December 10, 2021
Dear Friends,
Do you want to hear something scary? FIFTEEN Days until Christmas morning. Ok, maybe that doesn’t terrify you as much as it does me right now, but it is still shocking at the very least. We are moving into the 3rd Sunday of Advent when we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, we are called to rejoice in the Lord always. Gaudete is translated as rejoice which is why Joy is always spoke about this third week in Advent. There really is so much that we can rejoice in, as long as we do not let the above-mentioned countdown get to us.
It is funny, every year, as we move into Christmas, I have a plan on getting done what needs to be done. All of a sudden, we are at the 3rd Sunday mark and my Christmas cards sit unfinished on my desk. The gifts for my parents are unwrapped. I still can’t figure out what to do for my brother and it all starts to weigh on me. I know it will get done (it always does), but as I sit here, my mind is telling me that there are other things I should be doing.
I find my stress funny. Year upon year, there is that constant fight of people heatedly debating, Merry Christmas vs. Happy Holidays, or Keep Christ in Christmas. People get put out over the secularization of Christmas and what it has become. Let’s be honest, as you are running around putting up lights and decorations, finding more Christmas cards to send, wrapping gifts (happily and angrily debating why you didn’t just buy a bunch of bags) and why is it so difficult to wrap round things? Are we keeping Christ in Christmas as much as we should be?
The above tangent is not a judgment. We all fall into this category somewhere. It is just a reminder to keep pushing through the days. We are shocked that we only have FIFTEEN days left or even scarier FOURTEEN shopping days left. We need to slow down and try to bring back into focus what this season is about and what we are doing to prepare ourselves to celebrate Christmas as a family. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand.” This is what we are reminded of this week. Let us all try to refocus as we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth in the coming days, as a parish family and family.
As you are preparing for Christmas, I honestly cannot wait to see you all here. Our Christmas masses for the 24th are at 5:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm. The Christmas pageant will occur before the 5:00 pm mass. I do believe there is still room for more children volunteers. You can find that information in the bulletin. Christmas Day we will have masses at 9:30 am and 11:00 am.
While COVID-19 vaccines and boosters have helped us safely enjoy the things we have missed, as we gather for the holidays this year, it is critical that we take steps to reduce the risk of getting/spreading Covid. The CDC and the New Jersey Department of health “strongly recommend” following safety guidelines to protect our family, friendsand community this holiday season, which includes wearing masks in indoor gatherings, such as at church. We are all tired of Covid. We are all tired of wearing masks. We are definitely tired of all the politicking and pandering. Since we reopened our doors, one of my primary focuses has been on doing all that we can to keep every single person in our parish community safe. I know people don’t like my policies. I know people complain about me behind my back. Maybe masks do nothing, do I believe that? No. I know they work on some level when worn properly. What people say about me doesn’t offend or bother me. What matters to me (and has always mattered to me) is that I want people to feel safe and comfortable when they join us for mass, especially during the Christmas season when more people join us. I will continue to follow the science and guidance of the CDC when it comes to masks and not a broadcaster or politician who has no background or knowledge of viruses.
Have a safe weekend, good luck these next two weeks.
Fr. Brian