Merry Christmas(tide)!
the baptism of the Lord
Announcements for January 8, 2022:
Christmas decorations will be removed this Sunday afternoon. Anyone who wishes to bring home poinsettias should pick them up in the church after the 11:00am Mass.
With no national collection this month, our beyond-the-tithe opportunity is for our parish cemetery. You can find the cemetery fund in the dropdown menu of our Parish Campaigns.
Our next Youth Ministry gathering will be Friday, January 14th at 7:00pm in Gordon Hall. All teens in grades 8 through 12 are invited to attend.
Visit the OLMC Parishioner Portal for all of our recent announcements.
If you need anything at all, please be in touch with me.
Dear Saints,
Christmas greetings (yes, still)!
We're closing out our festive season this weekend. How fitting it is that we do so with the Baptism of the Lord.
Why is that fitting? Great question. I'll answer after this image, one of Paolo Veronese's Baptisms of Christ:
Baptism of Christ
Paolo Veronese, c.1580
Our feast this weekend closes the Christmas season as an epiphany event. Along with his manifestation to the Magi and the miracle at Cana, Jesus' baptism forms a three-part revelation of God-as-man on the human scene.
Furthermore, as the Christmas season draws to a close, we need to start thinking about where we go from here.
In his baptism, Jesus picks up Israel's calling to live as a light to the nations. We - who are members of his body - find our life's purpose in his mission. With God's own life of love at work in us and working through us, we are made to be a light to the world, as our parish motto and mission remind us.
The long and short of it, my friends, is that God wants to love the world through us. The task is tremendous, but we - through and with and in Jesus - can rise to the challenge!
I look forward to seeing you very soon!
Christ's Peace,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ
Preparing for Mass?
Check out this weekend's readings:
The Baptism of the Lord
The Baptism of Christ
Giotto, c.1305