“The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!” (Numbers 6:24-26) As we come to the end of our celebration of the Octave of Christmas and begin a New Year with the celebration of Mary, the Holy Mother of God, my heart is filled with joy and thanks as I celebrate this Christmas Octave with you once again here at St. Katharine of Siena Parish! What a generous Christmas spirit so many of you have shown during this season! As in the past, I was edified when I saw the 300 tags that had been hung on the Mercy Hospice Trees disappear one-by-one to be replaced by your gifts for the women and their children who had no place to go but Mercy Hospice for Christmas. And, I marveled at all the boxes that had been brought to the school cafeteria filled with gifts and food for the 80 needy families at St. Martin de Porres, our sister parish, and in our own neighborhood. Finally, I just received the latest report from the Catholic Charities Appeal of Philadelphia and was deeply impressed that, despite the financial challenges so many of you have faced during these uncertain times, you have continued your very generous support of this most important appeal. To date, $167,000 has been credited to our parish; well over our $152,000 goal! It is evident that so many of you are aware of the true spirit of Christmas and are eager to share God’s love as we celebrate this clearest sign of his love – his coming in our midst to save us! God came to show his loving concern for all people and to bring them into his loving family, and your generosity has helped many people – both here in our own parish and throughout the Archdiocese – experience God’s love! In the name of their fellow parishioners, I thank Jane Dooner and Jane Dwyer for coordinating the Mercy Hospice project and Steve Colfer, Denise Luppi, Jeff and Kathy Moore, Lauren O’Leary, Brendan O’Neill, Geoff Scowcroft, Mike Twohig and Jeanna Ventura, along with a gang of teens, for helping with the delivery in our cafeteria and packing the truck for the St. Martin de Porres project this year – well done! A special thanks to Michael and Lisa Pansini who, once again, paid for turkeys to accompany the Christmas food boxes for Adopt-a-Family; that continues to be a happy addition to an already wonderful program!
I always enjoy taking part in the many other Christmas traditions in the parish as well. I was impressed by the large number of proud parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, siblings, neighbors and school alumni who came to watch the children present their annual Christmas Concert and Christmas Tableau and want to thank everyone who helped to prepare the children. These wonderful events put everyone in attendance into the true Christmas spirit!
I want to thank everyone who made our parish facilities so beautiful during this special time. Thanks to Ben Piazza and his imaginative group, our grotto was covered in lights and filled with angels, reindeer, stars, and, of course, a Nativity set. The handsome outdoor Nativity scene in front of our church certainly lets everyone who passes by on Lancaster Avenue know that we are celebrating the birth of Christ, the light of the world! Thanks to Dan Sheridan and his son, Dan, for putting together the handsome display case Dan had constructed six years ago; it is still in great shape due to his expert work! God has come in our midst; come let us adore him!
The church is elegantly decorated – inside and out – with wreathes and greens, ancient reminders of the eternal and undying love that God has bestowed on us through his son! The crèche in front of the altar helps to focus our attention on the reason for our celebration – God has become man to announce his love for everyone! The magi and the shepherds represent everyone – from richest to poorest, from the most prominent to the least significant, from the wisest to the simplest – who comes to worship God who has come into our midst. On Friday, we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, so beautifully displayed in the sanctuary. We see that God draws everyone into his Holy Family!
As I meditate before the manger scene in front of the altar, I cannot help but notice how it draws me to the altar itself, where Jesus Christ, born in the manger, offers himself to God for our salvation. And from there, my attention is drawn to the large crucifix above the daily Mass altar and I’m reminded of the Lord’s sacrifice on the cross for each of us. I then notice the tabernacle, where Christ, who was born in Bethlehem two thousand years ago, is still present in our midst in the Blessed Sacrament. How blessed we are to have this scene unfold before us!
Christmas day is certainly a wondrous feast, and I want to thank everyone who enhanced the Eucharistic celebrations, using their ministries to help make God present at the altar: the lectors, Eucharistic ministers and altar servers. I am also grateful for the cantors and various music groups that have led the congregation in festive song throughout this season!
I also want to thank everyone who sent Msgr. Beach and me Christmas greetings in the form of cards and other goodies – these certainly put us into the Christmas spirit!
As we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God today and conclude our celebration of the Octave of Christmas, let us all become more aware that we are all part of God’s Family, called to the same holiness that Jesus, Mary and Joseph lived in their lives. God came into our midst and is still in our midst today – we are to be the signs of his presence for all to see! And, let us be thankful, allowing the word of Christ to dwell in us during this holy season of Christmas and throughout the New Year!
“Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19)