples 5:45-7:15pm. UPCOMING Mon, Dec 17 Faith Formation Grades K-7 4:30-6pm. Mon, Dec 17 Biblical School 6:30pm. Tues, Dec 18 ESL Class 9am. Tues, Dec 18 SoulCore 9-10am. Wed, Dec 19 Eucharistic Adoration as schedules. Pray the Rosary at 6:00pm. Evening Prayer and Benediction starts at 6:30pm. Wed, Dec 19 Children s Choir 5:15pm. Thurs, Dec 20 ESL Class 9am. SAVE THE DATE Jan 18-20 High School Rally Feb 16-17 Middle School Rally HOLIDAY BULLETIN DEADLINES Due to the upcoming Christmas Holiday, the Deadline for December bulletins are: *December 30 bulletin will be due Thursday December 20 at 10am. * January 6th bulletin will be due Thursday December 27th at 10am. Please send all bulletin announcements to office@saintgabriel.net. WORDS OF WISDOM "I desire that you know more profoundly the love that burns in My Heart for souls, and you will understand this when you meditate upon My Passion. Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners; I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer, with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer: O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.' " St. Faustina Kowalska, p. 186-7 2018 RETURNING GOD S GIFTS UPDATE We are within $10,8522 of our 2018 goal! When we reach the goal of raising $114,826 in full the Diocese will reimburse St. Gabriel s church 20% of the total. With every dollar donated after our goal we receive 50% of that amount back! Consider making a gift online at www.saintgabriel.net and press the Returning Gods Gifts 2018 appeal. AN EXCERPT FROM Diary of St. Faustina PARISH E-MAIL LIST Keep abreast of all that is happening at St. Gabriel by signing up for the parish e-mail list. You can do this by going to the parish website at www.saintgabriel.net and clicking on Parish Info and selecting E-mail List Subscriptions and then filling out your e-mail address under Parish News. St. Gabriel the Archangel 3 Colorado Springs, CO
St. Gabriel the Archangel 4 Colorado Springs, CO
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: February 7, 2019 6:30 9:00 PM Kent Mathews, Family Case Manager for the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging, will speak about The Reality of Modern Day Caregiving: The costs, challenges and what caregivers want you to know. The event is hosted by Stephen Ministry in the Mother Maria Theresa Bonzel Hall on the lower level of St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church, 6455 Brook Park Drive 80918, and is open to all, especially -- care givers or would-be care givers and those interested in supporting those in care giving situations. Information: Ann 598-3595 ext. 118 achristensen@stpatscs.org ST. GABRIEL S ON FACEBOOK Keep up to date on what is happening at St. Gabriel s by liking the St. Gabriel Facebook page. Find us under St Gabriel The Archangel Catholic Church. HUMANAE VITAE Fifty years ago, Pope Paul VI released Humanae Vitae, July 25, 1968, an encyclical on marital love, responsible parenthood, and artificial contraception. Until the end of 2018 we d like to offer you one significant quote each week of this very short encyclical that you can find on the Vatican website by Googling Humanae Vitae. http:// blog.acton.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/hv-latin.jpgappeal to Public Authorities III, 23 We beg of you, never allow the morals of your peoples to be undermined. And now We wish to speak to rulers of nations. To you most of all is committed the responsibility of safeguarding the common good. You can contribute so much to the preservation of morals. We beg of you, never allow the morals of your peoples to be undermined. The family is the primary unit in the state; do not tolerate any legislation which would introduce into the family those practices which are opposed to the natural law of God. For there are other ways by which a government can and should solve the population problem that is to say by enacting laws which will assist families and by educating the people wisely so that the moral law and the freedom of the citizens are both safeguarded. St. Gabriel the Archangel 5 Colorado Springs, CO
ADORATION OF OUR LORD Jesus loves us so much that He Chose to remain with us in His glorified human body veiled in the Holy Eucharist. How do we repay this love? By simply visiting Him. For more information contact: Kathy Thomas at 528-8407 or kthomas@saintgabriel.net. CANDLES Did you know that candles are lit for prayer intentions? To "light a candle for someone" indicates one's intention to say a prayer for another person, and the candle symbolizes that prayer. Pray for a special intention and ask for blessings for that person. In the lighting of candles, we remember and truly live the words of Our Lord: "I am the Light of the World." In the lighting of candles, we not only pray, but our prayers become smaller symbols of the One Light of Christ. In burning candles, our prayers rise to Heaven day and night. Prayers for the saint's intercessions are also common because of their friendship with God in Heaven. Saints are powerful intercessors. So make it a practice to light a candle for your loved ones often. Live the Liturgy - Inspiration for the Week This Gaudete day calls us to rejoice because the Lord is near. Does your heart rejoice and sing, or are the pressures and burdens of life weighing you down? We can easily become overwhelmed. The weaknesses and sins of life, indeed our own weakness and sin, eat away at the joy and hope God wants us to know. Those who are grounded in their faith and possess deep spiritual lives know that God is near. Realizing this puts life into perspective. We really want to be free from our burdens but do not always know how to achieve this. We keep stumbling and falling. Advent is a time when we can learn to "do life differently," just like John the Baptist instructed the crowds. Joy and hope are the gifts God offers, not anxiety and despair. THANK YOU Religious give thanks. "This money is pure gift," writes a religious sister of the support made possible by the Retirement Fund for Religious. "It enables us to continue providing care for our elderly sisters." Your gift to last week's collection helps hundreds of religious communities meet pressing retirement needs while continuing to serve the People of God. Thank you for your generosity! KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS MEMBERSHIP DRIVE The Knights of Columbus is planning a membership drive and are looking for interested Catholic gentlemen. The membership drive will take place in January. Becoming a Knight opens many opportunities to Catholic gentleman, from helping to support the parish and giving back to the community through charitable acts, to growing in faith and having exclusive access to a top-rated insurance program. Our common bond among Knights is our devotion to the Catholic faith and our brotherhood in Christ. We have joined together to help one another become better Christians, better husbands, better fathers, better providers for the financial protection of our families, and better citizens of our country. As Brothers in Christ, we place special emphasis on charity, the first principle of our Order. If you re interested, please fill out a Form 100 that you ll find in the Narthax hallway, on the wall outside of the front office. We will be happy to describe our array of programs and answer your questions about becoming a Knight. If you re one of those gentlemen who s taken a Form 100 (membership document) and hasn t turned it in, or you re just filling one out please contact Vic Garcia at (719) 282-7861 or (719) 338-3725, skvicgarcia@gmail.com. Vic, is St. Gabriel and John Vianney Council 12335 Membership Drive Chairman and is normally home in the evenings. If you miss him, please just leave a message or send an email, and he ll call you back. We ll set-up an interview where we can meet you and answer any questions you may have about the Knights of Columbus. St. Gabriel the Archangel 6 Colorado Springs, CO
Third day of Advent Gaudete day Gaudete day derives its name from the opening prayer of the Mass for this day, where we pray, "Gaudete in Domino semper" (Rejoice in the Lord always). So in the midst of Advent fasting and devotions, we rejoice because the time we have been preparing for is almost at hand. You may see rosecolored vestments and additions to the church environment due to this special day. A day like this is always good to remind us not to take ourselves too seriously. The life of a Christian is not always easy, but it is one of joy. If we keep our heads bowed too long, no one will be able to see the smiles on our faces. The New Evangelization calls us to spread the good news with a joy that can be infectious. I remember being at a Eucharistic Congress one time where there was a booth set up by an order of sisters promoting vocations. I couldn't help but to take notice of how much they laughed and how they smiled. I thought, "Who wouldn't want to see what they are about?" Does our joy in the Lord serve as an invitation for others to seek out Christ? Dec 17 Dec 18 Dec 19 Dec 20 Dec 21 Dec 22 Dec 23 PRAY FOR VOCATIONS Mike Crocker, Candidate John (Jay) Doherty, Candidate Steve Prebeck, Candidate John Riley, Candidate Paul Ruff, Candidate Rob Rysavy II, Candidate Bob Seydel, Candidate TITHING RECIPIENT Today s Tithe is for Catholic Campus Ministry. Catholic Campus Ministry helps students live authentically Catholic lives on campus. They provide day and Weekday Masses, Men's and Women's Groups, FOCUS, Weekly Dinners, Service Projects, Socials, Bible Studies, Retreats, Hikes, Pilgrimages, Eucharistic Adoration, Confession, and Spiritual Direction. Please pray for the people supported by this organization. ALTAR FLOWERS There will be No Altar Flowers during Advent. May the joy of the Lord be yours on this Gaudete day! The Lord is coming, soon and very soon! PRAYER CHAIN If you have a request for needed prayers, strength, hope, courage or thanksgiving for yourself, family or friends, please email ncbelanger54@gmail.com. READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF DEC 16 Monday: Gn 49:2, 8-10/Ps 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17 [cf. 7]/Mt 1:1-17 Tuesday: Jer 23:5-8/Ps 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19 [cf. 7]/ Mt 1:18-25 Wednesday: Jgs 13:2-7, 24-25a/Ps 71:3-4a, 5-6ab, 16-17 [cf. 8]/Lk 1:5-25 Thursday: Is 7:10-14/Ps 24:1-2, 3-4ab, 5-6 [cf. 7c and 10b]/Lk 1:26-38 Friday: Sg 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18a/Ps 33:2-3, 11-12, Saturday: 20-21 [1a; 3a]/Lk 1:39-45 1 Sm 1:24-28/1 Sm 2:1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd [cf. 1a]/Lk 1:46-56 day: Mi 5:1-4a/Ps 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 [4]/ Heb 10:5-10/Lk 1:39-45 Sat Dec 15 5:00 pm for: Eugenia Stagl (+) Dec 16 8:30 am for: Pierce Ford (+) Dec 16 10:30 am pro populo Dec 16 12:30 pm for: Cristiana Capelletti-Curry (+) Dec 16 4:30 pm for: Stefan Klein Bday (SI) Mon Dec 17 12:15 pm NO MASS Tue Dec 18 12:15 pm for: Deacon Mike (SI) Wed Dec 19 12:15 pm for: Augustin B. Atilano Jr. (+) Thur Dec 20 12:15 pm for: Kyle Adam Halstead (SI) Fri Dec 21 12:15 pm for: Ed & Ja Ja Garcia (SI) Sat Dec 22 5:00 pm for: Hap Winter (+) Dec 23 8:30 am pro populo Dec 23 10:30 am for: Hugo Botto & Pablo Pe'rez (+) Dec 23 12:30 pm for: Sister Katie Grieshop (+) Dec 23 4:30 pm for: Nader Fred Deen (+) St. Gabriel the Archangel 7 Colorado Springs, CO