God So Loved Us that He sent His only Son

12-18-2022Weekly ReflectionFr Charlie Goraieb

Dear Friends,

My dear brothers and sisters, I hope that this final week leading up to Christmas will be one of anticipation, peaceful preparation and joy. Whether you are traveling to be with family or hosting at home or planning a quiet Holy Day, may your hearts be filled with gratitude and awe at the great Mystery. God so loved us that He sent His only Son to become like one of us so that we could be cleansed of our sins and restored to full fellowship with God.

If you’ll be worshipping here at OLMC, part of the music at the 4:00pm Mass will be provided by our children’s choir, led by Mrs. Amanda Lowe. I would love for all of you to experience this blessing, but the church will obviously be very crowded for that Mass. Christmas Eve Masses are at 4:00pm, 6:00pm and 11:00pm and Christmas Day Masses are at 9:00am and 11:00am.

And once again, I strongly encourage you to invite someone who has been away from the Church, or even unchurched, to come with you to Mass. We all know that unless our Christmas celebrations are rooted in worshipping the Christ-child, the day is hollowed out of any real meaning. The worst that someone can say to your invitation is “no.” But if your invitation is polite without pressure, 99% of those who reject it understand that your intentions are good. You certainly won’t lose friends by asking and you may just spark a fire that could mean their eternal salvation. A wall-street investor would call that a low-risk, high-reward investment.

In our attempt to continue to give you all the opportunity to enjoy some of the rich classical music of our Catholic tradition, we are starting a Concert Series for the parish. Our first event of 2023 will be the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary Sonatas by Heinrich Biber, performed by Esther Witherell on violin, with harpsichord accompaniment. The concert will be on Sunday, Jan 8 at 2:00pm in the church. Admission is free, with donations accepted.

Looking ahead, on Sat, Mar 25, Floriani, the classical a capella quartet will be here sharing there stunning musical gifts. Please put that in your calendars.

My last announcement is the next session of Viri Virtutes, a 14-week formation program for young, single men, will begin on Mon, Jan 23 . In this course we focus on the spiritual life, acquiring the virtues and preparing the men to hear and respond to God’s call in their lives. If you--or someone you know--could benefit from this experience, please go to ViriVirtutes.com for more information and to register.

There is very little in our Church addressed specifically to this age group. We all know the many and contradictory cultural pressures young men are facing today. To experience a vision of the virtuous man and how to acquire these qualities can be a pivotal moment in that man’s life. Please pray for the men the Lord will bring to VV.

May God bless you with good health and deeper faith in the Christ child, Fr Charlie Goraieb

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