Happy New Year

The month of January gets it's name from the Roman God Janus, who is depicted with two faces, one facing the past and the other the future. Which is why January is a time for beginnings and endings.

Janus

 In our Catholic tradition, the first day of the year is dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. Far from being a mythical god, Mary does symbolize the past and future for us. She is both Virgin and Mother. Concepts that are radically opposed to one another. As virgin, she reminds of the purity of the past and the innocence of youth. The placid ground of hope and dreams.

Mary, Ever Virgin

Mary is also mother which conceptually is a futuristic role. A mother gives birth and nurtures a child for the future. Maternity is an enterprise of investing in generations to come. In her Magnificat (Lk 1:46-55), Mary proclaims that every generation will call her "blessed".

Mary, Mother of God

People are fascinated with the turn of the new year. We perhaps look forward to better things or are grateful for blessings of the past. We open champagne. We sing songs. We wish one another a "Happy New Year" (until someone finds out that the Gregorian calendar is a western Catholic construct that forces a rigid concept of time on an unsuspecting public).And as Catholics, we look to Mary, who faces the future with "be it done to me according to your word" and revels in the past that honors a God who is faithful to "his children forever".
Come join us for Mass today (5pm) or tomorrow (10am) to celebrate the past, future and greatest PRESENT ever...Christ.

Snow Day, Snow Day: 'S No day, 'S No day

Today is Christmas Eve and tomorrow, we celebrate Christmas. Merry Christmas to you all. God rest ye, merry Gentlemen (and women!).

However, continuing my Grinchy-ness, here's what I consider to be the BEST of the secular during this holiday season. Starbucks ad featuring "snow day". I can almost see this taking on and somewhere in the future, some child will ask, "Papa, why do we fly kites from August to December?" And the father will add, "Son, one time, there were Starbucks on every corner and people would bring their laptops and sit for hours listening to Billie Holiday CDs while discussing the issues of the day such as actress arrests, what civil right is being impinged upon and how Starbucks sucks. Today, there are just a few Starbucks left but we still remember."

Enjoy SNOW DAY:

And here's somewhat of a eye-searingly, sentimentally mindblowing video by Mariah Carey and her mom. Mom has some good pipes as well...

And if you want a traditional REAL Christmas..MASS and all? Come out tonight at either 4pm or 6:30pm or tomorrow morning at 10am(or do today and tomorrow!). Venite Adoremus!

N8tivity

This has gone viral but it's really very cool.

Wonder if they had problems with a Historical Preservation Commission?

Solar Panels on the Paul VI Conference Hall

The Vatican is "the Greenest State in the World". Pope Benedict XVI continues to leave his mark as the "green pope" by installing solar panels on it's facilities thus being one of the largest solar power plants in Europe.

Aside from solar panels, the Vatican is also using methane gases produced by the Vatican horses to fuel his summer cottage! Insert jokes here.

The Grinch: Santo Subito! Where Fr. Joe Gives Props to the Green Thing.

Heaven help us! From Bill O'Reilly, to his doppleganger Stephen Colbert, to the media's report, report and report (just to name a few) it seems that "OH NOEZ! WE WON'T HAVE TEH CHRISTMAS!!11" is an international dilemna.
First, I don't care. Take "Jingle Bells" and "Frosty" and even Nativities out of the the schools and malls and rest stops and whatever. I. Don't. Care. One less garish yard to see. Good riddance.

"Hey, this baby just asked me what I wanted for Christmas!"

Second, Whatevs. Go on and call it a "holiday" season. Don't call it "Christmas". Don't care. Christmas begins on the eve of December 24th and the "season" ends with the Feast of Our Lord's Baptism. It doesn't begin on the day after Halloween. It doesn't end after the presents are unwrapped on December 25th. That's so not Christmas.

Zombie Halloween Christmas action figure. Pfft..who would want that...really...who..oh who?

Third, for the cranks and pastors and ministers and pundits and those who say "CHRISTMAS IS TOO COMMERCIAL", fine. Keep those kids out of your yard and write letters to the editor about how the JC Penney ads are too risque what with the women's sleepwear section. Be as grumpy as you can be. Grr. But it doesn't change anything for Catholics as far as Christmas. We KNOW it's Advent. We don't forget it. We light candles to make sure we show others we remember it. We celebrate Christmas by going to MASS (Christ-MASS? Keep the Mass in Christmas!).

Before the liberals, in the ol' days Christmas was about Jesus and family and...oh, nevermind.

Here's my fantasy and probably will come to fruition. If it does, I'm a freakin' prophet!

"A bowful of jelly?"

 The commercialization of the so-called HOLIDAY season will continue as the religious moorings are removed. Once when the basis for the season is eradicated, things will change. Like some of our secular "holidays". Really, when's the last time you really remembered the war dead on Memorial Day? Really.
Sooner or later, someone will say, "Why am I at WalMart buying plastic cr@p for my relatives on a deadline for December 25th?" And someone will reply, "Iunno. We just always have done it." Then one will say, "No more. I'll give plastic cr@p when I'm ready to. If ever." And then, over a short period of time, we just have winter without a brief interval involving fake tinsel, blinky lights and blow up Snowmen in yards.

Tony Danza, you don't have to steal Christmas. Just take it. Take it, my mulleted Santa.

Crazy?
Just think of it. At one time, in many countries, every "Mass" day ( or "mas") was celebrated with revelries and songs. The "holy days" (holi-days, get what I'm saying?) were days of rest and feasting. People may have exchanged gifts, proposed to their mates, delivered goods to the poor or worn special outfits. These were Christian days of celebration! And then, someone took the Christ out of them and people quit after a while. It's like having a Grove Saturday without football. Sooner or later, someone will say, "Why are we here?"

But we Catholics will always celebrate our Mass days and Holy days. We will always "egg up" on Easter, Hallow down on "Hallow's Eve" and Christ on Christmas.

Good ol' Black and White Christmas! The way God intended it.

 And I'm all for it. Keep Christmas Catholic and enjoy the Holiday Season (while it lasts).

'Tis the season

As we trudge through finals week, we find ourselves in a really cool place on the Church calendar. Yesterday was the memorial of St. Nicholas (yes, the real one). Today is the memorial of St. Ambrose and tomorrow is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. How are these three related?

St. Nicholas slaps the heretic Arius.

Well, in the fourth century, Christianity was mired in a bitter theological debate over the nature of Jesus Christ and the relationship of the Persons of the Trinity. The orthodox party taught that Christ was fully Man and fully God and that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were co-equal and co-eternal. The Arians spread the teachings of Arius, a priest from Alexandria, who taught that Christ was created by and subordinate to the Father. The first ecumenical council of the Church, the Council of Nicaea, was called in 325 to settle this dispute. The creed formulated at this council was added to at the Council of Constantinople in 387 and the final product is still recited every Sunday during the Mass as a definitive statement of the Christian faith.

Both Nicholas and Ambrose were bishops and strong proponents of the orthodox position in these matters. Nicholas was bishop of Myra, a small city in present-day Turkey. He attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 and was so passionate in his view that Arius was leading the faithful astray that he took matters into his own hands. According to an ancient legend, during one of the council sessions, as Arius presented his views before the assembled bishops and the emperor, Nicholas stood up, crossed the room, and slapped Arius across the face! Wow.

As for the Immaculate Conception of Mary, we Catholics believe that the Blessed Mother was preserved free from original sin from the first moment of her conception by a singular grace from God. This was because she was chosen by God, from the beginning, to be the Mother of our Savior Jesus who is God Incarnate.

So, as this week continues on, be aware of the fact that the feasts of the Advent season continue to call our attention to coming Christ, who took on flesh to lead us to salvation. He is coming. Are you ready?

Prayers for Erika

I ask for your special prayers for Erika Watson who lost her mother to cancer on Sunday. Requiescat in pace et in amore. I know that Erika would greatly appreciate your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. It is times like this that we can find comfort in the realization that the Body of Christ is mystically united and inseparable through time and space. Death is, in truth, not really a separation but a transformation for the Christian. Thanks be to God.

The Immaculate Conception

Zurbaran's Immaculate Conception

Tomorrow is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This is a holy day of obligation where Catholics aren't "forced" but expected to attend Mass as this feast is a touchstone of our faith. What's so great about this feast?

First, this is the feast that commemorates Mary's conception. One legend has that Mary was conceived without sin as a sign of God's promise to her parents, Joachim and Anne. Where most Old Testament narratives have the trope of an elderly couple who are childless awaiting God's promise only to have it fulfilled with the birth of a remarkable child who all times is a son, the story of Mary is similar except the child is a girl.

Mary was conceived without sin so that she may bring forth the sinless Jesus. She, in ancient language, was the second Eve, who also was born sinless.

The Feast is important to us because it stands as testimony to God's power to recreate the world in his peaceable, immaculate (sinless) image. Mary was the first agent of Christ's salvation from conception to death!

Mass times are: Tonight at 5:30 (Dec 7) for the Vigil or tomorrow's 12:10pm Mass (Dec 8) in the afternoon.

BE THERE.

Prepare the Way: Go to Confession!

Tomorrow (December 6th), the parish will have the opportunity to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation from 5pm until 7pm. We have 4 priests ready and willing to serve you!
This is not one of those hoky "Reconciliation Services" where you have to sing and read a script and end up dropping a rock in a bowl of water symbolizing something or other.
This is old school, show up, fess up, clean up, go home, Confession. The way the Lord intended it.
Come on! Make use of this great opportunity!
To help with your examination of conscience, here are 80's wonders The Pet Shop Boys! (or you can use this more orthodox method. All your choice):

"The Lord cometh..."

Today is the first of December. For many in our society, this is the first possible moment to start looking forward to Christmas. Of course many homes (and more stores) have had holiday decorations lit for two weeks or more at this point. So, if we wonder where we should stand on the debate over how soon is too soon, we Catholics have no problem: there's an answer for that!

This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent - the season of expectation before Christmas. During Advent, the Church reminds us that we celebrate a two-fold expectation. On one hand, we await the celebration of Christ's nativity at Christmas on December 25th. But on the other hand, there is a much more mystical expectation as we await the Second Coming of our Lord. Notice the Mass readings during this time of the Church calendar. They speak of preparedness and keeping watch for coming Lord.

As we hustle and bustle to prepare to celebrate Christmas, let's not lose sight of the fact that Christ is coming again. Let us earnestly pray the prayer of the early Church: Maranatha! ("Lord, come!"). And take to heart the words of our Savior who warned us to "keep watch! For you do not know the day nor the hour of my return." (Mt. 25:13).