Marvels of Mass

We open our Masses this weekend singing that word ‘Alleluia’ which won’t be heard after today until the Easter Vigil. Sing it out with all your voice, heart and soul!

We are given our call to Sainthood today in the Gospel: “Be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) Enough said? Maybe we need some help in doing that!? We are also told: “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” OK. Big orders there.

We only have one more Sunday in Ordinary time before Lent is upon us (Ash Wednesday is February 26).

We hear a lot about rules, laws, and commandments this weekend, and what is in store for us if we keep them or disobey them. We
have many great one-liners to reflect upon this week.

From the first reading: “to none does he give license to sin” (Sirach 15:20)

From the psalm: “Give me discernment, that I may observe your law and keep it with all my heart” (Ps. 119:34)

We’re back to Ordinary time this weekend after last Sunday’s Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.  We continue reading from Matthew’s Gospel where Jesus is publicly ministering.  We hear about the salt of the earth – what good is salt that loses its taste? None.  We also hear about being the light of the world, not to be put under a bushel basket (who knows what a ‘bushel basket’ is anymore?

This weekend we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which takes precedence over the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time. This feast is celebrated 40 days after the birth of Christ. In Judaism, a mother is considered ‘unclean’ for 7 days after childbirth, and then for thirty-three days if she had a son, she is in the ‘state of blood purification’. It’s 66 days following the birth of a daughter. During this time, a woman in the Jewish faith may not enter a holy place or touch anything holy.

Here we are in Ordinary Time and we find Jesus beginning His public ministry with the calling of the apostles in the Gospel. The Entrance Antiphon for the Mass this weekend is: O sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth. In his presence are majesty and splendor, strength and honor in his holy place. (cf Psalm 96) We begin our Mass singing “He is the Lord” which is a reflection of this psalm: “Sing to the Lord with shouts of joy, let all creation rejoice! Come join the song of praise to our God! He is the Lord! He is the Lord!” (D. Haas)

I would like to begin by saying a HUGE THANK YOU to all the parishioners who stepped up last week after the 11am and 5pm masses on Sunday to take down the Christmas décor in the gathering space and church.  I still can’t believe that everything got done in such a short amount of time.  It was purely because of all of the volunteers each doing their own little – or big – part and together, it all got done.  Thank you!  A special thank you to everyone who made multiple trips to the cages to put all of the boxes away!<

This weekend we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord.

The Gospel tells us of Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. After the baptism, “a voice came from the heavens, saying: ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’” (Matthew 3:17)

Our opening song, “When Jesus Comes to Be Baptized”, speaks of this baptism. The tune is one we know to the words of an Advent song – “On Jordan’s Bank”. The tune is called Winchester New.

In many liturgical scholars’ thoughts, this feast of the Epiphany of the Lord should begin perhaps its own liturgical season, separate from Christmas and en-compassing the next three Sundays. The word ‘Epiphany’ is often referred to as a manifestation, or an experience of striking and sudden realization; its actual ety-mology comes from Greek and means ‘to appear.’

Today’s liturgical feast of the Holy Family honors Jesus; his mother, Mary; and his foster father, Saint Joseph; and their model as a family for all Christians. It was instituted in 1893 by Pope Leo XIII with the date of the feast to fall on the Sunday within the Octave of the Epiphany (January 7–13). With the revision of the Roman calendar in 1969, the feast is now celebrated within the Octave of Christmas – meaning, it always falls on the Sunday following Christmas.

Finally now in the 4th week of Advent, we hear about what we typi-cally think this season is about: Mary and Joseph find out that they’re having a child and not just any child, but one conceived “through the Holy Spirit… who will save his people from their sins.” Wow. Then so simply: “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had com-manded him and took his wife into his home.” (Matthew 1:24)

In our opening song, “O Come, Divine Messiah” we finally start singing about Christ’s coming into the world: