Pastor's Column for December 26, 2021

Since Christmas falls on a Saturday this year, this bulletin covers the feast of the Nativity (the Birth of Christ) as well as the feast of the Holy Family on the Sunday following Christmas. So first, let me welcome all of you who are joining us today for Christmas. It is good to have both our parishioners and also our guests to join together in the praise of God as we give thanks for the gift of the Incarnation. We are not, as much of the world believes, simply celebrating the birthday of a good man today. Rather, we are in awe of the fact that the Almighty, Eternal, and All-Powerful Creator, loves us so deeply that He would choose not only to be with us, but to become one of us. This is an incomprehensible mystery…that God planned to so unite us with Himself that He would take on our human nature and make it divine. So again, this is not just a birthday celebration but a magnificent feast that must be celebrated with awe, reverence and the fear of God. This “fear of God” does not mean we are afraid of God but that we are afraid of not being with God because He is Life itself. As the Scriptures say, God is Love. So let us gather together today to open ourselves up to this great mystery of God and seek to be overwhelmed by God’s beauty, love and life. If you have not been in church recently because of COVID, it is good to have you here today. If you have not been in church for any other reason, it is again good to have you here today. God invites all of us, sinners that we are, to come to Him and to be loved by Him. Jesus most especially reached out to sinners so that we might all know how to become saints. So whether you have been with us all along this past year or are here with us today simply because it is Christmas, welcome! We invite you to keep coming back here to be with us, to pray with us and to learn with us about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In order for the parish staff to be able to celebrate the holidays after working hard to prepare for them, the rectory office will be closed until Tuesday, December 28th. We will then be closed again on Friday, December 31st and on Monday, January 3rd, in order to enjoy the New Year holiday and will re-open on Tuesday, January 4th . I’m sure that a question I’ll hear a lot today is, “Do I have to come to Mass again this Sunday (December 26th)?” Well, I’d rather hear you ask the question this way: “Can I come to Mass again this Sunday?” But either way, the answer is yes! Today (whether you’re here on Friday, Christmas Eve or Saturday, Christmas Day), we are celebrating Christmas. Sunday, December 26th, we are celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family. Two different feasts. Two different reasons to celebrate. And to clear up any potential confusion for next weekend, January 1st this year (actually next year as it will be 2022!) is NOT a holy day of obligation as it falls on a Saturday. So you can join us for Mass either on Saturday, January 1st or on Sunday, January 2nd for the feast of the Epiphany. It will be so much easier next year (2023). My sincere thanks to everyone who sent cards, cookies, pastries & other Christmas gifts to us. Thank you to all those who work extra hard to help us celebrate these holy days by helping to decorate the church or by providing beautiful music to lift up our hearts in song. We are grateful for your generous donations which help us to live the Christmas message throughout the year. We ask the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary & Joseph, whose feast we celebrate on Sunday, December 26th, to pray for each of our families and to pray for our parish family here at St. Leo