Mary's Yes, and more from Fr. Ron, #49 Friday, December 16, 2022

St. Patrick Parish News & Updates

December 16, 2022 | Issue 49

A Word from the Pastor

December 16, 2022

Did you know that this year we have the longest Advent season possible? Unlike Lent, the length of Advent varies from one year to the next. The length of Advent is between 21 and 28 days. Sometimes, if Christmas falls on a Monday, the Fourth Sunday of Advent can be Christmas Eve. This year we have “a bonus week” – more time to prepare for Christmas.

What will you do with the extra week of Advent? Will you spend a bit more time in prayer and reflection about the mystery we are about to celebrate? The Joyful Mysteries of the rosary focus on the Incarnation of the Lord. Will you open your Bible to the stories we will hear in the coming weeks and spend time imagining the scenes? (See especially Matthew ch 1-2 and Luke ch 1-2)

Will you look for an opportunity to do some good for a person in need or give to a cause that helps people during the holidays? Will you invite a friend or relative to join you for Mass at our church this Christmas? (See below for the schedule of 10 Masses on December 24 and 25.)

Have you celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation this Advent season? Going to confession is an excellent way to put oneself in a proper spiritual mindset by receiving the assurance that our sins are forgiven and that God’s grace accompanies us in our effort to improve our discipleship. There are still Penance Services during this “bonus week” at St. Francis in Vista and St. Mark in San Marcos (see below for the exact dates and times). We also have our own regular confessions here at St. Patrick Church on Wednesday at 8:30 am and 6:00 pm. Those are the last times we have scheduled confessions prior to Christmas.

As we head into this last week of Advent, I pray that Mary and Joseph may guide us to Jesus. May he find a welcome dwelling place in our hearts and in our homes.

In one Heart,

Fr. Ron

rbagley@stpatrickcarlsbad.com

Penance Service Schedule here...

Be A Welcoming Community

When we celebrate Christmas in another week, we will welcome many people to our church who do not always join us the rest of the year. This presents us with a challenge and an opportunity. It may be crowded, a bit confusing as people look for seats, and a frenzy in the parking lot.

But it is also an opportunity to be welcoming to those who are visitors or who don’t yet feel a part of our community. Extend a warm welcome as people enter your pew. Sit in the middle of the pew, encouraging others to join you. Welcome the latecomers and the crying babies. Be civil in the parking lot both coming and going. Invite people to come back.

St. Patrick’s has a reputation for being a welcoming community. Let’s put that on full display this Christmas weekend.

Please note: The parking lot of our neighbor New Song Church is available to us on Sunday, December 25. However, please do not park there on December 24 as that congregation will have their Christmas Eve services.

Why Two Collections on Christmas?

This year at our Masses on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day there will be two collections. Because Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, we end up “losing a collection,” that of the Sunday. This creates a big deficit in the parish income.

Therefore, this Christmas there will be two collections taken up at all Masses: one is the regular Sunday collection and the other is the special Christmas collection. Thank you for your generosity and your understanding.

Christmas Mass Schedule

Saturday, December 24

4:00 pm- English Mass in the church

4:00 pm- Family Mass Parish Center

6:00 pm- English Mass in the church

8:00 pm- Spanish Mass in church

10:00 pm-English Mass in the church

Sunday, December 25

7:30 am- English Mass in the church

9:00 am- English Mass in the church

11:00 am-English Mass in the church

1:00 pm- Spanish Masses in the church and Parish Center

NO Mass at 5:00 pm on Christmas Day

An Invitation to the Walk for Life

Cardinal McElroy invites everyone to participate in the 10th Annual Walk for Life which will be held on the morning of January 14 at Waterfront Park. For details, visit the website https://sandiegowalkforlife.org/

Cardinal McElroy makes the invitation in English

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DkId7gPi0I

Obispo Ramón Bejarano hace la invitación en español

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMjjXuXcNbQ&t=16s

Scholarship for Graduating Seniors and Students in Catholic Colleges

The James R. and Geraldine F. Bertelsen Scholarship Award was established more than 30 years ago to benefit residents of Carlsbad who attend Catholic colleges and universities. This scholarship is open to graduating Roman Catholic high school seniors and students currently attending a four-year Roman Catholic college or university. For details about it and how to apply, click below.

Scholarship info here...

Watch Daily and Sunday Masses Livestreamed from  St. Patrick Church here:

Online Giving Reminder

Please remember to log in to your Online Giving account to make sure your payment method is up to date and that your gifts are being processed.

Remember to set up your separate Christmas donation.

For help with forgotten passwords, please contact Online Giving technical support at 800.348.2886, ext. 2.

Click on the Online Giving logo below to create or access your account.

We appreciate your support!

Catholic Trivia

"Catholic Trivia”... not because they are trivial but because these might be things that not everyone knows. Test your knowledge by reading the five questions, remember your answers (or jot them down), then click the link below to find the answers.

According to a non-biblical tradition, what are the names of the Magi?
In what year was Jesus born?
What marks the place where Jesus was born?
What are the names of the parents of John the Baptist?
According to the Protoevangelium of James (a second century document), what are the names of the parents of the Virgin Mary?

Feel free to email Fr. Ron with ideas for future Catholic Trivia questions rbagley@stpatrickcarlsbad.com

If you have other members of your family or your friends who would like to be on our email list, just let me know or write to Mary McLain at mmclain@stpatrickcarlsbad.com We will be pleased to add them.

Masses are available on our website www.stpatrickcarlsbad.com

We have a YouTube channel where we have daily and Sunday Masses: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyqQbbTs-Gsv11yfjytIJIw/featured

Visit our YouTube page

Answers to Catholic Trivia here!

Online Giving

Read all of Fr. Ron's newsletters here

Fourth Sunday of Advent –

Year A

First Reading

Isaiah 7:10-14

Ahaz proclaims the sign that the Lord will give: a virgin shall give birth to a son, Emmanuel.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 24:1-2,3-4,5-6

The Lord is the King of Glory who established the earth.

Second Reading

Romans 1:1-7

Paul greets the community at Rome and declares himself a servant of Christ Jesus.

Gospel Reading

Matthew 1:18-24

An angel appears to Joseph, directing him to take Mary as his wife and telling him that the child she will bear will be called Emmanuel.

Background on the Gospel Reading

Finally, on this the Fourth Sunday of Advent, our Gospel Reading permits us to begin our contemplation of the mystery of the Incarnation we celebrate at Christmas: “Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about” (Matthew 1:18).

The Gospel of Matthew tells the story of the birth of Jesus from Joseph's perspective. Today's Gospel passage is the second movement in this story. In the preceding verses of the first chapter of Matthew's Gospel, the Evangelist has listed the genealogy of Jesus, tracing his lineage through King David to Abraham. In the chapter to follow, Matthew tells of the visit from the Magi, the Holy Family's flight into Egypt, and Herod's massacre of the infants in Bethlehem. (The other stories which we associate with Christmas, the Annunciation, the Visitation, the angel and the shepherds, are found in the Gospel of Luke).

We must not gloss over too quickly the difficult circumstances described in today's Gospel. The way that Joseph and Mary face these circumstances tells us much about these holy people and their faith in God. Joseph and Mary are betrothed to be married. This is sometimes described as an engagement period, but it is more than that. Betrothal in first century Jewish culture was in fact the first part of the marriage contract. A breach of this contract was considered adultery. Mary is found to be with child. If adultery is proven, the punishment might be death. Joseph has rights under Mosaic law, but chooses to act discreetly in his plans to break the marriage contract, so as to protect Mary. Then God intervenes.

The message of the angel of the Lord given to Joseph in his dream tells us much about the child that Mary bears and his role in God's plan. He is conceived by the Holy Spirit. His name will be Jesus, which in the Hebrew means “Yahweh saves.” He will be the fulfillment of the prophecy heard in today's first reading from Isaiah: “. . . The virgin shall be with child . . . and shall name him Emmanuel [God with us].”

Joseph does as the angel of the Lord directs. He takes Mary to be his wife and accepts the child in her womb as his own. Joseph and Mary are both cooperative with God's plan. They are both models for us of what it means to be faithful servants of God.

O Antiphons

A treasured part of the Christian celebration of Advent is the “O Antiphons.” They are used on the last days of Advent, December 17-23. The liturgy of Evening Prayer uses them as the antiphons before and after the Magnificat (Canticle of Mary). At Mass, they are used on these days during the Acclamation before the Gospel. The popular Advent hymn “O come, O Come, Emmanuel” is based on these antiphons. Each verse of the hymn takes up one of the antiphons.

The attached pdf file gives more explanation and offers a prayerful way to use them at home or with a prayer group.

Antiphons..read here

Religious Give Thanks

A sister writes, “We remember the many people who believe in the Retirement Fund for Religious, thanking them in prayer for their great generosity and compassion.” God bless you for donating to last week’s collection. Visit retiredreligious.org to learn how your gift supports elderly sisters, brothers, and religious order priests.

Un Saludo de parte del Diacono Miguel,

“Mientras pensaba en estas cosas, un ángel del Señor le dijo en sueños, ‘José, hijo de David, no dudes en recibir en tu casa a María, tu esposa, porque ella ha concebido por obra del Espíritu Santo. Dará a luz un hijo y tú le pondrás el nombre de Jesús, porque él salvará a su pueblo de sus pecados’”. Mateo 1: 19-21. Hoy celebramos el 4º Domingo de Adviento, y nos acercamos al nacimiento del Mesías, el Hijo de Dios, el Salvador del mundo. Es apropiado que la Iglesia nos da la historia de María y Jose en el Evangelio de este domingo. Ambos demuestran fidelidad y confianza a la voluntad de Dios. María sabía a lo que se arriesgaba a estar embarazada antes de ser casada. Según la ley de Moisés, el castigo era de ser apedreada hasta la muerte. O José, siendo un hombre bueno, se da cuenta que María estar embarazada y no tuvo nada que ver con eso. Pero en vez de hacerla sentir mal o en vergüenza, hace planes de dejarla en secreto. María y José, dos figuras importantes para que el plan de Dios se llevará a cabo. Dios sigue trabajando en nuestro mundo, en nuestras vecindades, en nuestras familias. El sigue buscando a personas que respondan cómo María y José, con amor y confianza. Esas personas que el Señor busca y invita, somos tú y yo. Pensamos que no podemos hacerlos, no nos sentimos dignos, nos da miedo a decirle sí. En unos días, celebramos el nacimiento de Salvador. Abramos nuestro corazón, y digámosle, “Ven, Señor, aquí estoy para recibirte. Haz de mí, lo que quieras”. Feliz Adviento.

LA NAVIDAD CON CRISTO...Haga clic aquí:

Detente

Hablemos de San José

Estudios Bíblicos en Español del Padre Ricardo Chinchilla, cjm... clic aquí

3821 Adams Street

Carlsbad, California 92008

760.729.2866

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