The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, today we begin the Gospel of Luke. We will hear
from Luke for most of the year. Luke was a gentile man, and he
wrote his Gospel for Christians who may not have known the Jewish
scriptures, Jewish law or religious practice. His purpose was to record
the Gospel handed on to him by Paul and other disciples.
Luke’s is the most tender of Gospels, the most intimate, with the
most stories of healing and the most references to women. Let us
pray today to be like the people we will hear about in our first reading,
who stood for hours listening to God’s word.

This week begins Catholic Schools Week. We remember and are
thankful for the fact that the tradition of Catholic schools remains
the same: “A Catholic education is an education for life.” A Catholic
education, whether it is on Sunday morning at Faith Formation or
five days a week at a Catholic school, provides the foundation and
the tools young people need to grow into faithful followers of
Christ. The patron saint of teachers, John Baptist de la Salle, put it
best: “Enter to learn, leave to serve.”

Next Sunday February 3 from Noon – 2PM you are invited to our
3rd Annual Parish Appreciation Party in the Church Hall. Come and
enjoy some good tailgate food and enjoy each other’s company before
watching the Super Bowl. I will also present the 3rd Annual Fr.
Straub Service Award.

Lent is fast approaching! Our parish will be participating in a very
exciting and spiritual program this year entitled Living the Eucharist
(LE). LE is a parish-based renewal experience for adults, families
and teens that will help them come to know more profoundly the
love of Christ in the Eucharist. You will be invited to participate by
joining an Adult discussion group on Monday evenings beginning
Monday February 11; joining a teen discussion group on Sunday
mornings; engaging in family activities at home, reading the Lenten
reflection book (similar to the little black book) and reflecting on the
bulletin inserts. Begin praying today on how you might become
involved in this exciting Lenten program and how you can Grow
Closer to God!

As we pray this week’s psalm response. Your words, Lord, are
spirit and life, we are reminded that we have all that we need in
Jesus.

LET’S GO PENS! 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 in Ordinary Time

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, welcome back to Ordinary Time and it seems rather
odd that the very first thing we hear is another epiphany – another
manifestation of the Lord – this time at a wedding feast at Cana.
The story of Cana helps us make the transition from Christmastime
by pointing us toward Jesus’ paschal mystery. Jesus’ “hour” is his
passion. He addresses his mother as “Woman,” as from the cross,
“Woman, behold your son” – the new Eve, mother of those redeemed
by his passion. Isaiah’s vision of God’s marriage with humanity
fulfilled in Jesus’ person and ministry. Thus, Cana’s wine is
not the bitter wine of God’s wrath, or bad wine from the sour grapes
Israel’s prophets lamented. Rather, Cana’s wine is the good wine
served last, in these last days, the kingdom’s days, between Christ’s
first coming and glorious return.

Monday January 21st is the Martin Luther King Jr. Day. We pray
that all racism, bigotry and prejudice will be banished from the
earth. And as we continue the week of Prayer for Christian Unity
(January 18-25) let us pray that the unity of believers which graced
the early Church will transform the faith and charity of all Christians
today.

Because of the Inauguration of the President on Monday, the March
for Life will be on Friday January 25 in Washington DC. It was on
January 22, 1973, the United Sates Supreme Court handed down a
decision known as Roe versus Wade, which made abortion legal
throughout the United Sates, and struck down many states’ laws restricting
abortion. This Tuesday, January 22, is observed as a day of
penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed
through acts of abortion, and for the full restoration of the legal
guarantee to the right to life. Let us pray for the hundreds of thousands
who will participate the March for Life on Friday, January 25.

Please join me in the Church Hall on Monday the 21st at 7PM to
plan this year’s Parish Appreciation tail Gate Party

This weeks Psalm Response, Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to
all the nations, reminds us that God’s great deeds are always worthy
of our praise!

LET’S GO PENS!

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….

The Baptism of the Lord

Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, what a jolt, to jump from the three kings arriving
in Bethlehem last week to the baptism of the adult Jesus this
week! Yet the Baptism of the Lord is one with the nativity and
the Epiphany: they are all manifestations of the Lord. The
Baptism of the Lord is one more way given to us to learn who
Jesus Christ is. So as we celebrate this final Sunday of the
Christmas season, what have we learned this Christmas about
who Jesus Christ is for us?

National Vocation Awareness Week will be celebrated in our
country January 13-19, 2013. Please ask Our Lord for more
dedicated, holy priests, deacons and consecrated women and
men. May they be inspired by Jesus Christ, supported by our
faith community, and respond generously to God’s gift of a
vocation.

This Friday marks the beginning of the annual Week of Prayer
for Christian Unity. In a time when the sad divisions that
separate the Christian churches seem even stranger, perhaps it
is a good time to pray for unity! It is a time to reflect on
Christ’s prayer the night before he died: “The glory that you
have given me I have given them, so that they may be one as
we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become
completely one, so that the world may know that you have
sent me, and have loved them even as you have loved
me” (John 17:22-23).

Recently the Diocese of Greensburg released the Pastoral
Code of Conduct. All staff, ministers (ministers of Holy Communion)
and volunteers who are engaged with youth and
young adults must sign the Acknowledgement of Receipt of
the Code of Pastoral Conduct, as well as attend Virtus
(Protecting God’s Children) training. On Saturday January 19
we will host a Virtus Training from 10 AM –Noon. You may
also complete the training On-Line. Please call the office to
register or to get information concerning On-Line training.
Thank you for your attention is this very important matter.
Praying our psalm response this week, O bless the Lord, my
soul, will remind us that our very lives are meant to “bless
God” – by our being blessings to others.

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….

The Epiphany of the Lord

 Thoughts from Fr. Bill…….

Dear friends, we continue our Christmas season celebration today,
and our attention turns from Bethlehem to the world. Many traditions
surrounding the magi underscore the idea that Jesus was born
not to save just a few in Israel, not just many in the Middle East, but
everyone on earth. The world, is so vast, however, and people are
so varied that many must work together to spread the Good News of
Jesus Christ. Let us pray for the wisdom and courage that we need
to help evangelize the world.

Epiphany is the day we celebrate the 3 Kings bringing gifts to the
new born King. I take this opportunity to Thank so many of you for
making Christmas 2012 a wonderful experience here at Holy Cross.
I thank so many of you who volunteered your time to decorate the
church for Christmas, the church looks beautiful! I thank so many
of you who made a contribution to the Tree of Hope. I thank you for
your Christmas gift to Holy Cross church! I thank so many of you
who showered me with gifts this Christmas. Your generosity is
overwhelming!! May we all continue to share our Time, Talent and
Treasure with Holy Cross Church in 2013!!

Today is a good day to bless your home for the New Year. Take a
piece of chalk and write 20 + C + M + B + 13. The numerals consecrate
the new year, the initials remind us of the legendary name of
the Magi – Caspar, Melchoir, and Balthasar – and also stand for the
Latin motto Christus mansionem benedicat (“May Christ bless the
house”).

Next Sunday the Christmas season ends with the celebration of the
Baptism of the Lord. I hope you found Jesus, Emmanuel, God with
us, in the kindness of a stranger, the love of family and in the joy of
friends throughout this holy season! And believe it or not, Lent begins
on February 13. Are you ready to grow closer to God, join us
this Lent in Living the Eucharist. Details will be forthcoming.

On February 3 we will celebrate our 3rd parish Appreciation Party
and award the 3rd Father Straub Service Award. Please use the
nomination form in today’s bulletin to nominate someone who has
shared their Time, Talent and /or Treasure with Holy Cross Church.
Past winners were: Barry Premoshis and Eleanor Hamrock.

As we pray this week’s psalm response, Lord, every nation on
earth will adore you, what images fill your heart? Ponder them
throughout the day – they are a gift form God!

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….

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…