Dear Friends,
Our celebration of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord this weekend brings to a conclusion the celebration of the Christmas season in the Church. The Church celebrates the Advent and Christmas seasons more reverently and properly than does our surrounding increasingly secular, and might I say, Godless culture. Advent is a time of waiting, preparation, expectation and longing. It is a time to stop, to pray, to spend time in silence. Of course, all around us, at least in normal preCOVID times, the days of Advent are a time of endless running around, shop-ping, and preparing the home and family for Christmas. While there is nothing inherently wrong with that, it does detract from a proper, spiritual observance of Advent. I deplore the fact that some people put up their Christmas trees at the time of or even before Thanksgiving and then take everything down even as early as the day after Christmas. Christmas is more than just one day. It is a season of three weeks or so, a time filled with real wonder as we celebrate some of the central mysteries of our faith. Christmas should live in the heart of everyone all the year long, but sadly its meaning and impact often get packed away far too soon. Enjoy the Christmas trees and the Nativity scene in both churches this weekend, for now that the season of Christmas will be over officially, they will be taken down and stored away.
In the Eastern Churches, the celebration of the mystery of the Epiphany traditionally recalls more than just the visit of the Magi to the Child Jesus at Bethlehem. Combined with that event, the mystery of the Lord’s Bap-tism by John in the Jordan is recalled, as is the mystery of the sign worked at the wedding in Cana, when Jesus turned ordinary water into very special wine. All of these events, these mysteries, are epiphanies in that they re-veal something about Jesus of great significance. The visit of the Magi to the Child Jesus reveals Jesus as the Savior of all people and not just his own, the Jewish people, for the Magi were Gentiles (nonJews) who recognized Jesus for who he really is. Most of us are Gentiles, too, and we are called to recognize Jesus as our Savior as well. The Baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan was the occasion at which the very voice of the Father himself was heard, proclaiming Jesus to be his “beloved Son, with whom [he was] well pleased.” The miracle or the sign at Cana revealed the glory of Jesus, the one who by changing ordinary water into excellent wine, has the power to change each of us, made from ordinary clay, into his hands, his feet, his eyes, his ears, and his heart in the world of our time.
We have launched into January. The annual time has arrived for the preparation of our federal and state income tax returns. Many of you will be asking for a statement of contributions from the parish for the year 2020. I would ask that you be patient with us, for it will take a few weeks for us to enter data from the remaining envelopes from the final weeks of the year and then convert the database to be able to produce the statements. They should be available toward the end of the month. I will remind everyone that we can issue statements only to those who are registered and use the parish support envelope system. We have no way to keep records on loose cash or checks deposited in the basket, the mail, or at the door.
Finally, I must make an announcement of a change in practice for the parish. Effective the first Sunday of February, February 7, we will no longer be including names in the Prayer of the Faithful for the sick. It has be-come cumbersome, and it can be a difficulty given concerns about privacy. Be assured that at every Mass, espe-cially on weekends, all the sick are included in our prayers. God knows who they are, and each of us can pray for our sick loved ones and friends by name. I know that I can count on your under-standing and cooperation.
Have a good week!