St John the Baptist Catholic Church www.stjohntryon.com

UT IN OMNIBUS GLORIFICETUR DEUS ! JANUARY 10, 2016

THE LITURGICAL WEEK

MASS INTENTIONS

Saturday, January 94:30pm - Marshall Monroe†Sunday, January 10The Baptism of the Lord8:30am - Eugene Vadeboncoeur†11:00am - St. John Parishioners12:30pm - Betty Jane Balwas†Monday, January 111st Week in Ordinary Time8:30am - Eugene Vadeboncoeur†Tuesday, January 128:30am - Priest’s IntentionWednesday, January 13St. Hilary5:15pm - The Kohlbry FamilyThursday, January 148:30am - Patricia Arner†Friday, January 158:30am - The Meyers FamilySaturday, January 164:30pm - Tom Little†Sunday, January 172nd Sunday in Ordinary Time8:30am - Jim & Addie Kenny†11:00am - John Vice†12:30pm - St. John Parishioners

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away

the sin of the world.”~St. John the Baptist (John 1:29)

CONFESSION

Monday 7:30 — 8:15amWednesday 4:00 — 5:00pm

Friday 7:30 — 8:15amSaturdays 3:30 — 4:15pm

DEVOTIONS

ADORATIONWednesday at 5:45pm

MORNING PRAYERAfter Mass on Monday, Tuesday,

Thursday & Friday

DIVINE MERCY CHAPLETAfter Morning Prayer on Monday

PRAYERS FOR OUR SICK & SHUT-INS

Please remember the infirmed of our parish, especially those who, by request, have been placed on our parish prayer intention list.

If you would like to be added to this list, please call the parish office. You may also call for a copy of the prayer list.

THE SANCTUARY LAMPS are lit this week

for an end to legalized abortion in the U.S.

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD! WWW.STJOHNTRYON.COM

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SPIRITUAL READING & REFLECTION

TH E MY S T E RY O F BA P T I S M

What does baptism imply? You begin to understand i t in a l iv ing Christ ian companionship, since in this companionship a memory is aroused that gives peace to the heart, satisfaction to the soul, and, at the same time, makes life combative, makes you realize that life is a battle for affirming Christ. So what does baptism imply for me, what does it bring about? Baptism implies the participation of my person in the Mystery of Christ’s person….

A person who loves another and seeks to identify with that other has a terrible experience of being unable to penetrate into the other, of being ultimately a stranger. Not in the case of Christ!….

In the Letter to the Romans and in the Letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul goes as far as to say, Don’t you know that you are members one of another? This is the height which Christ has reached as Lord of history. In his Resurrection, he has set the terms of this assimilation to himself, of this glory, of this making explicit that in him all things consist, everything belongs to him. The assimilation to Christ brought about by baptism is the Resurrection of Christ that penetrates history; it is the Body of the risen Christ that grows ever more according to the times of the mystery of the Father. And the gesture that makes the journey of the new creature possible, the one remade by the power of God and therefore capable of new things, is the Eucharist, Viaticum, food for the journey, true nourishment for the person and for his hope. In this gesture, in giving himself, Christ continues to bring man to perfection in himself. Under the sign of matter, what the sign indicates really happens--Christ becomes one with me.

SERVANT OF GOD MSGR LUIGI GIUSSANI

Magnificat, January 2016

Monsignor Giussani (+ 2005) was a priest from Milan, Italy, and was the founder of the ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation.

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH! WWW.STJOHNTRYON.COM

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DAILY MASS READINGS

January 10 SunThe Baptism of the LordIs 42:1-4, 6-7/Acts 10:34-38/Lk 3:15-16, 21-22, or, for Year C, Is 40:1-5, 9-11/Ti 2:11-14; 3:4-7/Lk 3:15-16, 21-22January 11 Mon1 Sm 1:1-8/Mk 1:14-20January 12 Tue 1 Sm 1:9-20/Mk 1:21-28January 13 Wed 1 Sm 3:1-10, 19-20/Mk 1:29-39January 14 Thu 1 Sm 4:1-11/Mk 1:40-45January 15 Fri 1 Sm 8:4-7, 10-22a/Mk 2:1-12January 16 Sat 1 Sm 9:1-4, 17-19; 10:1a/Mk 2:13-17January 17 Sun2nd Sunday in Ordinary TimeIs 62:1-5/1 Cor 12:4-11/Jn 2:1-11

FINANCIAL FACTS

The Christmas collection total was $12,982. The collection for December 26 & 27 was $8,247.

This is the collection report for Christmas Masses and the Masses on December 26 & 27, 2015.

This is the collection report for Masses on December 31, 2015 and January 1, 2016 and the Masses of January 2 & 3, 2016.

The food bank collection was $1,107.

Please pick up your 2016 offertory envelopes today in the social hall.

Last Week Y.T.D.Actual $21,230 $198,712Budgeted $7,115 $185,000Variance $14,115 $ 13,712(unfavorable)

For sacramental emergencies, please call 828-859-9574, ext. 6If you or anyone you know is homebound or hospitalized, even temporarily,

please call the office so that we may arrange for them to be visited by one of our Extraordinary Ministers.

PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS

This Week Y.T.D.Actual $11,339 $210,052Budgeted $7,115 $192,115Variance $ 4,224 $ 17,937(unfavorable)

DECEMBER 8, 2015 - NOVEMBER 20, 2016____________________

MERCIFUL LIKE THE FATHERJUBILEE YEAR OF MERCY

Visit the website at:

yearofmercy.rcdoc.org

COMBINED MISSION COLLECTIONJANUARY 16 & 17

As part of the diocesan combined collections program, the Collection for the Church in Latin America, the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, Church in Africa, Catholic Home Missions, and the United States Mission Collection have been combined into one second collection. That collection will be taken up at all Masses next weekend. Your contribution to the good work of these organizations will give you an opportunity to participate in the missionary activity of the Church on both a local and world level. This week you should receive a letter from our Chancellor and Vicar General, Msgr. Mauricio West with an informative brochure. Please take the time to read through the brochure and become more familiar with the good work done by each of these organizations. The envelope for this collection is part of your parish envelope packet. Make checks payable to St. John Church.

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD! WWW.STJOHNTRYON.COM

THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED PAGE 4

PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTS

PARISH LIFE AT A GLANCEPARISH LIFE AT A GLANCEPARISH LIFE AT A GLANCEPARISH LIFE AT A GLANCEMon Jan 11 9:00am

5:30pm7:00pm

Divine Mercy Chaplet, ChurchSchola Choir Rehearsal, ChurchRCIA, Parish Center

Tue Jan 12 6:30pm Women’s Group, Parish Center

Wed Jan 13 6:00pm Faith Formation Classes, Parish Center

Thu Jan 14 9:30am10:00am7:00pm

Patriotic Rosary, ChurchWomen’s Morning Bible Study, Social HallMen’s Group, Social Hall

Fri Jan 15 — March for Life, Charlotte NC

YOUTH GROUP SUNDAY, JAN. 10TH

9:45AMSOCIAL HALL

AN INVITATION TO REDISCOVER JESUSHave you picked up your copy yet? Rediscover Jesus is a profound invitation to seek deeply personal answers to our deeply personal questions. Each page seems to effortlessly reach deep into our lives, providing spiritual wisdom and practical insights that help us get to know both Jesus and ourselves in a new way. Books are available in the vestibule! We have a generous supply of books so please take a copy for yourself or to share. Should the basket be empty, simply notify an usher. Blessings!

For sacramental emergencies, please call 828-859-9574, ext. 6If you or anyone you know is homebound or hospitalized, even temporarily,

please call the office so that we may arrange for them to be visited by one of our Extraordinary Ministers.

YEAR OF MERCYYear of Mercy Companions, by Magnificat, are now available in the parish office. These booklets give you a daily insight into the virtue of mercy—every day until November 20, 2016—so if you have not picked one up yet, it is not too late! We have extra copies for you to share with family and friends. Thank you!“Gaze ….attentively on mercy so that we may becomea more effective sign

of the Father’s action in our lives.” –Pope Francis

Mark Your Calendar—————

Annual Spaghetti DinnerHosted by Youth Group

& Family Life — Saturday —

February 20, 20165:30pm

USHERS NEEDED ….HAVE YOU CONSIDERED SERVING?We have a wonderful team of ushers at St. John the Baptist and invite you to join! We are in need of a few extra ushers for Vigil Mass on Saturday and the Sunday morning 8:30 Mass. Would you please consider offering your gifts to welcome and greet parishioners to our beautiful church and the celebration of the most sacred and holy Mass? Training will be provided and the rewards are priceless! If interested, please contact Theresa Fitch in the parish office or at stjohnff@windstream.net.

“How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good he has done for me?” —Psalm 116:12

SOUPER BOWL OF CARING 2016

St. John’s YOUTH, as part of Souper Bowl of Caring, will hold soup pots outside church doors following all Masses of February 6th and 7th. They will join young people in Churches

across the country to collect money for those who are hungry and hurting. The youth will be donating ALL FUNDS collected to Outreach Ministry’s “Feed a Kid Backpack” program. Your generosity and support is always appreciated. May God bless you!

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH! WWW.STJOHNTRYON.COM

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FAITH FORMATION

RCIA CLASSES meet this Monday evening, January 11th at 7:00pm in the parish center.

WOMEN’S MORNING BIBLE STUDY THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2016

We will study the book of Genesis using the Catholic Bible and Catechism of the Catholic Church. Genesis is the book of beginnings, the beginnings of the cosmos, time, space, and the material world. It is the foundation of salvation history. To understand Genesis is to understand the primordial battleground of good and evil. It is to see the Trinity, the dignity of the human person, the family, Jesus, Mary, the priesthood, sacrifice, and the incredible patience and mercy that God has for His people. To study our Holy Scripture is to worship our God. We begin this study this coming Thursday morning, January 14th from 10:00 — 11:30am. We will meet in the social hall. To participate in the class and get on the book order list, please call Theresa Fitch at 828-859-9574 (leave message) or email Theresa at stjohnff@windstream.net. Thank you.

YOUTH GROUP —————————————————————————

• Sunday, January 10 Youth Group Breakfast w/ Fr. Arnsparger Parish Social Hall at 9:45am• Sunday, January 17 Youth Group at 5:30pm

• Thursday — Saturday, Jan. 21-23 March for Life 2016 Washington, D.C.

• Saturday — Sunday, Feb. 6 & 7 Souper Bowl of Caring 2016 All Masses

RCIA

THE WOMEN’S GROUP TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 2016

Ladies, we begin our new session this Tuesday evening, January 12, 2016 at 6:30pm in the parish center. We will be reading and discussing The Seven Last Words of Jesus, by Father Romanus Cessario, O.P. We invite you to join us as we deepen our contemplation of Christ in His Passion.

ST. JOHN’S YOUTH & THE MARCH FOR LIFE 2016

The national March for Life this year will take place on Friday, January 22, 2016 on the Anniversary of Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. A few members of St. John’s Youth Group, along with several adults of our parish, will be traveling with St. Barnabas Catholic Church to attend the March for Life in Washington, D.C., January 21st through the 23rd. Please join us in praying for our youth, parishioners, and all those who will be traveling to Washington, D.C. to participate in the March for Life. Please remember to pray in a special way for the unborn, for the healing of those who have suffered from the trauma of abortion, and for all people to come to know and respect the dignity of each and every human life from conception until death.

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD! WWW.STJOHNTRYON.COM

THAT IN ALL THINGS GOD MAY BE GLORIFIED PAGE 6

A N N O U N C E M E N T S

10TH ANNUAL MARCH FOR LIFE CHARLOTTE      JANUARY 15

Mass for the Unborn at  9:00am at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church at  6828 Old Reid Road. At 11:00am we gather at the parking lot across from the Catholic Diocese at 1123 S. Church Street. At 12:00pm we will march to Trade and Tryon. Then we march to the court house at 401 W. Trade Street. We will pray a Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Please join others to march and pray for an end to abortion and save babies lives! Info at: www.marchforlifecharlotte.org

PARISH ANNOUNCEMENTSMARCH FOR LIFE

WASHINGTON, D.C.— JANUARY 22It has been said — politically and culturally — that for one to be pro-woman one must be pro-choice. But nothing could be further from the truth. Sadly, there are so many confusing messages regarding women and the issue of abortion, compounded by the false “war on women” rhetoric. The truth is that life is the empowering choice for women. It’s best for women and families facing unplanned pregnancies, and it’s best for developing female babies in the womb. Abortion harms women, and affects our society as a whole, in so many ways. Visit: http://marchforlife.org

SAVE THE DATESAVE THE DATEJan 10 The Baptism of the Lord

Jan 15 March for Life, Charlotte NC

Jan 17 Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jan 18 Martin Luther King Jr Day - parish office closed

Jan 22 March for Life, Wash DC

Feb 10 Ash Wednesday, Masses at 8:30am, 12:00 & 6:30pm

Feb 14 First Sunday of LentValentine’s Day

Mar 20 Palm Sunday

Mar 24 Holy Thursday

Mar 25 Good Friday

Mar 26 Holy Saturday

Mar 27 Easter Sunday

Apr 3 Divine Mercy Sunday

CONCERT AT ST. ANNThe Gaudium Musicae concert series brings Irish songs, tunes, poetry, and story to St. Ann’s with a traditional  Airneal. Irish guitarist and singer Daithi Sproule joins the Raleigh-based duo Little Windows for a concert on Friday, January 22, 2016, at 7:00pm followed by a lively party for all ticket holders. Advance discount t i c k e t s c a n b e p u r c h a s e d o n l i n e at  www.StAnnCharlotte.org  until January 19th. After January 19th, all tickets sold at the door.

The Year of Mercy is an invitation—an invitation to love, kindness, and unbounded generosity. Pope Francis is offering you the opportunity to encounter the incredible mercy of God. Encountering mercy means encountering God. It can transform your life, your relationships, your work, and your ability to embrace and experience all of life.

TBOM — DONATIONS 2015Thank you for your generous donations to

Thermal Belt Outreach! The total donations from St. John Catholic Church to

Thermal Belt Food Bank for 2015 were $11, 999.

"Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." — Matthew 25:40

YEAR OF MERCY — DAILYYou can sign up on line to receive daily messages to study: Popes in a Year; Year of Mercy; and Catechism in a Year. These are provided by Flocknote services created by Matthew Warner and his team:

flocknote.com/popes

flocknote.com/mercyflocknote.com/catechism

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH! WWW.STJOHNTRYON.COM

UT IN OMNIBUS GLORIFICETUR DEUS ! PAGE 7

ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS WITH THE CHURCH FATHERS

FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 39: On the Holy Lights, 14-16We celebrate the Baptism of the Lord on the Sunday after the Solemnity of the Epiphany. In his angelus message on January 11, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI said the following: “This was the first act of his public life, recounted in all four Gospels. Having reached the age of about thirty, Jesus left Nazareth, went to the River Jordan and, in the midst of a great crowd of people, had himself baptized by John. Mark the Evangelist writes: ‘And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came down from heaven “You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased’” (Mk 1:10-11). These words ‘You are my beloved Son’ reveal what eternal life is: it is the filial relationship with God, just as Jesus lived it and as he revealed and gave it to us.”

Chromatius of Aquileia, Sermon 34, 1-3Celebration is one of the aspects of our life, and it will become even more so in heaven. We celebrate so many different anniversaries, but so few people remember to celebrate the day of their Baptism; in fact, very few even know when they were baptized. It would be good to renew our remembrance of such an important moment in our life, and it would be helpful if we made it meaningful in our families and communities. Dear reader, on what day were you and I baptized?

CHRISTMAS TIME

Leo the Great, Sermon 31, 1ff.There is a story of a fourth Wise Man who came late, having given the gifts he had brought for Jesus to those in need along his way. He therefore arrived empty-handed and embarrassed because he had nothing to offer. He held out his empty hands, and to his great surprise Mary gave him the little Child Jesus to hold in his arms. This is just a tale, not the Gospel, but I still think that the real Wise Men must have had a similar experience in the depths of their souls. In other words, moving beyond the gifts that they brought, they must have experienced the powerful feeling of having received an extraordinary gift: seeing God in a child and the Child who was God.

John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of John, 11,1-2As was always the case in the pagan world, the encounter between the divine and the human is not one of equals. It is not an encounter of equals for Christianity either, but the shocking thing is that it works solely to the advantage of human kind. During Advent and Christmas, we often hear the phrase “God became like us to make us like him”: this is because he holds back nothing and yet loses nothing of himself out of love for us.

Gregory of Nyssa, The Great Catechism, 15, 2-3God always listens to our prayers and sees our weaknesses. He knows that we are inclined toward sin, but he loves us all the more because of this. God is love, and “no one has greater love than...to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13). Jesus did just that for us on the Cross, but he had already shown us his mercy with his birth by “taking the form of a slave” (Phil 2:7) in order to set us free.

Leo the Great, Sermon 31, 1ff.There is no private and exclusive guest list for entering into heaven, but there is certainly a festive garment to be worn: it must be put together throughout our earthly existence. We should not push or skip the line in order to get in, however, because the Lord has shown the path not just to us, but to all men and women of good will. A star, a light, an encounter, or an event can change our lives if we are willing to set out on the journey.

Augustine, The Confessions, 4, 12, 18-19“Go ahead and move from continent to continent, kingdom to kingdom, riches to riches, or pleasure to pleasure: you will not find the happiness you seek. The world and all it contains cannot fulfill the immortal soul any more than a pinch of flour can satisfy the hunger of a starving man. “May these words of the Holy Curé of Ars serve as a reminder when reflecting on the birth of Christ, who chose to be poor and lowly. What we really seek — true happiness — is found in feeling oneself to be freely loved; and in being loved, being chosen; and in being chosen, being sent.

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Leo the Great, Sermon 21, 2-3We have often heard the expression “you don’t know who you’re dealing with,” delivered in a haughty or domineering tone. We should learn how to reinterpret it, directing it as ourselves and our own nature as God’s creatures. It should be not for imposing ourselves upon others, but for recognizing ourselves as God’s children. If only we realized who heirs we all are!

Fulgentius of Ruspe, Sermons for the Feast of St. Stephen, 1, 3-6God’s providential “imagination” brings St. Stephen and St. Paul together at a moment in which they embody opposing positions on the human and religious levels. Yet this incompatibility, even sealed by Paul’s consent to Stephen’s martyrdom, is transformed through the martyr’s forgiveness and the action of the Holy Spirit into an encounter that begins to change the life of the future Apostle to the Gentiles. Those who look with the eyes of love overcome hatred and death!

Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 29, 19-20Salvation history, our entire existence, and the search for true happiness are all summed up in Christ for those who have faith (see Eph 1:3-10). The birth and infancy narratives are not fables or fairy tales; they are the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament and therefore of God’s promise of love for humanity. This was revealed by the Father and the Holy Spirit in the Baptism of Jesus and on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Leo the Great, Sermon 21, 2Let us admire the beautiful hymn that St. Paul includes in his Letter to the Philippians, in which Jesus is described as both truly human as well as our Redeemer: “Though he was in the form of God, / [he] did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. / Rather, he emptied himself, / taking the form of a slave, / coming in human likeness; / and found human in appearance, / he humbled himself, / becoming obedient to death, / even death on a cross. / Because of this, God greatly exalted him / and bestowed on him the name / that is above every name, / that at the name of Jesus / every knee should bend, / of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, / and every tongue confess that / Jesus Christ is Lord, / to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:6-11).

Gregory the Great, Homilies, 1, 8We always remember a special encounter, and a meaningful event can affect our future. When it is Christ whom we encounter, in joy and suffering, it is always an event that changes our life, guiding it toward heaven and happiness. The shepherds could certainly have hoped for anything that night in Bethlehem, but it was attributable to the providential design of God alone that they were at the center of the most often told story in the world and that this filled their souls with exuberance. There is nothing left to do but sing the Gloria together with the angels!

Gregory of a Nazianzus, Oration 38, 1Gregory of Nazianzus urges us to look at the Christmas celebration with a new spirit that overcomes materialism and consumerism. We want to celebrate without forgetting who the true guest of honor is. It is Jesus Christ, yet we too are honored guests with him precisely in virtue of his birth. This does not mean setting aside traditions and ornaments; rather, it means being aware that these are simple accessories to the true and proper celebration of this special time in the liturgical year.

John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew, 8, 2ff.Following Christ is demanding and requires certain trials. The Scriptures are filled with such examples of fidelity and obedience. The lives of the saints also recount challenging episodes full of suffering and misunderstandings sometimes even caused by people in the Church; yet “the one who perseveres to the end will be saved” (Mt 24:13). In fact, trials are followed by rewards. We should always keep a crucifix with us, and when we are tired, discouraged, or overwhelmed, let us look to him who was “obedient to death, / even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8).

Leo the Great, Letter 28, 2God’s plans are not our plans. This should only uplift us and give us peace! We often think we can organize everything, planning as though we were eternal. Christmas tells us how God enters into our history: he knocks on the door of our heart, neither forcing it nor knocking it down. The door of the heart opens from the inside.