Merry Christmas!

If you are joining us today for the first time, or if you are returning to church for the first time in a while, or you join us every weekend, welcome home. While you are here I hope you experience the joy and peace you’re searching for this Christmas. On behalf of the entire pastoral and support staff of St. Mary’s Parish I wish all of you and your families a Merry and Blessed Christmas.

The Christmas season, while short in length, consists of more than just Christmas Day itself or the Twelve Days of Christmas (December 25 to January 5); it lasts until the Baptism of Jesus which, in 2026, is celebrated on January 11. Looking at the gospel readings for the Christmas vigil and Christmas Day Masses (including what is traditionally known as the Midnight Mass), we see that the three gospels that have relevant passages (Matthew, Luke and John) are featured. The vigil Mass features the account of Jesus’ human ancestry and his birth found in Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 1:1-25). The next two Masses, Mass at Night and Mass at Dawn, give us accounts from the gospel of Luke (Luke 2:1-14 and Luke 2:15-20). The so called “Prologue” of John’s gospel (John 1:1-18) is the gospel for the Masses celebrated during Christmas Day. You will find all of these readings at https://bit.ly/USCCBChristmas.

Mini reflection: Advent is drawing quickly to a close, and Christmas is coming soon. The change is upon us. Do we rise to accept it, or do we fall on our faces in fear?

The First Transfiguration

I imagine Joseph waking up the morning after the dream, blinking in the dim half-light of the dawn.

This year, all four of the first readings on the Sundays of Advent are from the book of the prophet, Isaiah. This book of the Old Testament is quite long (66 chapters) and probably had numerous authors, among them Isaiah himself and some of his disciples. For a great introduction to the book of Isaiah, go to the Bible Project, a Christian organization that provides excellent audio and visual guides to all of the Protestant Bible’s many books as well as numerous biblical themes; here’s the website for the book of Isaiah: https://bit.ly/BibleProjectIsaiah.