December 18, 2011
December 18, 2011 Column Father De Celles
As we enter the final week before Christmas, the fourth week of Advent, it is my sincere hope and prayer that this may be a truly holy and joyful week for each of you. The Lord Jesus wishes to shower many graces on you and your families this week-I exhort you to be open to them, and to Him. But there will also be many distractions and temptations that might lead you away from these graces. Please, do not let that happen. Stay close to Him who was born in a manger for love of you-love Him in return. Take every moment as an opportunity to serve Him, either directly in prayer and worship, or indirectly in serving His brothers and sisters, your neighbors, friends and family. See in every custom and sign of the season a symbol of our hope in Christ: in the Christmas tree see His promise of everlasting life, in the smile on your child’s lips see the angels rejoicing in heaven. And when you make your last minute practical preparations for the day, remember to make your last minute spiritual preparation-pray, confess your sins, and turn your heart to Christ.
To help you in this regard, may I remind you of this week’s special schedule in the parish. For your convenience it is printed on the next page of this bulletin.
Christmas Generosity. The celebration of Christmas is never only spiritual-the Word became flesh because His people live in the flesh. So I encourage you to be aware of those around you who may be in need of your kindness and generosity. Remember the Babe born in a cold stable, and laid in a manger, and what He told us when he grew up: “I was hungry and you gave me food, when I was thirsty, you gave me drink… As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”
Moreover, let me ask that if you know anyone who is truly in need of financial assistance this week, especially parishioners and families with children, please encourage them to call the parish office. We stand ready and willing to assist any of our brothers and sisters who are in genuine need.
Christmas Collection. Along the same lines, I would be remiss as Father of this parish family if I forgot our family’s practical needs this Christmas. In particular, since Christmas this year falls on a Sunday, it might be easy to forget to give your regular Christmas Day donation to the parish in addition to your regular weekly donation for Sunday, December 25-there aren’t 2 separate days for 2 separate collections. But I can assure you, this family cannot afford to lose it’s “Christmas collection,” which averages out to be about 3% of our total annual collection: practically speaking, it pays our electrical bill for the year. So please remember to drop your donations for both Christmas and for Sunday in the first collection on December 24th/25th.
Thanks. I can’t forget to thank all those who participated in last Sunday’s Lessons and Carols, especially the lectors who read so reverently and the members of our choir who sung so beautifully. If you weren’t there, you missed something truly special.
Finally, below you will find a note I received this week from the new parents of our Baby Sofi (aka, Baby Mary Madeleine). They asked me to pass it along to you.
Oremus pro invicem. Fr. De Celles
December 13, 2011
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ;
Words cannot begin to express our sincere gratitude for the wonderful birthday celebration you hosted for our daughter Sofi. Thank you so much for your generosity and kindness in helping us to celebrate Sofi’s first year of life. Our family was deeply touched by your gift of kindness and your presence in sharing our joy at Sofi’s birthday.
From the very start of her life until today we want to thank you for all you’ve done for Sofi. Our greatest treasure is the prayers you say and continue to say for our daughter. We are blessed by your prayers and petitions to our Lord. What more could we ask than our daughter be surrounded by faithful men and women of God.
From the very start of Sofi’s life you all have played such an important role in her life. We want you to know how very important your parish is to our family. We thank God that St. Raymond’s was chosen to be the place where Sofi was discovered. For the prayers and attention you gave her on that first day of life we are eternally grateful. I want you all to know that St. Raymond’s will always be a special place to Sofi as it is where we know her story began. I am sure as she grows she’ll have questions and want to know more about the day she was discovered. St. Raymond’s is the closest thing our little girl has to a family of origin. Our thankfulness abounds and we look forward to having St. Raymond’s join us in celebrating all of Sofi’s life.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
All our love and gratitude, Mark, Jennifer, and Sofi Hills