A season of light
The holy days of Christmas begin with tomorrow’s first Vigil…and we will celebrate the Nativity of the Lord with such joy! This season of light, these holy days of remembering the Gift given to us at Bethlehem…these days continue until the Solemnity of the Baptism of the Lord, on the 13th of January. It is a celebration of the gift…the birth…of light.
Holidays or holy days?
So, since the beginning of Advent, have you celebrated “the holidays” or have you longed for the holy days of the Nativity? Which phrase betokens your mood these past four weeks…happy holidays or…blessings for a holy Advent? Most of us have fallen in with the prevailing culture and have “celebrated” (have gone nuts over)…” the holidays”…buying and buying and buying…or, if finances don’t allow it….wishing and wishing and wishing…for more stuff, for just “more” of everything. For the happy holidays culture…the Christmas tree will come down on the afternoon of Christmas day. They are ending their holiday season just as we are beginning our own…these holy days of Christmas… season of light.
How we are to begin the celebration
On the 24th and 25th of December, we will witness an extraordinary growth in the size of our parish. Hundreds upon hundreds of “newcomers” will enter the Nave or Corbett Hall and will be racing for an empty seat…just like you. The parking lot…never a star in our crown…will be a danger zone, especially for those drivers with “control” issues. With the “C & E” Catholics, with honest to goodness visitors and with all of us….the 24th and 25th will be a fine mixture of emotions. But let’s do this…let’s remember who we celebrate and how He calls us to live and to love. Let us pray, asking our Father for the grace to treat every newcomer with the Lord’s own love. It is a season of light…and the light has overcome the darkness! Fr. Josh and I will carry most of the liturgies. Fr. Joseph Morris and Fr. Daniel Ketter will assist us with three of the ten Masses offered.
Remember the schedule
On the Eve of Christmas, there will be Masses in the great Nave of our Church and in Corbett Hall. Though we list two Masses at 4 PM and two Masses at 6 PM…in reality…each Mass will begin when a fire marshal would say enough. Usually, the Masses will start at about 3:45 PM and 5:45 PM in the Nave and a few minutes later in Corbett Hall. Since most families with young children gravitate to the early Masses, please remember that we have a 7:30 PM and a 9 PM on Christmas Eve…along with Midnight Mass (at Midnight) and Masses on Christmas day (9, 10:45 and 12:15).
The staff, they have families too
The “plant” is shut down for about ten days…all except the Chapel and our ministry of Adoration. This is done so that the members of our staff… those that care for this plant and our parish family…might enjoy time with their families as most would want them to do. In the name of that staff…the women and men that dedicate themselves to the work of God here at Saint Brigid…I offer each and all…a joyful Christmas….and a celebration of the season of light.
AMDG