DECEMBER 27, 2020

St. Mary Catholic Church www.stmary-wc.org 925-891-8900

THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH

“For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples.”

- Lk 2:30-31

WE ARE GOD’S HOLY FAMILY The scriptures of Israel are filled with many stories of barren couples who were mi-raculously granted the gift of children by God. Surely the best known among these is the first reading from today, from which Luke took inspira-tion when he recounted the miraculous birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and Elizabeth, and the more miraculous birth of Jesus to Mary and Joseph. In each instance, we are given examples or role models of those who trusted in God. More than examples of those who trust, they are models of self-surrender. They abandoned their own presuppositions and prej-udices about the workings of the world and turned their lives over to belief in a God who can make life grow where none ought to; a God who can turn death around into a new and unimagined life; a God who can, today, take a tiny child of humble parents in an insignificant town and make him into a light for all the world. This is what we, as God’s holy family, are called to do each day: to trust not in ourselves and the way we think things should be, but to open our-selves and surrender ourselves in faith to a God of endless promise. Copyright © J. S. Paluch Co.

Wishing you all a Blessed and Joy-Filled 2021

Our Prayers for this coming year are with all of you.

The Faith Formation/ Youth ministry team

There will be no class for Little Saints January 3. Little Saints resumes on January 10.

Encounter will begin again on January 5 and EDGE on January 6. Look for notification as the time to

resume classes gets closer.

Dear Friends,

A very blessed Feast of the Holy Family to all of you and your loved ones, and to our entire Parish Family of St. Mary. I hope everyone had a wonderful – although different – Christmas celebra-tion, and that the presence of Jesus remains in your heart and in your life every day.

Today’s Gospel story of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is one of prophecy and praise for this Newborn King. Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to be “presented” and dedicated to God as their first-born son, according to Jewish custom. There they encounter both Simeon and Anna, each to speak God’s praises over what this Child will become.

Let us reflect on the presence of our Savior in our lives, especially these days. May we seek His blessing and His grace that we may be protected from all harm and live each day in thanksgiving and praise for the gift of the Son of God to each of us.

Have a blessed week. Father Fred Mary, Mother of God

Helping a friend, volunteering for the church or school event, shoveling the sidewalk — all of these actions require a yes. Be-coming your parent’s medical power of attorney, resigning from a job or accepting a new one — our lives require yes af-ter yes. Each one sets us up for even more choices. On January 1, we celebrate Mary as Mother of God. This title is monumental. It elevates a simple girl from Nazareth to the most highly revered woman in all creation. And it all started with a simple yes! But it didn’t end there. Being free from sin doesn’t mean being free from temptation. Mary had countless opportunities to say yes or no to God throughout her life. She is an example for us on the power of graced perseverance! Whatever your reso-lutions or decisions in the coming year, ask for Mary’s intercession to say yes.

UPCOMING SECOND COLLECTIONS January 3 Parish Maintenance January 10 Seminary January 17 Grotto Grounds January 31 St. Vincent de Paul

PRAY FOR THE SICK

Staff and Administration Website: www.stmary-wc.org

Parish Office 891-8900 Fax 934-1358 Fr. Fred Riccio, friccio@stmary-wc.org Pastor 891-8900 Fr. John Blaker, 891-8900 In residence Deacon Paul Turek pturek@stmary-wc.org Ana Lau, alau@stmary-wc.org Office Manager 891-8908 Aileen Baker, abaker@stmary-wc.org Bookkeeper 891-8911

Faith Formation

Maureen Tiffany mtiffany@stmary-wc.org Director of Faith Formation 962-5808 Mary Kerfs, lifeteen@stmary-wc.org Administrative Assistant 891-8939 Austin Pisciotto apisciotto@stmary-wc.org Coordinator K-Grade 6 891-8944 Jethro Castillo jcastillo@stmary-wc.org Youth Minister Grades 7-12 891-8920 Heather Abraham, habraham@stmary-wc.org Coordinator Confirmation 891-8934 & Community Service Tim Mannix tmannix@stmary-wc.org RCIA & Liturgy Coordinator 891-8921

School

Office 935-5054 stmary@st-mary.net Website: www.st-mary.net Alumni: stmaryalumni@st-mary.net Garrett Padia, Principal 935-5054

DATE INTENTION

12/27 Karin Lisboa

The People of St. Mary

Mary Ann McGill

Cecelia Cody

Christina Chacon Barba

12/28 Andres Ochotorena

12/29 Vickie Gomez (L)

12/30 Vito D’Addabbo

12/31 Intentions of Fil-Am Ministry

01/01 The People of St. Mary Parish

01/02 Beverly Regan (L)

Allison Flamez Monica Jara Ana Alvarez Isabel Castillo Susana Jaime Rosalinda Reyes Jeanine Gordon Christine Pollnow Jake Johnstone Diane Hewson Clarissa Gutierrez Julia Rodriguez Fred & Emilia Sohn Raul Gonzalez Raquel Zittel Quinn Gurnett David Toy Ana Lopez Dominador Hontucan Oralee Floria

Mary McLoughlin Angela Regan Beverly Regan Josefina Zabat Audry Robinson Loretta Holmes Nancie Campi

Betty Baker Carol Erikson

Nydia Pajarillo Danyel Sheets

Beth Wainwright Robin Wood

Billy Silva Mary Kennedy Marcella Hatch Cheryl LaMarre Marissa Magno

Jim Crowley Ed Regan

A NEW BEGINNING

It’s never too late to change your ways, You can always start anew,

Discard those habits you’re tired of And fashion a whole new “you.”

Don’t consider the past a waste of time, Just learn from your mistakes. But if you want to forge ahead,

A change is what it takes. So start right now and set new goals;

Decide what you want to do. Be patient and take one step at a time, But be sure to see each one through.

For as each step is finished And you add it to the next,

You soon will see that you have built A stairway to success.

Frances Gregory Pasch (Salesian Inspirational Books)

Rosaries as Decorations

Question: I’ve seen peo-ple hang rosaries over the rear-view mirrors in their cars and a few of them wear them around their necks. Is it OK to do that?

Answer: The practice of hanging a rosary or a reli-gious medal off of the rearview mirror of one’s car is a fairly popular custom across many cultures. While there is no particular rule approving or condemning this practice, we should also be mindful of the respect and reverence due to religious objects and devotional items (i.e. sacramentals).

An important point to consider would be the reason why one chooses to place a rosary or religious medal in our cars. Is it a reminder of the protection and inter-cession of Mary and the saints? Does it encourage us to be mindful of God’s presence, even in such a mun-dane task as driving? Is it an outward expression of our more private devotions?

One advantage of having a rosary or religious medal in our cars is that it can also serve as a reminder to pray when we travel, asking for protection for our-selves and for other motorists or commuters. Certainly, invoking the protection and prayers of the saints is a wonderful practice for families, helping to reinforce our belief in the communion of saints and the care and concern we owe to one another. ©LPi

Reflecting on God’s Word On Christmas we celebrate God becoming human, when the face of creation was changed. We ponder that great mystery of the Incarna-tion: Jesus is true God and truly human. The divine has entered into communion with the human in the body and soul of Jesus of Nazareth. Christmas is not a single day, however, but an entire sea-son. Today, the Sunday after Christmas, we ponder the Holy Family. What difference does this mystery of the Incarnation make for families? Jesus came to bring together the children of Israel into a new fami-ly, a family united not by blood but by faith in him. So in today’s Gospel we see some of the first mem-bers of that family. Luke’s Gospel has been called the Gospel of Jesus as the compassion of God, the Gospel of prayer, the Gospel of the Holy Spirit; we can also think of it as the Gospel of family. He first introduces us to Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth, and Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah, parents of John the Baptist. Then we meet Mary and Joseph. Today we meet two other family members, Simeon and Anna, not related by blood, but only by faith in the promises of the God of Israel. Each sees in the child Jesus the glory of Israel and the light for the Gentiles. Christmas reminds us that by baptism into Christ we are now part of God’s family. As God’s family, “God’s chosen ones,” as Paul reminded the Colossians (3:62), we are to put on heartfelt compassion, kind-ness, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one an-other and forgiving one another. —James A. Wallace, C.Ss.R. Copyright © 2014, World Library Publications. All rights reserved.

If you know someone who is elderly, frail, and isolat-ed, find ways to be a pres-ence and a support. Drop a greeting card in the mail. Make a “how are you?” phone call. Go by with homemade goodies. Offer

to run errands or drive to doctor visits. Take the family over and do yard work or other chores. Copyright © 2011, World Library Publications. All rights reserved.

La Sagrada Familia La Navidad es familia, es calor de hogar, es pureza de cora-zón. La Liturgia nos ayuda a recordar la belleza de este tiempo y enfocamos nuestra mirada en la Sagrada Familia. La familia es llamada, ahora más que nunca, a ser valorada y enriquecida con lazos de co-

munión. Debe estar cimentada en la fe. Como ejem-plo de esa fe tenemos a Abraham, Simeón y Ana. Ellos supieron cumplir sus deberes de fe y confianza plena en Dios, bendiciendo y alabando a Dios por tener la oportunidad de recibir a Jesús en sus brazos: “Ahora, Señor, ya puedes dejar que tu siervo muera en paz, como le has dicho. Porque mis ojos han visto a tu Salvador.” (Lucas 2:29-30) La familia es un don de Dios. El Papa Francisco en diferentes ocasiones ha dicho lo siguiente sobre la familia: “En su camino familiar, ustedes comparten tantos momentos inolvidables: las comidas, el descan-so, las tareas de la casa, la diversión, la oración, las excursiones y peregrinaciones, la solidaridad con los necesitados… Sin embargo, si falta el amor, falta la alegría, y el amor, el amor auténtico nos lo da Jesús”. Y añadió en otra de sus frases: "Cuando nos pre-ocupamos por nuestras familias y sus necesidades, cuando entendemos sus problemas y esperanzas... cuando sostienen la familia, sus esfuerzos repercuten no sólo en beneficio de la Iglesia; también ayudan a la sociedad entera.” La familia de estos tiempos es llamada a valorar y vivir una Iglesia doméstica au-téntica, donde el centro sea Jesús. ¿Es tu familia como la de Nazaret? ©LPi

María, Madre de Dios

Ayudar a un amigo, ofrecerse para ayudar en un evento en la iglesia o en la escuela, pa-lear la nieve de la acera—todas estas acciones requieren un “Sí.” Aceptar tomar deci-siones médicas a nombre de los padres, renunciar a un trabajo o aceptar un tra-bajo nuevo—nuestras vidas requieren un “sí” una y otra vez. Cada uno de esos “sí” abre ante nosotros nuevas opciones. El día 1°de enero celebramos a María como Madre de Dios. Este título es monumental; eleva a María de una sencilla joven de Nazaret a la mujer más vene-rada en toda la creación. Y todo empezó con un sim-ple “sí.” Pero no terminó allí. El ser libre de pecado no quiere decir estar libre de tentaciones. María tuvo innumerables oportunidades de decirle “sí” o “no” a Dios a lo largo de su vida. Ella es un ejemplo para nosotros del poder de la perseverancia asistida por la gracia. Cualesquiera que sean nuestras resolu-ciones o decisiones en este próximo año, pidamos la intercesión de María para decir “sí.”

Lunes: 1 Jn 1:5 — 2:2; Sal 124 (123):2-5, 7b-8: Mt:13-18 Martes: 1 Jn 2:3-11; Sal 96 (95):1-3, 5b-6; Lc 2:22-35 Miércoles: 1 Jn 2:12-17; Sal 96: (95)7-10; Lc 2:36-40 Jueves: 1 Jn 2:18-21; Sal 96 (95):1-2, 11-13; Jn 1:1-18 Viernes: Nm 6:22-27; Sal 67 (66):2-3, 5, 6, 8; Gál 4:4-7; Lc 2:16-21 Sábado: 1 Jn 2:22-28; Sal 98 (97):1-4; Jn 1:19-28 Domingo: Is 60:1-6; Sal 72 (71):1-2, 7-8, 10-13; Ef 3:2-3a, 5-6; Mt 2:1-12

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