Christmas and Holy Family

This is a combination of my reflections from Christmas and the Feast of Holy Family:

Christmas night is radiant with Light, Radiant with Hope, it is filled with joy: JOY-FULL.  In this dark time of year we celebrate the coming of Christ the Light - the light conquers the darkness

Light from LightTrue God from True GodBegotten – not madeBorn of the Virgin Mary

Last Saturday I was busily wrapping gifts for My family for Christmas. Fr. David looked – and I imagine he might have thought

“Blessed is he who knows few peopleFor they will spend less time wrapping gifts…”

Yet it was in the midst of that afternoon of tedious wrapping that I was aware of my Joy in being able to give different gifts:

• Noise cancelling headphones – for a nephew flying to China
• Hockey Tickets for my other nephew & Brother in law

And if I had this much Joy in such little things – how much more Joy God must have in gifting us! Giving us life!
On Christmas we hear the familiar Story of God’s Presence – Presence with a C.  And while for many its about Celebrating Presents with a T (under the tree) there is nothing wrong with any of those T presents - yet we need to remember the ultimate presence – with a C is Jesus – here – in our midst TODAY

God – is not watching us from a distance… God is right here in the midst of our lives in our joy – in our sorrow – in our difficulties and stresses, in our hoping and our longing – GOD is HERE

Christ Jesus – here – in our midst TODAY In each other – in you and Me – In the word proclaimed, And here on this altar – in Bread and Wine - the very Body and Blood of Jesus – the Christ – the longed for Messiah – God’s own Presence with a C.

In Christmas we celebrate the marriage of heaven and earth and pray that we may come to share in the divinity of Christ who has humbled himself to share in our humanity.

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You have read my reflections on wrapping Gifts & Joy.

And well - if you know me at all - I can be 1 dimensional. So why were these gifts wrapped on Saturday? No, I’m not that organized, I am the master of "Just in time" delivery. I wrapped them on Saturday because my Dad was coming Saturday Night to pick up my brother, his wife, and their son who were flying into Toronto Airport from Shanghai, China. So we had talked about Dad taking the gifts back to Kingston – in his van where there is more room – and my Ford Escape would be less crammed on Christmas Day with my Sister, my Brother in law, and my other nephew.

I texted him while he was stopped at Wendy's Saturday afternoon for a snack – everything was in the back of my Escape - he could even have a bottle of washer fluid.  He texted back - his next stop was for some Salt.  So I asked him to get some for the Church.

He came into mass and announced that Bolton had NO SALT, and that he didn’t need windshield washer fluid.

He was in a rush after Mass to get to the Airport. (Even thought the plane was landing at 6:45 pm - and they would be another hour before getting through immigration and luggage pick-up.

I go out after Mass and look in the back of my vehicle and what is there – all the wrapped GIFTS! What the heck??? So I slam the hatch window shut - and it shatters into 1000 pieces all over the gifts…(that were not supposed to be there!) I was so mad at my Dad… look at what HE now puts on me!

So I call him – and start off asking about the presents. What gives? Why did he not take them? He was completely oblivious - completely forgot about them...  

And in the first reading we hear:

My child, help your father in his old age,
   and do not grieve him as long as he lives;
even if his mind fails, be patient with him

Families. Incredible things. A place where we are accepted, loved, nurtured,  &  lovingly tested.  Its really all about Balance. They both give us balance & call us to Balance.

If you think about it - we get all worked up and angry with family members because they matter,  because  we love them.

Getting angry with someone is a sign that we love them!   

Years ago on the west coast - I visited a Giant Sequoia Forest. The guide said that the roots of the sequoia are very shallow. That was a surprise. How could such gigantic trees stand up with shallow roots? The first wind would knock them over - right?  The guide explained that the Sequioas interconnect their roots and their branches - then when there is fierce wind, they interlock & support each other. 

What a lovely image for this Family of Faith: Holy Family Parish.

Even if our own families have not provided the security and balance we need, here gathered at the table of the Lord, we can be interconnected in our roots and our branches - and thus hold each other up when we are buffeted by the winds of life!

Peace

The Last week before Christmas

This last week before Christmas is always busy in Parish.  We had our "Longest Night Mass" on Wednesday Dec 18 (even if it was not quite the longest night).  This mass - part of our ministry of Consolation and Hope - helps those who come to the Christmas season with less Joy than others because of an experience of grief, or loss.  That loss can be the death of a loved one, it can be the loss of a Job, it can be the loss that occurs when a relationship "dies" in separation or divorce.

We also had the Sacrament of Reconciliation not only on the day of confessions - December 11, but also on December 19th with some priests coming from Brampton, Mississauga and King/Schomberg to help, and for that Fr. David and I are grateful.

My Brother, Sister in law, and nephew all flew in Saturday Evening from Shanghai - where they are living for a year while Chris and Maria work at an English school there. My Dad drove from Kingston Saturday afternoon, and came to Mass in Bolton, delivering some Tourtiere and coffee cake (mmmm good!) before heading to the airport to pick up the travelling trio.  They travelled directly back to Dad's house in Kingston - where they will live for the next 2 weeks before heading back to China on January 2nd.
They made it home trough the Icestorm - with no accidents.

Let us pray for all who are travelling these days - and all who are working to clear ice and snow for travellers as well as all the workers repairing broken power lines!
Peace

I was supposed to publish this on Sunday afternoon - best plans of mice and men!

Prayer of Pope Francis

This week the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary was transferred from its regular day - December 8 - to Monday December 9th because the 8th was the Second Sunday of Advent.
On this feast of the Imaculate Conception, known in Italy as the Immacolata, Pope Francis made the traditional outing to Rome's Piazza di Spagna to venerate a column with a statue of Mary erected in 1857 to celebrate the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, proclaimed by Pope Pius IX three years earlier. 
Pope Francis composed a special prayer for the occasion:

Holy and Immaculate Virgin,to You, who are the honor of our peopleand the solicitous custodian of our city,we turn with confidence and love.You are the All Beautiful, O Mary!Sin is not in You.Awaken in all of us a renewed desire of holiness:may the splendor of truth shine in our word,may the song of charity resound in our works,may purity and chastity inhabit our body and our heart,may all the beauty of the Gospel be present in our life.You are the All Beautiful, O Mary!The Word of God was made flesh in You.Help us to remain in attentive listening to the voice of the Lord:may the cry of the poor not leave us indifferent,may the suffering of the sick and of those in need not find us distracted,may the loneliness of the elderly and the fragility of children move us,may every human life be always loved and venerated by us all.You are the All Beautiful, O Mary!In You is the full joy of the blessed life with God.Makes us not lose the meaning of our earthly journey:may the gentle light of faith illumine our days,may the consoling strength of hope orientate our steps,may the infectious warmth of love animate our heart,may the eyes of all of us remain well fixed there, in God, where true joy is.You are the All Beautiful, O Mary!Hear our prayer, answer our supplication:may the beauty of the merciful love of God in Jesus be in us,may this divine beauty save us, our city, the whole world.Amen.

God Bless you as we celebrate the 3rd Sunday of Advent: 
Gaudete Sunday.  Peace

Cookie Bake off! Coming Soon!

Coming Soon - Monday December 16th 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

at The Exchange - 55 Healey Road, Unit #10, Bolton

A COOKIE BAKE-OFF

Featuring Fr. Larry baking Sr. Carmelita's famous Chocolate Chip Cookies - against Michelle Stubbs from The Exchange team!

You need to register for this event (since space is limited) 

by calling Kim D'Eri at (905) 584-2300 xtn 202

As you know Holy Family Parish is a strong supporter of The Exchange and its efforts to integrate health and wellness with food support for all of Caledon!
Hope to see you there!

A Brother in China!

Outside Chris, Maria, and Michael's Apartment on a normal day this Fall

When I came to Holy Family Parish 6 Years ago (in 2007),  my brother and his wife (Chris and Maria) went to Suzhuo, China (near Shanghai). Chris was working for the School Board in Kingston, Ontario, and was teaching Chinese students the Ontario Grade 10 Curriculum. Maria did some teaching of younger students as well. 
This year they are over in Shanghai again - although in a different school - and this time they have their 5 year old son - Michael - with them.
You may have heard of the pollution problems that China has had and does have on the News recently.  Here is what my brother recently posted:  

Here is firsthand the difference out of our apartment window on a clear day compared to today.

Saturday Morning's picture outside the same apartment (near Shanghai)

Incredible eh?  Thankful for Pollution Laws here in Ontario!

December 6th - Feast of St. Nicholas

Today I had the pleasure of celebrating Mass at St. Nicholas School - to celebrate the feast day of St. Nicholas!

Historians generally write that much of what is said about Nicholas is legend. At Nicholas’s time (late 3rd - early 4th century) there was no investigation and no authentication of claimed miracles before canonization took place. Attributing miracles and wonders to a person was a way of expressing people’s conviction about the holiness of the person, and enough to qualify him or her for sainthood.

There are many stories of miracles attributed to the intercession of St. Nicholas. One of the most popular tells of his generosity to a prominent citizen of Patara, near Myra, Turkey. The man had lost all his money and as such could not provide a dowry for his three daughters. Without a dowry, women of that time could not marry, and instead might be sold into slavery. On three separate occasions, Nicholas tossed a bag of gold coins into an open window in the man’s house. The coins landed in shoes left by the fire to dry. These unexpected gifts allowed the man to provide dowries for his daughters.

This legend led to the modern-day custom of hanging stockings by the fire at Christmas. In our Christmas customs, the gifts of gold coins are memorialized by hanging oranges or gold balls as decorations, and Nicholas’s generous gesture was remembered by gift-giving.

In the early 1800s, the character of St. Nicholas began to develop into a more secular symbol of Christmas, especially evidenced in 1823 by the publication of “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” a poem attributed to Clement Moore. Moore’s depiction of the jolly saint is quite a departure from the image of a fourth-century Turkish bishop. Whatever the historical basis of Nicholas of Myra, he has proved to be an enduring figure and symbol of the Christmas season. The elements of wisdom, generosity and kindness found in his story provide an excellent model for us during this time of year. Santa Claus or St. Nicholas, jolly man or gentle giver, he models the gifts we share in his name.

Peace

Reconciliation Available! - Day of Confessions approaching - Wednesday, December 11, 2013

To return to the Lord with integrity, we benefit greatly from celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This year, we will provide the opportunity for all Catholics to avail themselves of this sacrament. 

On Wednesday, December 11, 2013, we will be celebrating a Day of Confessions throughout the Archdiocese of Toronto. Preparation for and the celebration of Confession allows us to set aside disruptive ways, to be renewed in heart and spirit, to be reconciled with our God who abounds with gracious, gentle tenderness. 

Here are some sample Examination of Conscience resources

In our parish, the schedule for confessions is as follows:

• 9:00 a.m. -11:00 a.m.  @ the Church
• 11:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m., @ St. Michael's Secondary School
• 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. @ the Church
• Mass - 7:00 to 7:30 p.m.
• 7:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. @ the Church

Peace

Welcoming Fr. David

Last Sunday we said farewell to Fr. Damian - and wished him well as he went off to St. Monica's Parish in Toronto. Ohhh the chocolate that left Bolton!

This Sunday, as we celebrated the first Sunday of Advent - we welcomed Fr. David Gikonyo, IMC to our parish. Born in Kenya, Fr. David spent the last 15 years in the United States: some of that time at Catholic University in Washington, DC studying Psychology; and the balance in New Jersey working for the Consolata Missionary offices. With Rythmic clapping he has introduced himself and part of his Kenyan culture. I am looking forward to his thoughtful presence here in Bolton.
This week has a full calendar in the Parish - including Confirmation Parent / Candidate / Sponsor meetings, Light up for Christ, and Adoration Friday!

Peace