The 4th Sunday of Advent
A priest friend recently told me a remarkable story. One of his cousins reported having a vivid dream in which an angel told him the family needed to exhume their grandmother’s body from a cemetery in New York and return it to her birthplace in Romania. She had been dead nearly ten years. As you might expect, the family thought it was, well, crazy. But astonishingly they exhumed her body. It was incorrupt, showing no signs of decomposition. That experience sparked healing, faith, and reconciliation throughout the family. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Joseph also receives a dream. He’s confused, afraid. But in the quiet of sleep, God speaks: “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home” (Matthew 1:20). When he wakes, Joseph acts. He doesn’t overanalyze or dismiss the message. He trusts, and acts. God still speaks — not necessarily through literal dreams but through those deeper intuitions of the heart. St. Ignatius of Loyola taught that God’s voice draws us into peace, courage, and love. But we have to listen to it. Advent is a time for stillness. As we prepare for Christ’s coming, we’re invited to enter that quiet space where God’s voice can be heard. When and how do you become most receptive to God? Is it in silence? In prayer? In nature? At Mass? This week, go there. Be still. Listen. And like Joseph, have the courage to act on what God shows you. — Father John Muir
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today we celebrate the fourth and last Sunday of Advent. On Thursday we will be celebrating the first day of Christmas. Please note the fact that I said first day of Christmas. So many people think of Advent as being the “Christmas” season and that Christmas ends on Christmas Day or January 1st which has nothing to do with Christmas at all. The Christmas season only starts on Christmas Day and does not end until January 11th this year which is the Baptism of the Lord. This means the manger, Christmas tree and decorations should all remain up until January 11th. However, no matter when you take it all down, the one thing that should not be placed out at the curb along with the Christmas tree is the Christmas spirit. It seems throughout the Christmas season people are friendly, courteous, and charitable. These are traits we are called to have not just at Christmas but every day all year around. Let us make sure to keep Christmas in our hearts every day, for remember that we are called to be friendly, courteous, and charitable all year round and it is needed every day, especially charity for the homeless are not only homeless during Christmas, the hungry aren’t only hungry during Christmas, the lonely are not only lonely during the Christmas season but all year. My brothers and sisters let us remember to carry the Christmas spirit of Joy, Hope and Love in our hearts every hour of every day of our lives.
God Bless you and have a wonderful week, Fr. Michael
EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP
RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
Wide-Open Eyes
When my first child was born, we had a nursery created for him that featured images from “The Beginner’s Bible” painted on all the walls. (You may have seen this Bible before, where the Biblical figures in the book all had large wide-open eyes.) Images of Adam and Eve, David and Goliath, and Jesus were displayed on all four walls. On the largest wall was a big picture of Noah’s Ark with lots of animals. As our son got older, we would point to images on the wall as we read bedtime stories to him. Our son is now in his 20’s and living several hours from us, so those days are far behind in our rearview mirror of life. We prepared quite a lot for his birth. When our next two children were born, the preparation time had decreased significantly. Most parents know what I am talking about. The newness of your first-born brings with it so much emotion that you are compelled to spend countless hours preparing. When the next children are born, you are certainly excited, but you act differently and with a little more reserve. For most readers, this is not your first Advent. It probably won’t be your last. If you approach these December days simply as a way to prepare for Christmas, you may find yourself just doing the same old thing as last year. However, if you spend this time reflecting on the time when Jesus returns or when you shall see him face-to-face, you might be able to stir up some of that emotion of anticipation within you. Jesus is coming again. When people of all ages understand that reality, it can be a cause for large, wide-open eyes indeed.- Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS
SEND A SEM A SENTIMENT
On the bulletin board in the vestibule is a list of seminarians. The Archdiocese is encouraging the faithful to send cards, letters, and well wishes to the seminarians. Take a picture of the list with your phone and send one (or more) of them a little uplifting message. Thank You!
PRAYER REQUESTS
That God will relieve their suffering and restore them to health. Please pray for:
Kellie Salata, Kelly Chinchar, Jessica, Daniel Breslin, Stanley, Joseph Marrone, Anthony, Michael, Joseph, Jessica Esopo, Steve, Audra, Bernadette, James Weiss, Baby Ford, Rosemary Malangone, Elizabeth Malangone, Sue West, Danny, Colleen Emery, Richard, Joan Russo, Christina Martin, Mornia Evans, Valerie Valverde, Diana McGuckin, Manny Scarangella, Cheryl Prinjinski, Ron Barth, Stephen West, John K. Hammel.
Holy Name Medical Center is looking for Eucharistic Ministers, volunteers, who are willing to help out in giving out Holy Communion to their patients. If you are interested, you can email them at pokafor@holyname.org or call their office at 201-833-3243 or stop by their Pastoral Care Office, behind the chapel, lobby/ground floor at Holy Name Medical Center.
SCRIPTURAL REFLECTIONS ON STEWARDSHIP
“When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.”
Putting our complete trust in the Lord without expecting anything in return. Striving to put God first in all things and follow Him wherever He may lead us. Joseph was a model of these pillars of our faith. As we prepare for the birth of our Lord, pray for the strength and courage to be a model of discipleship, just as Joseph was.
Thank you to everyone who donated to our Turkey Drive. We collected enough food to feed 207 families. We greatly appreciate each and every one of you!! Thank you to Tara Stendardi for organizing this.
The gift of Bread & Wine for the second two weeks of December has been given in memory of Charles Sylvestri by Jesse & Joanna Sylvestri.
The Sanctuary Lamp for the first two weeks of December has been given in memory of Carmela & Augie Sylvestri by Jesse & Joanna Sylvestri. The second two weeks have been given in memory of Walter Eckel, Stanley Czlapinski, the Eckel Family and the DeMeo Family by Maryann Eckel.
Please consider sponsoring our Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, and the oil for the Sanctuary Lamp.
Opportunities for Parish Support
There are several ways you can help support our parish and honor loved ones at the same time. As you may have noticed on the first Sunday of every month in our bulletin, we thank the donors of our Altar Gifts. You can donate the Bread & Wine, Altar Flowers, or the Sanctuary Lamp in a two-week block for $50 in someone’s memory. We have blocks open for this year. We also need to purchase a new Easter candle each year (the tall candle on the altar) for $300-$400 which can also be donated in someone’s memory. You do not have to fund the entire amount, anything you wish to donate towards the purchase of our Easter candle is appreciated. We also have masses available for your intentions. If you wish to honor someone in any of these ways, please call the rectory.
Prayer for our Nation
God our Father, giver of life, we entrust the United States of America to your loving care. You are the rock on which this nation was founded. You alone are the true source of our cherished rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Reclaim this land for your glory and dwell among your people. Send your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation’s leaders. Open their minds to the great worth of human life and the responsibilities that accompany human freedom. Remind your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing your will. Through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, patroness of our land, grant us the courage to reject the “culture of death.” Lead us into a new millennium of life. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.
Praying the ROSARY
The Rosary is a meditation, a time to recall and think about the life of Jesus as seen and experienced by Mary. As the model of faith, Mary’s life sets a pattern that we strive to follow: saying ‘yes’ to God’s will in our lives and sharing His love and message with others. The Mysteries of the Rosary form a mini lesson of faith, using the highlights and significant moments of the life of Jesus. Like paging through a family scrapbook, we see in brief the events of salvation history that are the core of our belief and the hope of our eternal life.
WE NEED BULLETIN ADVERTISERS!!
We would like to thank all the advertisers who have supported us throughout the past year. Our parish benefits greatly from the ads you see in the bulletin. The revenue pays for the printing which is an important means of communication for the parish. If we do not have enough advertisers, the cost of our bulletin goes up. We thank the local businesses that advertise with us especially in these tough economic times. We have some spaces on the back of our bulletin that need filling so if you would like to advertise your business as well as benefit your church, please contact John Patrick Publishing at 1-800-333-3166.
Please support our advertisers at the back cover of bulletin.