“They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” -Matt. 2:10-11
Dear Parish Family of St. Mary, +JMJ+
“Let the full number of the nations now take their place in the family of the patriarchs. Let the children of the promise now receive the blessing in the seed of Abraham, the blessing renounced by the children of his flesh. In the persons of the Magi let all people adore the Creator of the universe; let God be known, not in Judea only, but in the whole world, so that his name may be great in all Israel.” (from a sermon by Pope St. Leo the Great)
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"If the Magi had come in search of an earthly King, they would have been disconcerted at finding that they had taken the trouble to come such a long way for nothing. Consequently they would have neither adored nor offered gifts. But since they sought a heavenly King, though they found in Him no signs of royal pre-eminence, yet, content with the testimony of the star alone, they adored: for they saw a man, and they acknowledged a God."
~St. John Chrysostom
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We Saw His Star at its Rising!
This Sunday we will celebrate The Epiphany of Our Lord. The “Magi from the east” show us that this baby is Christ the Lord as they do Him homage and bring Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. His kingly office is represented by gold, His divinity by frankincense, and His manhood by myrrh. Thus, the Magi offered him frankincense as their God; gold as their king; and myrrh as their fellow man, subject to suffering and death. "...King and God and Sacrifice..." Notice in this Sunday’s readings that the Magi are not named, but their gifts to Jesus are named. What gifts do you and I bring to baby Jesus this year?
Season of Christmas in the Church
Sunday, January 7. Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
January 8. Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord
[Christmas ends and Ordinary Time begins on Tuesday, January 9th.]
Explore the Season of Christmas--http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/seasons/Christmas/
As the Baptism of our Lord is celebrated Monday, we are reminded that we are commissioned by our own baptism to serve and gift with our time, talent, and treasure.
As the Christmas Season almost comes to an official end, we are grateful to all of you who made it so special here at St. Mary and St. Sebastian Parishes from our guests and visitors, to our musicians, decorators, gift givers, angels, and everyone in-between! THANK YOU! May the blessings of this Christmas Season keep us focused on Christ Jesus and one another in this New Year!
There will be a Soup Supper Fellowship after this Saturday Evening 5pm Mass on Sat., Jan. 6th. There is no cost and you do not have to bring anything. So please join us for Parish Fellowship!
To support Pro-Life efforts locally and nationally, we are offering a sign up of support for the unborn and accepting donations after all the Masses. Mrs. Karen Donberger and helpers will be collecting signatures of support for the unborn and accepting donations; those names will be published in local newspapers as the anniversary of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, Jan. 22nd, approaches. Please prayerfully consider support of this worthy endeavor.
I am very thankful for the many cards, letters, gifts, food, and more from you and so many. I am most grateful for your love, kindness, prayers, and goodness expressed in so many ways. As we prepare to continue our Christmas Season in the New Year, I want to express a heartfelt THANK YOU!!!
St. Sebastian and St. Mary churches are just down right gorgeous, decorated as they are for Christmas!!! Many have expressed heartfelt comments on the beauty and detail of the Christmas decorations since they have been put up. AGAIN, an extraordinary THANKS to those who have brought us so much happiness and light through this beauty!!!
At the beginning of this New Year, it is a great time to start the Catholic CD received as a Christmas gift! And it is a great time to take a look at the booklet, “Seven Daily Habits for Faithful Catholics,” as it can greatly aid your changing your day and your life for Jesus and His Church. Things change, when our habits and efforts change as Matthew Kelly tells us. So take steps to make this New Year God has given us to be very effective and truly better in our lives and the lives of those around us! If you were not at our Christmas Masses, extra copies of these in gift bags are at the doors of church (red for adults; blue for school age children).
Mr. Jonathan Blaize, a native of Wabash County, is finishing out his second year of monastic temporary vows at St Meinrad Archabbey in St Meinrad Indiana. He was given the religious name of Brother Joel. Two years ago this Jan. 20th, he professed temporary vows for 3 years. Let us please support him with your personal prayers and our parish prayers now and in the future! Thank you.
Benefit Draw tickets for St. Mary School are now available! 69 chances to win monetary prizes totaling almost $10,000! Early Bird drawings start mid-Dec. These make great stocking stuffers while supporting St. Mary School directly. Tickets may be purchased from most St. Mary School Parents, at St. Mary School, or the Church Office. Thank you for your support!
A tremendous THANK YOU to all who support St. Mary Parish in any way. Most especially, we are grateful to all who have helped respond to Mr. Jim Tennis’s talk and helping us meet our budgeted obligations and continue to do so. THANK YOU!
RCIA classes will resume Monday, January 8th.
A fruitful, engaging Men’s Faith Sharing Group meets Monday evenings 7-8:30pm. We have an excellent book, real-life topics, delicious food, and faith. Please join us at the Knights of Columbus Hall diagonal to St. Mary Church this Monday, January 8. A similar group for women will be beginning soon, a bit closer to Lent (mid-February).
Our Catechism Bible Study starts up again Tuesday, Jan. 9th at 6:30pm at St. Mary Gathering Hall! We will be looking in depth at the Sacraments of the Church. AND we will be going over the Gospel of Mark in the Bible component. St. Mark is the Gospel we use this liturgical cycle B at Sunday Mass. Any questions, just let me know. Hope to see you there!
Did You Know…
that the space where our Gathering Hall is used to be an outside walkway between the rectory and the church? Our current Gathering Hall was added in 2004, through the generous donation of our parishioners. “Its first official use was on July 8th, due the extra efforts of the workers.” It is used every day for gatherings of all kind. In fact, tonight (Saturday) we will share in a Parish Fellowship Soup Supper.
January 20th and 21st there will be a Quest here at Mt. Carmel. Quest is Loving Jesus, Loving Others, and Loving Yourself. Quest is a fast-paced 33-hour Christian experience for high school freshmen and sophomores. It is a time to come together to find out about God, friendships, and self in a fun-filled, thoughtful, and carefree surrounding. A time to meet new people while praying, playing, singing, and sharing with them. Quest gives you the chance to search for the real you. Some of our own Youth Group members will be attending. We would like any other freshman and sophomores or Adult observers to join us. Call or text Ann James at 262-6605 to sign up.More information at: www.bellevilletec.org
The Nursery Ministry (0-3) continues every Sunday at the 10:30am Mass.
Today, at our 10:30am Sunday Mass we continue our Children’s Liturgy of the Word (CLW).
Love and prayers in Jesus through Mary, loved by St. Joseph,
-Father Robert
P.S. Be sure to check out www.SMSrockets.org for all the latest updates of the school and www.StMarysParish.net to check out the latest updates for the parish.
“Heavenly Father, thank you for the precious gift of life. Help us to cherish and protect this gift, even in the midst of fear, pain, and suffering. ... Grant us the humility to accept help when we are in need, and teach us to be merciful to all. Amen.”
A Bit of Humor: Meeting Mom
My cousin was in love and wanted to introduce his bride-to-be to his hypercritical mother. But in order to get an unbiased opinion, he invited over three other female friends as well and didn’t tell his mom which one he intended to marry.
After the four women left, he asked his mother, "Can you guess which one I want to marry?"
"The one with short hair."
"Yes! How’d you know?"
"Because that’s the one I didn’t like."
Eat the Colors - Over dinner, I explained the health benefits of a colorful meal to my family. "The more colors, the more variety of nutrients," I told them. Pointing to our food, I asked, "How many different colors do you see?" "Six," volunteered my daughter. "Seven if you count the burned parts."
The Irishman's dog - Muldoon lived alone in the Irish countryside with only a pet dog for company. One day, the dog died, and Muldoon went to the parish priest and said, "Father, my dog is dead. Could ya' be sayin' a Mass for the poor creature?" Father Patrick replied, "I'm afraid not. We cannot have services for an animal in the church. But there is a new denomination down the lane, and there's no tellin' what they believe. Maybe they'll do something for the creature.
"Muldoon said, "I'll go right away Father. Do ya' think $5,000 is enough to donate for the service?"
Father Patrick exclaimed, "Sweet Mary, Mother of Jesus! Why didn't ya' tell me the dog was Catholic?"
The Young and New Ideas
The elderly priest, speaking to the younger priest, said, "It was a good idea to replace the first four pews with plush bucket theater seats. It worked like a charm. The front of the church always fills first now."
The young priest nodded, and the old priest continued, "And you told me adding a little more beat to the music would bring young people back to church, so I supported you when you brought in that rock 'n roll gospel choir. Now our services are consistently packed to the balcony."
"Thank you, Father," answered the young priest. "I am pleased that you are open to the new ideas of youth."
"All of these ideas have been well and good," said the elderly priest, "But I'm afraid you've gone too far with the drive-thru confessional."
"But, Father," protested the young priest, "my confessions and the donations have nearly doubled since I began that!"
"Yes," replied the elderly priest, "And I appreciate that.
But the flashing neon sign on the church roof reading, 'Toot 'n Tell or Go to Hell' has got to go!
Epiphany of the Lord-Jan. 7, 2018- Month of the Holy Name of Jesus
+JMJ+
This Merry Christmas Season has brought us into a Happy New Year! NOW is the time to lay to rest the old year with all its joys and sorrows, disappointments and surprises. We do this best if we entrust it and ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Then we need to beg of Jesus through Mary, loved by St. Joseph through the Father’s Blessing for all the graces we need for this new year of 2016.
Epiphany (from Latin epiphania “to manifest,” “to show”)
- solemnity observed in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles (traditionally observed on January 6 but now on the second Sunday in the Christmas Season)
Solemnity (from Latin sollemnis “regularly appointed”)
-highest rank of liturgical celebration in the Catholic Church;
-a marked feast day of great importance and significance
SACRED SCRIPTURE CORNER
Epiphany
"When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was.When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy;and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh." Matthew 2:9-11
The visit of the Magi fulfilled the several prophecies of the Old Testament: Balaam prophesied about the coming Messiah marked by a star: "I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob and a staff shall rise from Israel..." (Nm 24:17). Psalm 72 speaks of how the Gentiles will come to worship the Messiah: "The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts, the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. All kings shall pay Him homage, all nations shall serve Him" (Ps 72:10-11). Isaiah also prophesied the gifts: "Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord" (Is 60:6).