​Dear Brothers & Sisters,
 
“WE THREE KINGS OF ORIENT ARE BEARING GIFTS WE TRAVERSE AFAR.” This is a well known song that we always sing and hear during this time. However, I’m not sure if we ever had time to reflect upon these words. As we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany this weekend, I would like to reflect three things about these men, they left their homes, traveled from far away, and returned in a different way.
 
There are many traditions and myths about who the wise men were. Were they truly kings? Were they astronomers? Where did they come from? What kind of gifts did they bring? When did they arrive in Bethlehem?  Some of these questions we can only assume different possibilities, but we do have a few things that we know for sure as we hear in the song. They are three men, who traveled from afar bearing gifts for Jesus. Maybe we imagine a modern day travel, in which three men got together at the airport and got on a plane to Israel, and either got a transfer or an Uber following the GPS location of the child. However, back in the day, these men risked their lives by embarking on such a trip. They had to face elements in the long trip crossing the desert, as well as all the perils that they could have encountered, whether wild animals, bandits, or something else. They had to renounce the comfort of their house, and maybe even their reason to do such a thing. But they were certain of the sign they saw in the sky. They were people waiting to hear a word from God that would point in the right direction. Pope Benedict XVI once said “The Magi set out because of a deep desire which prompted them to leave everything and begin a journey. It was as though they had always been waiting for that star. It was as if the journey had always been a part of their destiny, and was finally about to begin”.
 
As their story is very pretty and inspirational, now let’s place ourselves as part of this story. What would have happened if we were one of them? Would we spend endless hours looking for a sign from God? Would we have renounced the comfort of our lives, leaving everything behind to begin this journey? What would we be willing to risk in order to see the Messiah face to face? These are interesting questions that we should ask ourselves from time to time, because God wants to reveal himself (have an epiphany) to us every day. But we have to decide, whether we want it or not, what we are willing to leave behind, and whether we are willing to face the challenges of that journey.
 
Each day we bring to God many intentions of our lives. There are certain situations that can expose our lack of charity, our pride, and other sins, which upon some examination of conscience, we ask God to help us with those things. The same can be said about any other vice or sin. But the same question comes again, what are we willing to do, or how far are we willing to go in order to be humble, charitable, etc.? These three characters understood that without having the Messiah in their lives, everything else would become meaningless. Without having this personal encounter with Jesus, all the riches in the world would count for nothing, and we assume that they knew all of that. But do we know, or are we aware of that all the time? Again going back to the words of the Pope, The better you know Jesus the more his mystery attracts you. The more you discover him, the more you are moved to seek him. This is a movement of the Spirit which lasts throughout life.”
 
We also know that the Magi “returned to their own country by a different way.” Their story does not end here, as they still had to travel back to their homes. Imagine facing all the same challenges and dangers of this journey once again. However, now they did not have the star to follow. This is because after seeing Jesus, the light was now inside them. Later in life Jesus will confirm that by saying that we are the light of the World. Even in our baptism, we receive the light of Christ. Pope Benedict refers to the new mission that the Magi had saying that, “Their task was to guard and nourish it in the constant memory of Christ, of his Holy Face, of his ineffable Love.” This is the same mission that all of us Christians have. Indeed, I would go one step further than that. Our mission is to guard, nourish the love of God, but WE ARE ALSO CALLED TO SPREAD THIS LOVE. Here in the parish we will have an opportunity to share this love by attending the March for Life on Jan 20-21. On a local level, you can participate (weather permitting) joining us CAROLING THROUGH MARLBORO THIS SUNDAY. We plan to gather here in the church at 5:30pm, we would sing at the end of the 5:00pm mass, then we would go out to visit 3 houses.  (Please see the flyer/poster for more information.)
 
 
God Bless,
Fr. Steven
 

​Dear Brothers & Sisters,
 
WELCOME AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

It is with great joy that we welcome each and everyone on this special moment of the year, the celebration of the BIRTH OF OUR SAVIOR! And also very importantly, that we are able to celebrate it with you and your loved ones.
 
Even though recently we might not have been able to celebrate this moment as in years past, that does not diminish the importance or the joy of this holy night. It’s always crucial for us to remember WHAT we are celebrating more than WITH WHOM or what we are EATING OR RECEIVING. Surely those elements are important and it adds to the whole thing, but again, the main focus in our celebration is the FIRST COMING OF THE MESSIAH.
 
The other day as we were having a retreat for the children, we were reflecting on God's mind-blowing decision to save mankind. After having created the heaven and earth, the mountains and valleys, all the flowers and trees, all the animals of the whole world, and giving his close friendship out of love for Adam and Eve, they ignored God and chose the creation over the creator. Maybe the natural response to such “slap on the face” would be to become angry and condemn them to everlasting punishment. Instead, God creates a plan of salvation to his children, which culminates in the coming of Christ. Starting with Abraham, God “walks” with his chosen people and slowly teaches them that He alone is God and there is no other saving God. The prophets brought God’s relationship even deeper, showing the people that there is no other people on earth that has a God so close to them as the Lord. All of the Old Testament was a preparation to prepare their hearts to be saved by Jesus Christ. Their sins should have shown them that man alone cannot survive, much less be saved by their own efforts. Deep down, sin is what makes man unhappy and sad.
 
When the appropriate time came, God sent his only begotten Son, the Word made flesh, into the world to save man. The name “Jesus” means God saves! Great is the cause of our joy in this Holy Night. Christ comes as a man on a mission. As pretty as the manger is, the swaddling cloth prefigures his own burial, because this child comes to die and rise for us. He comes to save man from sin. He comes to restore God’s friendship with mankind. He opens the possibility of our redemption. The waiting since the time of Adam and Eve is finally over, heavens were opened once again. Tonight’s celebration is this other step in God’s salvation plan. On Christmas’ Eve we heard the reading from the prophet Isaiah, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” The result of that is “abundant joy and great rejoicing.” I understand that maybe you didn’t get the gift you were expecting, or not the right size/color, or maybe your dish didn’t come out as you expected, but there is still cause for joy! More seriously, maybe being away from family or not being able to be together with friends and loved ones due to whatever can be very difficult. But we take consolation that Christ comes to spend this night with us. This sweet and tender child abdicates his own comfort and comes in the most humble way to be with us. God makes himself one of us so that we can be of them. Let’s keep Christ as the center of our lives. And the best of it, CHRISTMAS is not celebrated only this weekend! We CELEBRATE FOR 12 DAYS!!!! Not necessarily receiving 12 gifts each day from our true love, but certainly being together with our true love, God himself.
 
I would like to say a word thanking all the people that made this beautiful night possible here in our parish. To all our decoration team, our musicians, lectors, servers, and everyone else that has helped us in ways that are known to God alone. On behalf of the priests and the staff, I also wanted to thank you all for your generosity towards us with cards, gifts, cookies and best wishes. Last of all, all Christmas’ collection is to help our retired priests in our Archdiocese.
 
Please be assured of our daily prayers to you and your loved ones and if there is anything that we can do to help, please let us know. We are here for you.
 
Merry Holy Christmas!
Fr. Steven
 

Dear Brothers & Sisters,
 
Every year the Knights of Columbus sponsor “the movement” KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS. You might have seen signs on churches or bumper stickers. This is not a political stand, but rather a thoughtful reminder to what is most important during these days. But how can we keep Christ in Christmas?
 
This week, as we began the novena for Christmas, all the readings from the liturgy will focus on the promises of the Old Testament about the first coming of the messiah. So one good way to help us to keep Christ in the center of this celebration is to read the readings of the day before supper. The same way that we say grace, we can grow our expectation of Christmas day. Another way is to decorate the house with Christian symbols, such as a nice nativity set (without baby Jesus), the Christmas Tree (it was first used by St. Boniface to evangelize in Germany), a Crucifix (which is good all year round), Picture of Holy Family etc… And please don’t take them down after the 25th. Remember the famous song “Twelve Days of Christmas”? It’s because we celebrate Christmas until Epiphany!!! As much as some people get tired of listening to Christmas carols already, THIS TIME IS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR.
 
However, if we get distracted by all the shopping, the stress of having people over, and trying to meet everyone’s expectations, we can lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas. We will go through the motions, but Christ wants to give us much more than just a nice dinner and gifts. He is born in Bethlehem in a SILENT NIGHT to give JOY TO THE WORLD. He brings GLAD TIDINGS to you and your Kin, the forgiveness of our sins, and the promise of Eternal life. All of these things are wonderful, and we should share them with everyone else. So another way to keep Christ in Christmas is to WISH PEOPLE MERRY CHRISTMAS, and not other sorts of greetings.
 
Lastly, the most important way to celebrate Christmas is to christMASS!!!  Whether you stay local or go to visit someone, check the mass times and plan ahead.  Below we have our mass schedule which we hope to see you and your loved ones.  In case we don’t see you I, on behalf on the priests of IC and all the staff, wish you a HOLY AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!
 
God Bless,
Fr. Steven
 
Christmas Mass Schedule
 
Friday, December 24
 
7:30am - Daily Weekday Mass
4:00pm Upper Church - Christmas Mass - English
4:00pm Lower Church - Christmas Mass - English
6:00pm Upper Church - Christmas Mass - English
8:00pm Upper Church - Christmas Mass - Portuguese
12:00am Upper Church - Christmas Mass - English
 
Saturday, December 25 - All Masses will be in the Upper Church
 
8:00am - Christmas Mass - English
10:00am - Christmas Mass - English
1:00pm - Christmas Mass - Spanish
  
Since Christmas falls on Friday/Saturday this year, our mass obligation for Sunday remains the same. The Church invites us to go to mass twice that weekend, once for Christmas and once for the weekend.  For example, you could attend mass on Saturday morning for Christmas and Saturday afternoon, 4:00pm for the weekend.
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
 
This Sunday we celebrate the GAUDETE SUNDAY, which is the third Sunday of Advent. Gaudete is taken from the Entrance Antiphon: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (paraphrase, Phil 4:4-5). Advent is a time of joyful expectation and eager preparation for the Coming of Christ and the Solemnity of Christmas. We actually have Multiple Reasons for Joy. There is joy in looking forward to the annual celebration of Christmas, but there is also joy in recalling the birth of Jesus on the first Christmas. The joy is heightened because he was born to save us from our sins (Mt 1:21b). The joy also extends to anticipation of the Second Coming, either at the end of physical life or the end of the world, the time when believers will be given the crown of righteousness (2 Tm 4:8) and a place in the Father’s house (Jn 14:2) to dwell with God and his angels and saints for all eternity. This joy is represented by the color rose that represents the dawn of the Light of Christ that draws near each day to our lives.
 
As Christmas draws near to us, let’s not be caught up with Christmas shopping and everything else that happens at this time of the year, but above all, let’s prepare our hearts to receive Him! Let’s start reading the bible each day, watch videos about the Christmas story, look for opportunities to help those in need, go to confession, pray Daily Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Angelus. Spend more time with our families and other people and less with electronics. Since it’s the season of giving, maybe we can even look for opportunities to give our time, whether helping St. Vincent de Paul or the Community Cupboard (Food pantry). As we are invited to Rejoice, let’s also share this joy with others.
 
God Bless,
Fr. Steven

 Christmas Mass Schedule
 
Friday, December 24
 
 7:30am - Daily Weekday Mass
 
4:00pm Upper Church - Christmas Mass - English
4:00pm Lower Church - Christmas Mass - English
6:00pm Upper Church - Christmas Mass - English
8:00pm Upper Church - Christmas Mass - Portuguese
12:00am Upper Church - Christmas Mass - English
 
Saturday, December 25 - All Masses will be in the Upper Church
 
8:00am - Christmas Mass - English
10:00am - Christmas Mass - English
1:00pm - Christmas Mass - Spanish
   
Since Christmas falls on Friday/Saturday this year, our mass obligation for Sunday remains the same. The Church invites us to go to mass twice that weekend, once for Christmas and once for the weekend.  For example, you could attend mass on Saturday morning for Christmas and Saturday afternoon, 4:00pm for the weekend.