saint FRancis xavier parish The Christmas Season 2018 Our Mission Statement St. Francis Xavier is a Catholic- Jesuit parish ignited by the Eucharist To Pray, Serve, Do Justice, and Love.
An Examination of Consciousness for the Fourth Week of Advent: Wonder in His Coming as a Child Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled. Luke 1:39-45 TAKE 5 DEEP BREATHS: Inhale saying, Come. Exhale saying, Jesus. EXAMINE YOUR LIFE AT THIS MOMENT: What must I let go of to receive the coming of the Child? What must I do to welcome Christ in those around me? What brings me the childlike wonder this day? ASK FOR YOUR DESIRE: A SENSE OF WONDER AT THE MYSTERY OF GOD WHO IS ONE WITH US. Because of his boundless love, Jesus became what we are that he might make us to be what he is. -Irenaeus of Lyons 2
"Let us dance with delight in the Lord, and let our hearts be filled with rejoicing, for the Light of the world has appeared on the earth, Alleluia." Liturgy of the Hours It is easy to forget that the Incarnation was a free choice. That it did not have to happen. God did not have to come among us as a baby, weak and vulnerable, susceptible to all the things that the world and human sinfulness can throw at a person. The great feast of Christmas is a celebration of the Incarnation - a celebration of love Freely Given. God did not have to come to us at all. Now, there are reasons that we take for granted that God had to enter the world to redeem the human race in part, because we cannot image it not happening, cannot imagine what it would be like to be truly left on our own, left to our own devices. But we can also take it for granted because something like it had always happened before. After all, isn t that what God does? God, the Creator of the Universe, time and again, rescues us from our own fears, our own mistakes, our own acts of rebellion and self-will. Since that first day in the Garden when we were so afraid that the One who had breathed life into us might not want to give us all that we desired we have tried to take what we want on our own, picking it like fruit from a tree, at the behest of our constant companion, the serpent. And it always seemed to end so badly. We always ended up hiding in the bushes, afraid and embarrassed and realizing we have just learned more than we ever wanted to know and that we had lost a little bit more of Paradise. But God was always there, even when we had to face the consequences of our actions. We left the Garden and were blocked from returning, but there was God, right behind us as we went out into the world. But, each time that we walked away or hid from God, each time we tried to prove that we could do it ourselves, God stayed with us and was right there when we turned around. So, maybe that is why we could take it for granted that saving us is what God does, and what God would do. But still, we never quite trusted it; we were always afraid. Maybe next time would be different, we thought; maybe next time, God won t be there when we call. And so we continued the cycle testing the boundaries of God s love for us, surprised by God s persistence, then fearful of the day love would reach its limit. And, honestly, at any time, God could have stopped. There was no force that compelled God to save us no demand of justice, no co-dependent compulsion that moved the divine heart, no self-interest that was served by our repeated rescue. A million other species have risen and fallen, just on our little planet, and life goes on. God s creation continues to exist. So, there was no reason for God to save us, over and over again. There was (and is) no merit that makes our salvation inevitable, or even deserved. Except that God loves us. God loves us that s it. And loving us, God does not want us to perish; but more than that, because God loves us absolutely and entirely, and in a way that makes no sense to any reasonable person, God also wants us to get over our fear that someday we may reach the limits of God s patience, our fear that somehow God might leave us a fear that always makes us susceptible to the serpent s cunning, to those temptations of avarice and power, of violence and pride that come to us in so many different forms. The Incarnation of God in Jesus is a purely free act of unconditional love. It is God s eternal promise of communion with us in everything we are, and everything God is. This promise is made irrevocable by the blood and flesh of this tiny baby, Mary s child and God s own Son. Conceived of an unmarried maiden in an occupied country; born far from the safety of his parents home, in a hovel meant for animals; unwelcome in the places of power and among people of influence; unnoticed by all but a few shepherds, the most outcast members of the community, Jesus does not enter this world like an all powerful deity, seeking supplicants. 3
Rather, he comes like One seeking companions, sisters and brothers who know what it is to be frail and outcast, cold and alone; who know what it is to suffer all the disorders born of Original Sin and human failure. He comes as One who needs to suckle, as we have suckled, and to be held, as we have been held. With total freedom, God in this child Jesus becomes totally dependent upon us, and so surrenders to us everything that we once feared we could not have, and everything that we could ever desire. Not by our power, not by our snatching it from the tree of the Garden, but as a pure and eternal gift it comes to us, this grace of life in its fullness. God gives it to us...or rather, God gives himself to us, and so makes us one with God. To put it in the words of St. Irenaeus of Lyon: Because of his boundless love, Jesus became what we are, that he might make us to be what he is. May this boundless love, this eternal gift, bless us all this Christmas. May it free our world from fear, and each of us from the power of fear. May the child given to us by perfect love allow us to love every child as though she or he were perfect because each of them is, a perfect child of God and a sister or brother of God s Son. On this Great Feast of Christmas May we know we are always welcome here in this sanctuary and within this parish family. May we open our eyes and our hearts this week and feel the invitation to return every week for this grace. May we allow ourselves to see and believe, even if we are not ready, even if we are afraid. May we embrace the leap of Joy our God makes into our hearts: On behalf of Frs. Perry, SJ, Hightower, SJ and all the staff, we wish you: Merry Christmas and blessings in this holy season, Pastor 4
Items of Note: New Years Eve Benediction & Vigil for Life and Peace A collaboration of St. Anthony & St. Francis Xavier Parishes Come & Pray with Us, for Just a Little While. Pray for Peace and for the Life of the World. Pray for Refugees and those on the Margins. Pray, that Your Own Life Might Be One with God. 9:00 pm - Midnight Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament Join us at St. Francis Xavier Parish Make a stranger feel like a King for a day In the spirit of the Irish tradition of Little Christmas and the Spanish Tres Reyes (3 Kings), we are asking 50 families or individuals to take home an Epiphany box on December 30th and for the following few days add a couple of the small items on the enclosed list. On Epiphany Sunday, bring back your box and we will deliver them all to the Poverello shelter. This is a great way to have a little fun and at the same time, be mindful of the needs of others as we celebrate the abundance of our own family`s Christmas. 1 Warm hat, 2 gloves or mittens, 3 foot warmers, 4 wool socks, 5 rolls of tp, 6 cans of food, 7 small toiletry items, 8 quarters for laundry, 9 minutes of prayer, 10 feet of scarf, 11 feet of dental floss, and 12 oz. of water. Boxes will be available West entrance. Pink Grizzly is generously providing St. Francis Xavier with Christmas trees once again! 5 As Christmas week is a very busy time for our priests & staffthe parish office will be closed the 24th of December thru the 1st of January. Please Note: Change of Parish Office Hours Beginning in January, the front office hours will change. The new hours will be Monday-Thursday 8:30 to 4:00 p.m. and CLOSED on Friday s.
Missoula Catholic Schools has a rolling admissions process and is actively accepting applications for this school year and next. Please contact the schools to set up your tour or with any questions you may have regarding admissions. Mark your calendars for all events surrounding this year's Catholic Schools Week beginning on Sunday, January 27th with all MCS Masses in each parish and concluding on Saturday, February 2nd. The week is packed with events, activities, SJS Admissions' Open House (Thursday, Feb. 1 from 9:30-11am), prayer and missionary discipleship efforts. Help us celebrate the gift of YOUR Catholic schools! May the peace, joy, and love of the Christmas season be present in your lives each day of the New Year. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Thank you to all who participated in any way with the Giving Tree this year. We provided over 650 gifts and over 70 food boxes to our neighbors in need! Journey Missoula Weekends held at Christ the King Community, prayer, reflection,& discussion Women s - January 10-13, 2019 Contact: Amy Nulliner abcnulliner@msn.com 406.546.6855 Men s - January 17-10, 2019 Contact: Jeff Morren mtmobis11@gmail.com 406.396.8409 Win a trip for two to Ireland! Raffle sponsored by Friends of Irish Studies, friendsofirishstudies.com Support UM Irish Studies Program and Irish Language & Culture in Montana! Plus car rental and spending money; or a $1,000 Gas Voucher; or a $500 Visa Card!!! $5 per ticket or $25 per book of six! Tickets: Rockin Rudy s, The Stone of Accord, Thomas Meagher Bar, and all Noon s stores Drawing: March 31, 2019 For more information about the schools and related events, please contact Kathy Schneider, Loyola Sacred Heart High School Principal at 406-549-6101 and/or Christina Vierra McGill, St. Joseph School Principal at 406-549-1290. -------------------------------------------------------In need of a snack for Superbowl? Let the youth make it for you! The high school youth group is selling pizzas as a fundraiser. Pizzas will be available for pickup after all Masses on February 2nd & 3rd. Please return the order form below along with payment to the office no later than January 20th! 6
December 2018 The Christmas Season Last Chance for Tax Deduction! Time is running out on a 2018 charitable tax donation to St. Francis Xavier Parish. We are soooo grateful for the support we have received this Christmas Season! If you are still planning on making a year-end donation, please consider doing so soon. St. Francis Xavier Has thrived for over 125 years because of the love and commitment of parishioners like you who have continued to support the good works of our church. We cannot thank you enough for your ongoing support! Mass Times: Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God 7:00 p.m. December 31st & 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. January 1st 2019 We invite you to visit our website & our social media pages. See what is happening at St. Francis Xavier and throughout the larger community! Collections for Sunday, December 16, 2018 Regular Offering - $8930.50 Loose Collections - $1427.30 Immaculate Conception - $5.00 Maintenance - $200.00 Religious Retirement - $130.00 Christmas - $180.00 Christmas Flowers - $783.00 Online Giving - $1162.20 Thank you for your generous giving! For information on Jesuit vocations BeAJesuit.org Prayers May --- SP Daugherty, Dee Dee Hasquet, Sylvia Dickerson, Kim Mansch, Deanna Huseth, and Mary Carver receive His healing and consolation. May --- Marjorie Hubber and Bill Sawyer rest in peace in Our Lord s Loving arms. Please continue to place the names of your loved ones in our Red book of prayers. Mass Intentions for The Month of December, 2018 Saturday 12/22 Sunday 12/23 Monday 12/24 Tuesday 12/25 Wednesday 12/26 Thursday 12/27 Friday 12/28 Saturday 12/29 Sunday 12/30 Monday 12/31 Tim Hubbard Trisha Hagan For the People* John & Betty Coyle Jerry Lubbers Elvira, Joseph & Jim Giuliani Bob Beausoleil For the People* Tim Burger Fred Dewing Alex Villaraza David Blade Judy Spores For the People* Kate Deeds Fred Froehlich Sean C. Smith Sheila Combo St. Francis Xavier Parish will often use parishioner likeness in print, video, website or in social media sites for the purpose of sharing our church community with others. 420 West Pine Street, Missoula MT, 59802 406.542.0321 sfxmissoula.org 7