She couldhave stayed at home - Parroquia Nuestra Señora ...

She could have stayed at home
             fourth Sunday of Advent —December 19, 2021
The liturgy of this Fourth Sunday of Advent focuses on the figure of Mary, the Virgin Mother,
expecting the birth of Jesus, the Saviour of the world. Let us fix our gaze upon her, a model of
faith and of charity; and we can ask ourselves: what were her thoughts in the months while she
was expecting? The answer comes precisely from today ’s Gospel passage, the narrative of Mary’s
visit to her elderly relative Elizabeth (cf. Lk 1:39 -45). The Angel Gabriel had revealed that
Elizabeth was expecting a son and was already in her sixth month (cf. Lk 1:26, 36). So the Virgin,
who had just conceived Jesus by the power of God, set out with haste for Nazareth, in Galilee, to
reach the mountains of Judea, and visit her cousin.

The Gospel states: “she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth ” (v. 40). Surely she
congratulated her on her maternity, as in turn Elizabeth congratulated Mary, saying: “Blessed are
you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the
mother of my Lord should come to me?” (vv. 42-43). And she immediately lauds Mary’s faith: “And
blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the
Lord” (v. 45). The contrast is obvious between Mary, who had faith, and Zechariah, Elizabeth’s
husband, who doubted, and did not believe the angel ’s promise and therefore is left dumb until
John’s birth. It is a contrast.

This episode helps us to interpret the mystery of man ’s encounter with God in a very special light.
An encounter that is not characterized by astonishing miracles, but rather, is characterized by faith
and charity. Indeed, Mary is blessed because she believed: the encounter with God is the fruit of
faith. Zechariah, however, who doubted and did not believe, was left deaf and dumb. To grow in
faith during the long silence: without faith one remains inevitably deaf to the consoling voice of
God; and incapable of speaking words of consolation and hope to our brothers and sisters. We see
it every day: when people who have no faith, or who have very little faith, have to approach a
person who is suffering, they speak words suited to the occasion, but they do not manage to touch
the heart because they have no strength. They have no strength because they have no faith, and if
they have no faith they do not find the words that can touch others ’ hearts. Faith, in its turn, is
nourished by charity. The Evangelist recounts that “Mary arose and went with haste” (v. 39) to
Elizabeth: with haste, not with distress, not anxiously, but with haste, in peace. “She arose”: a
gesture full of concern. She could have stayed at home to prepare for the birth of her son, but
instead she takes care of others before herself, showing through her deeds that she is already a
disciple of that Lord whom she carries in her womb. The event of Jesus ’ birth began in this way,
with a simple gesture of charity; after all, authentic charity is always the fruit of God ’s love.

The Gospel passage about Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, which we heard at Mass today, prepares us to
experience Christmas properly, by communicating to us the dynamism of faith and charity. This
dynamism is the work of the Holy Spirit: the Spirit of Love who made Mary ’s virginal womb fruitful
and who spurred her to hasten to the service of her elderly relative. A dynamism full of joy, as
seen in the encounter between the two mothers, which is entirely a hymn of joyful exultation in
the Lord, who does great things with the little ones who trust in him.

May the Virgin Mary obtain for us the grace to experience an ‘extroverted’ Christmas, but not a
scattered one: extroverted. May our ‘I’ not be at the centre, but rather the ‘You’ of Jesus and the
‘you’ of brothers and sisters, especially of those who need a hand. Then we will leave room for the
Love that, even today, seeks to become flesh and to come to dwell in our midst.

                                                                           POPE FRANCIS December 23, 2018

Podría haberse quedado en casa
                Iv Domingo de Adviento — 19 de diciembre, 2021
La liturgia de este cuarto domingo de Adviento se centra en la figura de María, la Virgen Madre,
que espera dar a luz a Jesús, el Salvador del mundo. Fijemos nuestra mirada en ella, un modelo
de fe y caridad; y podemos preguntarnos: ¿Cuáles fueron sus pensamientos durante los meses de
espera? La respuesta proviene del pasaje del Evangelio de hoy, la historia de la visita de María a
su pariente anciana, Isabel (cf. Lucas 1, 39-45) El ángel Gabriel le había dicho que Isabel estaba
esperando un hijo y que ya estaba en el sexto mes (cf. Lucas 1, 26.36). Y entonces la Virgen, que
acababa de concebir a Jesús por la obra de Dios, partió apresuradamente de Nazaret, en Galilea,
para llegar a las montañas de Judea y encontrar a su prima.

El Evangelio dice: «Entró en casa de Zacarías y saludó a Isabel» (v.40). Seguramente ella estaba
feliz con ella por su maternidad, y a su vez Isabel saludó a María diciendo: «Bendita tú entre las
mujeres y bendito el fruto de tu seno; y ¿de dónde a mí que la madre de mi Señor venga a
mí?» (Vv. 42-43). E inmediatamente elogia su fe: «¡Feliz la que ha creído que se cumplirían las
cosas que fueron dichas de parte del Señor» (v.45). Es evidente el contraste entre María, que
tenía fe, y Zacarías, el esposo de Isabel, que había dudado y no había creído la promesa del ángel
y, por lo tanto, permaneció en silencio hasta el nacimiento de Juan. Es un contraste.

Este episodio nos ayuda a leer con una luz muy especial el misterio del encuentro del hombre con
Dios. Un encuentro que no está bajo la bandera de prodigios asombrosos, sino en nombre de la fe
y la caridad. De hecho, María es bendecida porque creyó: el encuentro con Dios es el fruto de la
fe. Zacarías en cambio, quien dudó y no creyó, permaneció sordo y mudo. Crecer en fe durante el
largo silencio: sin fe, inevitablemente permanecemos sordos a la voz consoladora de Dios; y
seguimos sin poder pronunciar palabras de consuelo y esperanza para nuestros hermanos. Y lo
vemos todos los días: las personas que no tienen fe o que tienen una fe muy pequeña, cuando
tienen que acercarse a una persona que sufre, les dicen palabras de circunstancia, pero no
pueden llegar al corazón porque no tienen fuerzas. No tiene fuerza porque no tiene fe, y si no
tiene fe, las palabras que llegan al corazón de los demás no vienen. La fe, a su vez, se nutre de la
caridad. El evangelista nos dice que «se levantó María y se fue con prontitud» (v. 39) hacia
Isabel: apresurada, no ansiosa, no ansiosa, sino con prontitud, en paz. «Se levantó»: un gesto
lleno de preocupación. Podría haberse quedado en casa para prepararse para el nacimiento de su
hijo, en lugar de eso, se preocupa primero de los demás que de sí misma, demostrando, de
hecho, que ya es una discípula de ese Señor que lleva en su vientre. El evento del nacimiento de
Jesús comenzó así, con un simple gesto de caridad; además, la auténtica caridad es siempre el
fruto del amor de Dios. La visita del evangelio de María a Isabel, que escuchamos hoy en la misa,
nos prepara para vivir bien la Navidad, comunicándonos el dinamismo de la fe y la caridad. Este
dinamismo es obra del Espíritu Santo: el Espíritu de amor que fecundó el seno virginal de María y
que la instó a acudir al servicio de su pariente anciana. Un dinamismo lleno de alegría, como
vemos en el encuentro entre las dos madres, que es todo un himno de júbilo alegre en el Señor,
que hace grandes cosas con los pequeños que se fían de él.

Que la Virgen María nos obtenga la gracia de vivir una Navidad extrovertida, pero no dispersa,
extrovertida: en el centro no está nuestro «Yo», sino el Tú de Jesús y tú de los hermanos,
especialmente aquellos que necesitan ayuda. Entonces dejaremos espacio al amor que, también
hoy, quiere hacerse carne y venir a vivir entre nosotros.
                                                                          PAPA FRANCISCO 23 de diciembre/2018

From Bishop Crosby’s Heart to Heart
                                                    December 10, 2021 (#454)

                   Christmas Midnight Mass –
          Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King, Hamilton
His Excellency, Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI, will celebrate Midnight Mass
on December 25, 2021. The Mass will be preceded by Carols at 11:30 p.m.
on December 24. The Carols and the Mass will be shown live on Salt+Light
Television and CHCH-TV. Admittance to the Cathedral for Midnight Mass is
by ticket only – a limited number of tickets are still available by contacting
the Cathedral at (905) 522-5744.

THIRTEEN OF THE OUR SIXTEEN SEMINARIANS will gather at the
Basilica of Our Lady in Guelph on December 28th to visit and enjoy a day of
recollection together. The day will end with the Ordination to the Transitional
Diaconate of Seminarian Carlos Diaz by Bishop Wayne Lobsinger. We pray
for our seminarians, that God will bless their discernment – and ours.

             AT-HOME RESOURCE FOR CELEBRATING
                 THE FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY
The Office of Evangelization and Catechesis and the Liturgy Office have
prepared the attached link to the diocese website with a beautiful resource
for families to share and pray together in celebration of the Feast of the Holy
Family.
Please take time to see this link and to share it with your friends and family.
In particular, as we face new concerns with COVID-19 and in-person
celebrations, many families may find this helpful in guiding their devotions at
home.
https://hamiltondiocese.com/holyfamily2021/

                    Priesthood & Consecrated Life
The Diocese of Hamilton is dedicated to fostering and encouraging vocations
in young men and women of the Catholic faith.
Whether you are discerning a call to the priesthood or consecrated life or
supporting a friend or family member pursuing a vocation, the Vocations
Office is here to provide spiritual guidance and ongoing support.
May the Lord help you to know your vocation and to respond with an open
and generous heart.
For more information click here

Christmas Schedule
        Mass during the Night: Friday, December 24 at 5:00 p.m.
        Mass during the Day: Saturday, December 25 at 9:00 a.m.
        Mass Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph:
                  Sunday, December 26 at 9:00 a.m.

      The Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
                  Friday, December 31 at 5:00 p.m.
      The Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God
                Saturday January 1, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.
                        The Epiphany of the Lord
                 Sunday January 2, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.

Parish office will be closed from Wednesday, December 22 until Tuesday, January
4, 2022. The parish answering machine will be monitored during this time.
La Oficina Parroquial estará cerrada desde el miércoles 22 de diciembre, hasta el
martes 4 de enero, 2022. Si se responde al teléfono, por favor deje el mensaje.

                Horario de Misas para Navidad
         Misa de la Noche: Viernes 24 de diciembre 7:00 p.m.
           Misa del Día: Sábado 25 de diciembre 11:00 a.m.
Misa de la Fiesta de la Sagrada Familia: Domingo 26 de diciembre 11:00 a.m.

        Solemnidad de la Santísima Virgen María, Madre de Dios
                 Viernes 31 de diciembre 7:00 p.m.
        Solemnidad de la Santísima Virgen María, Madre de Dios
             Sábado —primero de enero, 2022 11:00 a.m.
                 Solemnidad de la Epifanía del Señor
                Domingo 2 de enero, 2022 11:00 a.m.

                St John’s Parish - Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
              office@stjohnskitchener.ca — oficina@parroquiaguadalupe.ca
                         519 745 7855 — 85 Strange St., Kitchener