SOLEMNITY OF MARY, THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD

A group of clergy in a small Alabama town decided to put a Christmas crib in the town square. They approached various individuals for donations. On the priest’s list was the editor of the local weekly, who favored the idea until the priest remarked: “Many people, especially children, would be inspired to see Jesus, Mary and Joseph and the animal’s right here in the center of town.” The editor snapped: “No, Mary must left out. That would be promoting your religion.”

The priest countered: “Tell you what. You tell me how you can show a birth without a mother and I will agree to leave Mary out.” The MOTHER was with her CHILD in the town square. And why not? Mary was with Jesus from the very moment of His conception to the moment when He ascended to heaven, where she rejoined Him at her Assumption. You can’t think of Jesus without thinking of His Mother, just as you can of any baby without thinking of his mother.

As we greet one another with “HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Mother Church asks us to honor the Mother of God. One of the many good reasons for honoring Mary today is that we are happy because we are beginning a new life. And who deserves to be called the Mother of Life more than the Mother of God? She gave human life to Jesus who said: “I came that they may have life, and have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10, 10) A better physical life, a better spiritual life – that will make everyone in the New Year.

We picture the New Year as a bouncing, happy and healthy baby with a ribbon wrapped around him. On the ribbon we read: 2017. Yet, in 2017 over a million baby lives will snuffed out here in the USA alone, by the slaughter of the Unborn. A million mothers –to-be will kill their babies instead of giving them life. We need some Super Mother to stop this killing. At the head of this New Year stands the Mother of the God-Man ready and able to secure help for all mothers giving life instead of taking life. She is also ready to obtain from her Son a stronger spiritual life, the life that makes our physical existence worth-while, the kind of life that keeps on going after our physical death, the kind of life her Son brings to us in this Mass, and in the Sacraments, the kind of full, happy life I wish to all of you in 2017.

HAPPY, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

God bless you all.

The Call: the Disciple’s Vocation. The Christian vocation is essentially a CALL to be a disciple Jesus. Stewardship is part of that. Even more to the point, however, Christians are called to be good stewards of the personal vocation they received. Each of us must discern, accept and live out joyfully and generously the commitment, responsibilities and roles to which God calls him or her. The account of the calling of the first disciples, near the beginning of John’s Gospel, sheds light on this matter.

This New Year’s Day is also World Day of Peace. We should have in mind to sing joyfully the song, “LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH.” The following days of the week are the memorials of great Saints: St. Basil the Great and Gregory of Nazianzen; St. Elizabeth Seton, St. John Neumann and St. Andre Bassett. In this week we celebrate also our First Friday and First Saturday Devotion Masses. Take note and never miss these Masses. They start our nine First Fridays and five First Saturdays devotions to guarantee our sure salvation to attain Heavenly Life in the next life. This is all for now watch for the next bulletin.

Your Priest – Servant and Parochial Administrator,

Fr. Reggie