The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, MERRY CHRISTMAS! The Feast of the
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is celebrated on the
Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s. We know and
revere the Holy Family, But why have a feast for them? To
learn what it means to be a member of the one family of God
and do what our scriptural brothers and sisters we hear of
today: BELIEVE, LOVE and GIVE THANKS! All of us
have belonged to a family at one time or another. Some of
our families have been terrific; others perhaps have left
something to be desired. Whatever your case, you also belong
to the family of God. This membership has its perks
and its responsibilities. We are each loved and cherished by
God, but we each have our tasks to do. Jesus knew his tasks
early on. Let us pray and listen for clues about our place in
God’s family.

Tuesday is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God,
a Holy Day of Obligation. A Vigil Mass will be celebrated
on New Year’s Eve at 5:00 PM followed by a blessing over
our community and a light reception. Mass on New Year’s
Day will be celebrated at 10:00 AM. The is a good day to
ask how, when and to whom do I need to become an instrument
of God’s peace, like Mary, bearing Christ into the
world in the New Year 2013. Happy New Year!

The Tree of Hope is having another very successful year in
raising Hope for the less fortunate and those in great need.
Many compliments from those passing by! Jesus is the
Light of the World!

January 1 is the World Day of Prayer for Peace. This year’s
theme is Blessed are the Peacemakers, reminding us that we
all have a role to play in building peace in our community
and world. Jesus is the Prince of Peace!

Praying this week’s Christmas Day Psalm Response, A light
will shine on us: the Lord is born! Will help us to celebrate
the light that the birth of Jesus brought to our world!

Here we go Steelers here we go!

Fr. Bill
Peace

Trying to live a full life in the service of the Lord,
failing frequently and falling on the mercy of God each time….

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, on this Fourth Sunday of Advent our readings inform us
that our salvation comes from unlikely places: Bethlehem is too small,
and a young virgin and her barren cousin meet in a small-town in Israel.
What good can come from any of this? And yet, it is through these
seemingly insignificant people and places that God has chosen to act
decisively in human history. Are we open to God’s actions in unlikely
place of our own lives?

As we celebrate The Nativity of the Lord on Tuesday, December 25 we
can exclaim: Christmas has come! Today we celebrate the mystery of
the incarnation, when God became human in Jesus and we on Earth saw
the face of God. No wonder Angels announced the news! Our great and
mighty God came to us in a humble stable, not in an opulent palace. No
wonder shepherds rejoiced! As we gather with family and friends to
celebrate Christmas may you spend time marveling at how much God
loves us, and praise God for the Wonderful gift of such love. MERRY
CHRISTMAS!

As we continue to pray for the families and friends from Newtown, CT,
here is a Christmas prayer written by a wonderful Christian author, Max
Lucado: Dear Jesus, it’s a good thing you were born at night. This
world seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem
dimmer lately. These killings Lord. These children Lord. Innocence
violated . Raw evil demonstrated. The whole world seems on edge.
Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear threats of chemical weapons and
nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push away from annihilation? Your
world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark,
right? You came at night. The Shepherds were nightshift workers. The
Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows.
To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark.
Dark with Herod’s jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with
poverty. Dark with violence. Herod went on a rampage, killing babies.
Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before
you were a Nazarene. Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world
of your day. Won’t you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We,
like the wise men are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are
kneeling at a manger. This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be
born anew in us……Hopefully…your children…Amen.

Praying this week’s Christmas Day Psalm Response, A light will shine
on us: the Lord is born! Will help us to celebrate the light that the birth
of Jesus brought to our world!

Here we go Steelers here we go!

Fr. Bill
Peace

Trying to live a full life in the service of the Lord,
failing frequently and falling on the mercy of God each time….

Third Sunday of Advent

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear Friends, today is Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is a Latin
word that means “rejoice!” Today, we light the rose-colored
candle on our Advent wreath, rejoicing that Jesus is coming
soon. Yes, we rejoice that Christmas is now only a week
away, and that we have been redeemed by our Lord. As we
continue our Advent journey let’s try to think of all the reasons
you might have to rejoice and give thanks to God.

Friday, December 21 is the Winter Solstice. It is the turning
point of the year. For us, in the Northern Hemisphere it is the
shortest day and longest night. From now on the days will
lengthen. For many Christmas can be a time of sadness. We
miss loved ones who have died, our life changes due to difficult
times—through broken relationships, illness, loss of job,
loneliness and other struggles of life. In this Advent season
we are reminded of God’s promise that he is with us in our
struggles. Listen to the words of the Prophet Isaiah
“Comfort, comfort my people.” The angels voices offer us
peace. If you are feeling blue this Christmas Harrold Zion
Lutheran Church, located near Hempfield High School will
host the Longest Night Service on Friday, December 21 at
7:00 PM. Come join others on the longest night of the year
and find you are not alone.'

In these last days of Advent, from December 17 through December
23 the Church prays the “O” Antiphons. O Sapientia
(O Wisdom), O Adonai (Sacred Lord), O Radix Jesse (Root
of Jesse), Clavis David (Key of David), Oriens (Dawn), O
Rex gentium (King of peoples), and finally O Emmanuel
(God-is-with-us). We joyfully sing the “O” antiphons in the
popular Advent song, O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

We will begin to decorate for Christmas in the Church on
Wednesday, December 19 at 4:00 PM and we will put the
finishing touches on Sunday, December 23 after the 10:00
AM Mass. Come decorate Your Church for Christmas!

This week’s Psalm Response, Cry out with joy and gladness;
for among us is the Holy One of Israel, reminds us
that the coming of Christ brings great joy!

Here we go Steelers here we go!

Fr. Bill
Peace

Trying to live a full life in the service of the Lord,
failing frequently and falling on the mercy of God each time…

Second Sunday of Advent

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, on this Second Sunday of Advent we begin to shift
our focus from Christ’s coming at the end of time to Jesus’ coming
in history. But we who live in the present day should know
the coming of the Lord in our own lives, and eagerly anticipate his
presence. As we deepen our Advent celebration today, let us become
more aware of all the ways that the Lord can come among
us, and prepare for his coming by our repentance and prayer.

A special Thank You to those who made cookies for the reception
following the Tree of Hope last Saturday and to the ladies who
assisted at the reception.

This Wednesday December 12 is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
It was on December 9, 1531, the Indian peasant Juan Diego
saw a young Aztec woman surrounded by light on the slopes of
the hill of Tepeyac near Mexico City. The young woman asked
for a church to be built there in her honor, and from her words
Diego recognized her as the Virgin Mary. Mary had impressed
her glorious image on the front of Diego’s tilma. Today Diego’s
tilma, is on display in Mexico City’s Basilica or Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Mary revealed herself as a mother for us all, encouraging
an end to strife and cruelty, promising peace and maternal love,
and joining people of all races as her beloved children. O gracious
and loving Mary, Lady of Guadalupe, through your presence
make us aware of your son Jesus. May he bless us with
peace and harmony, draw us together and help us build his
church on earth today. Amen

With joy and thanksgiving to God, the Diocese of Greensburg announces
that Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt has called Mr. Tyler J.
Bandura, Mr. Matthew J. Morelli and Mr. Daniel J. Ulishney to
the order of diaconate. The diaconate ordination will be celebrated
on Tuesday December 18, 2012 at 6:00 PM at Blessed Sacrament
Cathedral in Greensburg. Please keep Tyler, Matthew and
Daniel in your prayers as they make the commitment to enter into
holy orders and as they continue their journey to the priesthood on
June 1, 2013. Also, continue to pray for all people discerning
God’s call in their lives.

This week’s Psalm Response, The Lord has done great things
for us; we are filled with joy, points to the joy that is ours when
Christ comes to us and transforms our lives.

Here we go Steelers here we go!

Fr. Bill
Peace

Trying to live a full life in the service of the Lord,
failing frequently and falling on the mercy of God each time….