MERRY CHRISTMAS! As we continue to celebrate the Christmas season, today the Church honors and celebrates the FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY. Jesus’ mother, Mary, and His foster father, Joseph, each trusted in the Lord when they accepted the unique start to their family. Though their family faced dangers from the start, they remained united in love and relied on their trust in God. The structure of families has changed over the years, but no matter what our family structure is, all families are called to be holy families. We look to the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as a model for our family.

As we begin our last week of preparation for the coming of the Lord, we listen to the Scripture readings today, we observe the preparations three others took during earlier eras. King David intended to prepare a house for the ark of God, but God revealed a more important house to prepare. Saint Paul completed his letter to the Romans, a church he had helped prepare for the mystery of Christ. In the Gospel, once more we hear Mary accept the invitation to bear the Son of God. In these final days of Advent, let us prepare a place in our hearts for the Word of God.

Thank you to all who participated in the Giving Tree program. Gifts and food baskets were delivered Tuesday, December 15. All were greatly appreciated!

Today, the Third Sunday of Advent, is known as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is Latin for “rejoice” which is the initial word of today’s entrance antiphon. We rejoice today, for the coming of the Lord is so near that we cannot help but think about it. Perhaps we are starting to feel overwhelmed by all that we need to do between now and Christmas. Let this be an opportunity to refocus our attention on the true reason we celebrate this time of year. Rejoice, the Lord is near!

Tuesday, December 8th—a Holy Day of Obligation. Mass schedule: Vigil Mass on Monday, December 7th at 5:00 P.M. Mass on December 8th at 6:30 A.M., 8:15 A.M. (School Mass. If parishioners attend, you are asked to sit in the last few pews of the main section of church or in the day chapel. Because of Covid-19, and physical distancing, the students take up most of the church.) The evening Mass will be a 7:00 P.M. The Church Office will be closed Tuesday, December 8.

Today, on this Second Sunday of Advent, we will hear the beginning of the Gospel of Mark (1:1- 8), where we hear the mandate of John the Baptist: Prepare the way of the Lord! Repent! The message at the end of today’s Gospel offers us hope: “One mightier than I is coming after me.”

Today, we begin the season of Advent which marks the beginning of the new liturgical year for the Church. With the beginning of a new liturgical year, will also be a new cycle for readings at Mass. We begin Cycle B in which we will hear from the Gospel of Mark proclaimed semicontinuously throughout 2021. Mark’s Gospel is the oldest, composed around 70 A.D. The Gospel consists of two parts: the first eight chapters are dedicated to Jesus’ ministry in and around Galilee. The next eight chapters are about Jesus’ journey and arrival in Jerusalem—his destiny.

We will have Mass on Thanksgiving morning at 8:00 A.M.

Our Book of All Souls will be in the sanctuary from All Saints’ - Thanksgiving for you to write the names of your departed ones in the book. They will be remembered at Masses during the month of November (the month of All Souls).

Today is the last Sunday of the liturgical year, and we end on a “high note.” We celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. Today’s Gospel account is about Christ at the end of the world. It is the story of the final judgment: The Son of Man will separate the sheep from the goats. What is the difference between the sheep and the goats? Jesus, in the Gospel tells us, that the sheep took care of God’s son in the form of those in need without calculation of reward. The goats, on the other hand, did nothing. As we hear in the Gospel and as we were taught in school, the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy, are essential for our salvation.

This week’s Scripture readings continue to focus on the parables about the end times. Today, in the Gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the talents. Two of the servants used them to make more; the third servant buries his talent in the ground. The question for us to ponder, “are we using our talents as well as we could?” Let us consider how we use our God-given talents and how we could use them more beneficially.

We have two weeks left in this liturgical year. As we near the close of another liturgical year, the readings focus upon the end times and the last judgment. This year, those themes begin today. We are reminded that we cannot know either the day or the hour. Therefore, we should always be prepared. Are we ready to meet the Lord?

Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of All Saints. The Church remembers all those women and men, our relatives and friends, who have gone to their eternal reward. The Church is a living entity transcending time and space and so we are joined with the saints and they with us as we strive to live lives that witness to our faith. Placing our hope in God and striving to lead virtuous lives, we look toward salvation and eternal life, and are reminded that we are called to be saints.

The Old Testament lists more than 600 laws by which the Israelite people were to live. Jesus, in fulfilling the law, tells us that the whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments: loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Living by God’s law is the best advertisement in drawing others to want to know and follow Jesus. Our actions really do speak louder than our words.

Today is WORLD MISSION SUNDAY. We celebrate this day by remembering our baptismal call—to bring the Gospel to all! The second collection today for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith supports the work and witness of the Mission Church, as it provides for priests, religious sisters and brothers, and lay leaders who offer the Lord’s mercy and concrete help to the most vulnerable communities in the Pope’s missions.

As we move to the end of another liturgical year, our Scripture readings begin to speak to us about the end times. Full of hope and encouragement, they are meant to spur us on to faithful Gospel living no matter what befalls us in this life. The prophet Isaiah tells of the great banquet the Lord will prepare for His people at the end of time. In the Gospel, Jesus once again teaches us by way of a parable, comparing the kingdom of heaven to another special feast—the king’s wedding feast.

Vigil—5:00 P.M., Saturday, October 31; Sunday, November 1, 2020 - 8:00 A.M. and 11:00 A.M.; The second collection the weekend of October 31 and November 1 will be the annual Cemetery upkeep collection.  We ask for your continued support and generosity. The Blessing of the Cemetery will take place immediately following the 11:00 A.M. Mass.  Due to COVID-19, the annual chicken and andouille gumbo traditionally served on All Saints’ Day is canceled.