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Saint Joseph Catholic Church P. O. Box 365 117 South Main St.
Loreauville, Louisiana 70552 (337) 229-4254 FAX (337) 229-4255
Rev. Barry F. Crochet, Pastor Rev. Godwin Nzeh CMF, Associate Pastor Deacon Christopher Doumit, Pastoral Assistant
[email protected] stjosephparishonline.org
MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil Mass — 4:00 p.m. Sunday — 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. [Temporary] Monday and Friday — 6:45 a.m. at Our Lady of Victory Wednesday— 6:45 a.m. at Saint Joseph Tuesday and Thursday — 5:30 p.m. at Saint Joseph First Saturday — 8:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Victory
SACRAMENT OF CONFESSION Every Saturday from 3:00 p.m. to 3:40 p.m. and one-half hour before all weekday Masses, or by appointment during office hours.
OFFICE HOURS Monday through Thursday — 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. If possible please conduct parish business by phone or email.
RECEPTIONIST/BOOKKEEPER/CEMETERIAN Mrs. Gail Borel — [email protected]
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Mrs. Sherry Hebert — [email protected]
EUCHARISTIC ADORATION The Adoration Chapel is closed until further notice. The Main Church is open from 7:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. for your convenience.
FUNERALS A Funeral Service in church without Mass will be celebrated along with a graveside service at the cemetery.
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM Baptism will be celebrated with godparents and immediate family only. Those with compromised immune systems should not attend. Families may opt to delay the baptism until the whole family can gather in celebration. In the case of an emergency Baptism is always permissible.
SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY Weddings are to be celebrated according to the Rite for celebrating marriage outside of Mass with immediate family only. Engaged couples may wish to consider rescheduling their weddings, if possible.
SACRAMENT OF ANOINTING OF THE SICK “Anointing of the Sick will remain available as needed by the faithful.”
Please pray for our parish family members who are sick: We invite you to submit the names of people who are in need of our prayers.
Please note that our office will purge the names on our sick list every quarter. We ask anyone who lists someone’s name to please call the parish office to add or remove a name.
Glenn Romero, Stuart Sandoz, Duffy Domingue, Eric Clements, David Louviere, Hayden Ransonet, Trevor Louviere, Vanessa Courville, Austin Willett, Willey Poirrier, Inez Barras, Helen Bastian, Butch and Debbie White, Guy Thibodeaux, Lydia May, Louis “CoCo” Landry Jr., Jerry Fruge, Jimmy Clifton, Rowena Borel, Megan Scully, Maxine Latiolais, Dawn Derouen, Falyn Sonnier, Rickey Sonnier, Caline Provost, Patricia Freyou, Lecia Broussard, Jason Walker, Michael Theriot, Roshondra Nora, Noah Abraham,
Jimmy LeBlanc, Chad Borel, Sophie Bonin, Ashley Hebert, Stephen Dugas, Bonnie Hebert, Jon-Luke Lancon, Jade Delcambre, Gail Louviere., Pat Villermin., Ira Bourque, Hailey Thomassee, Lon Prioux, Francis Crochet, Brennan Wingfield, Lawrence Albert, Betty Suire, Joe Judice., Lisa Adcock, Joan Arceneaux, Jamie Brady.
Fourth Sunday of Advent December 20, 2020
Pour forth, we beseech You, O Lord, Your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ Your Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection.
Mass Intentions — 12/19 — 12/25 Saturday 4:00 p.m. — Lloyd Dugas, Reneé Landry Hoffpauir, Phil Dore, Ruby Molaison, Michael J. Landry, Alvin Bodin, John Sonnier, Jr. and Marie and John Sonnier, Sr., Alma Jo Landry, Ryan Family and Landry Family, Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Peltier, Sr., Ronald Broussard, Louis and Mae Mae Broussard, Gloria and Sam Delcambre and Family, Msgr. Richard Soseman, Ruben Rogers, Elizabeth Capps Rogers, Wayne Rogers, Alfred Crochet, Claude Hebert, Cecile Hebert, Deacon Jay Bergeron, Archbishop Harry Flynn, Sue Crochet. Sunday 8:00 a.m. — Lloyd Dugas, John Michael Steiner, Jay Gonsoulin Family, Paul Sonnier Family and Clyde Warfel Family, Loto and Leah Louviere, Antoine “Boy” LeBlanc Family, Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Albert Sr., Champagne and Landry Families Ancestors and Descendants and
Souls in Purgatory, Pope, Priest, Religious, Protection from and end to Corona Virus, Maude Granger, John and Doris Prados, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Granger, Dr. Raymond Schneider, Elaine Schneider, Skip Schneider, Lolly Harbin, Breaux and Delcambre Families, Lenwood Delcambre, Emus Borel, Gwen Borel, Chataignier Family, Joe and Rita Habetz, Mary Kay Habetz, Tom Voorhies, Oris Cormier, Lovel Romero, Richard Guillotte, Harry and Evelyn Guillotte, S.J. “Bute” Granger, Junius & Mary Hebert, Catherine Defelice and Tracey Defelice Guilbeau, Msgr. Richard Soseman, Ruben Rogers, Elizabeth Capps Rogers, Wayne Rogers, Alfred Crochet, Claude Hebert, Cecile Hebert, Deacon Jay Bergeron, Archbishop Harry Flynn, Sue Crochet.
December 13, 2020 Regular Sunday Offering Envelopes $ 3,644.00
Regular Sunday Offering Loose $ 3,367.00
Weekly Budget $ 7,385.00
Regular Collection Total $ 7,011.00
Difference $ 374.00
Present Loan Balance $ 297,463.58
Donation Against Loan Balance $ 420.00
Insurance Balance 2020-2021 $ 30,957,00
Insurance Collection $ 110.00
The Sanctuary Lamp is burning for Mr. and Mrs. Albert Broussard, Lora Bloom
Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Boudreaux, Noelie Seneca Bob Thibodeaux, Claude and Nola Dugas
The Vocation Chalice is in Church Please pray for vocations. If you would like to have the vocation chalice
in your home please call the rectory office at 229-4254
Flowers on the Altar See page 4
The Bi-Monthly Statue is in the home of Parishioner
The Weekly Statue is in the home of Parishioner
Saint Joseph Altar Candles are burning for: Delcambre and Breaux Families, Jon-Luke Lancon, Betty Darby
Deyna Champagne and Chad Romero Landry and Champagne Families
Ancestors and Descendants and Souls in Purgatory Pope, Priests, Religious
Protection from and end to Corona Virus Charles and Jackie Poirrier Family, Mr. and Mrs. Collins Louviere, Kerney
Mr. and Mrs. Will Roberts Wayne “Burch” Judice, Perry M. Judice, Mr. and Mrs. Louis Crochet
Lula Mae Delahoussaye and Delahoussaye Family Huval Family, Derek LeBlanc
10:00 a.m. — Lloyd Dugas, Alvin and Faye Tauzin, Edmonia Tauzin, Marcel and Nadage Broussard, Jimmy Eldridge, Elaine Plessala and Eldridge Family, Cheryl Segura, Pliny Walet Family, Agnes Breaux, Louis and Elbay Judice, Boots Thomas, Joe Boudreaux and Justin Boudreaux, Katie Boutte, Sandra Angelle and Glenn Angelle, Angelle Family, Loto Louviere, Jr., Gam and Velma Gondron Ann, Jerry and Bubba Thibodeaux, Mike Judice, Suzette Judice, Antoine and Marie Judice Family, Philip, Jr. and Neil Hebert, Msgr. Richard Soseman, Ruben Rogers, Elizabeth Capps Rogers, Wayne Rogers, Alfred Crochet, Claude Hebert, Cecile Hebert, Deacon Jay Bergeron, Archbishop Harry Flynn, Sue Crochet. Monday 6:45 a.m. OLV — Lloyd Dugas, Landry and Champagne Families Ancestors and Descendants and Souls in Purgatory, Pope, Priest, Religious, Protection from and end to Corona Virus, Msgr. Richard Soseman, Ruben Rogers, Elizabeth Capps Rogers, Wayne Rogers, Alfred Crochet, Claude Hebert, Cecile Hebert, Deacon Jay Bergeron, Archbishop Harry Flynn, Sue Crochet.
Tuesday 5:30 p.m. StJo — Lloyd Dugas, Landry and Champagne Families Ancestors and Descendants and Souls in Purgatory, Pope, Priest, Religious, Protection from and end to Corona Virus, Msgr. Richard Soseman, Ruben Rogers, Elizabeth Capps Rogers, Wayne Rogers, Alfred Crochet, Claude Hebert, Cecile Hebert, Deacon Jay Bergeron, Archbishop Harry Flynn, Sue Crochet. Wednesday 6:45 a.m. StJo — Lloyd Dugas, Andrew “Tupee” Bonin, Jr., John Michael Steiner, Landry and Champagne Families Ancestors and Descendants and Souls in Purgatory, Pope, Priest, Religious, Protection from and end to Corona Virus, Msgr. Richard Soseman, Ruben Rogers, Elizabeth Capps Rogers, Wayne Rogers, Alfred Crochet, Claude Hebert, Cecile Hebert, Deacon Jay Bergeron, Archbishop Harry Flynn, Sue Crochet.
Christmas Eve Thursday 4:00 p.m. & 6:00 p.m.
Saint Joseph Church See listing on page 5
Christmas Day Friday 8:00 a.m.
Saint Joseph Church See listing on page 5
Fr. Crochet, Fr. Godwin, Deacon Chris, and the Staff at
Saint Joseph Church wish for our Parish Family
a Happy and Holy Christmas
Please pray for our priests, seminarians, deacons and religious
Eternal Father, we lift up to You these special sons and daughters. Sanctify them. Heal and guide them. Mold them into the likeness of Your Son, Jesus, the Eternal High Priest. May their lives be pleasing to You. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
December 20 Rev. Clifton Labbe, SVD/Haden Coleman Dcn. Durk Viator/Sr. Martha Readore, SHSp
December 21 Rev. Donavan Labbé/Myles Creek Dcn. William Vincent/Sr. Clare Aucoin, MHS
December 22 Rev. Paul La Fleur/Gabe Dowden Dcn. Jose Vincente Blanco/Sr. Pius Blanchard, MHS
December 23 Rev. Jeremy Lambert, LC/Rev. Mr. Casey Dugas Dcn. Doug Wimberly/Sr. Micha DeHart, MHS
December 24 Rev. Keith Landry/John Dugas Dcn. Byrne Winn/Sr. Diane Dornan, MHS
December 25 Rev. Oneil Landry/Tré Fontenot Dcn. Jerry Wyble/Sr. Michelle Geerken, MHS
December 26 Rev. Charles Langlois/David Furka Dcn. Thomas Adams/Sr. Sophie Guidry, MHS
Please make an appointment for your home
Exorcism and Blessing Make it happen!
229-4254
Catholic Exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger Calls on Faithful to Recite Prayer to Bind the Evil Spirits and Satanic Forces
Until Election Oddities are Resolved
Prayer of Command In His Name and by the power of His Cross and Blood, I ask Jesus to bind any evil spirits, forces and powers of the earth, air, fire, or water, of the netherworld and the satanic forces of nature. By the power of the Holy Spirit and by His authority, I ask Jesus Christ to break any curses, hexes, or spells and send them back to where they came from, if it be His Holy Will. I beseech Thee Lord Jesus to protect us by pouring Thy Precious Blood on us (my family, etc.), which Thou hast shed for us and I ask Thee to command that any departing spirits leave quietly, without disturbance, and go straight to Thy Cross to dispose of as Thou sees fit. I ask Thee to bind any demonic interaction, interplay, or communications. I place N. (Person, place or thing) under the protection of the Blood of Jesus Christ which He shed for us. Amen. Please put your family, the United States of America and the duly elected President as the intentions in the Prayer of Command. Pray an Our Father now for the restoration of the Church as well as the Triumph of the Kingdom of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Extra Confession Times for Advent
Wednesdays of Advent December 23
5:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Saint Joseph Catholic Church
Catholic Daughters Angel Tree Once again, our Catholic Daughters of the Americas are selling Angel Cards for any monetary donation. These cards have a place to write the name of your deceased loved one or someone who needs prayer or just someone special to you for whom you would like for others to join you in praying.
The cards will be hung on a Christmas tree in the lobby of Saint Joseph Church so that everyone can see the pretty red cards. This will be a reminder to all our parishioners to pray for these people.
At every Sunday Mass parishioners will be reminded to pray for the intentions on our Angel Tree. Please contact any Catholic Daughter or check at the Rectory for the cards. They will be available throughout the Advent season. We thank you for supporting the Catholic Daughters.
Our Lady of Victory Food Pantry raised over $3000 in the iGiveCatholic fundraiser with the help of parishioners in Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church and Saint Joseph Catholic Church. The Food Pantry greatly appreciates the donations that were received. All donations will assist our clients to receive groceries and support our food pantry operations Also a special thank you for the monthly $250 donations from Saint Joseph Catholic Church; thanks again and may God continue to bless everyone.
Ms. Cindy Louis, Director Our Lady of Victory Food Pantry
Louto and Anite Gondron Family
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Broussard, Lora Bloom Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Boudreaux
Noelie Seneca, Allen Borres
Faye and Alvin Tauzin Family, Jimmy Eldridge Family
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Sandoz, Keith Eldridge Mr. and Mrs. Blanc Berard, Mr. and Mrs. John Eldridge
Evelyn Picard Gary, Edwin Gary, Camille Broussard
JoAnn N. Broussard, Catherine Broussard Champeaux
Rogers and Jackie Courville, Lillian LeBlanc
Earline Crochet, Kenny Crochet, Crochet and Prince Family
Mae Provost Lassalle, William and Delores Dooley
Hebert and Lilly Richard
Eric Champagne, Jesse, Danny, Teddy and David Foreman Willie and Linda Rabeaux, Lloyd and Lelia Menard
Patsy Menard, Dorse P. and Marie Foreman
Walter and Doris M. Judice
Berle Pullin, Suzette Judice
Roland and Hilda Judice
Ronald Albert Sr. , John V. Perez
Margaret and Sidney Breaux, Pauline Guidry Paul and Buddy Stephens, Bonnie Oubre, Susan Lassalle
Claude and Nola Dugas, Bob Thibodeaux
Herman Walet, Michael Vidallier
Nicholas Bienvenu, Mr. and Mrs. R.B. Boatright
Willie and Louise Bonin, Beryk Bonin Audrey Kern, Claire Bonin Myers
Patsy Blanchard, Gary Blanchard, Donald Poirier
Ronald J. Broussard, Wolla Mae G. Broussard
Louis Broussard
Deyna Champagne, Chad Romero Margie and Calvin Berard, Wilfred and Bertha Hulin
Phil Doré, Debbie B. Burke, Elise and Marvis Barras Melincour and Elde Doré, Jim Doré
Dr. Harold Heitkamp, Mr. and Mrs. Merlin Walet, Butsy Walet
Clarence Champagne, Maudrey Landry
Bonnie Boudreaux, Landry and Champagne Families
In Honor of Father Crochet
Louis P. and Elbay Judice, Loto Sr. and Leah Louviere
Trahan, LeBlanc, Prioux and Bonin Families
Sis and Maurice Provost
Noelie and Warren Solar, Louise Mestayer and Sisters
Whitney, Goldie and Mollie Viator, Mary Kathryn McGee
James Voorhies Sr., James Voorhies Jr. and Walter, Bruce Temple
In Honor of Chad Viator
In Honor of Annie Lee Bourgeois
Herman and Teresa Walet, Mr. and Mrs. Pliny Walet
Mr. and Mrs. Howard Walet, Mr. and Mrs. Been Judice Lillian and Rita Walet
Antoine and Marie Judice, Jeanne Judice
Jules and Euphimie LeBlanc
Curtis Sr. and Mathilde Toffier
Anite and Louto Gondron Family
Darrell Judice
Wallace D. Goudeau, J. Elmo Broussard
Violette C. Broussard
Kamryn Elizabeth Dorsey
Ury Louviere
Lloyd Dugas
December 24, 2020 Christmas Eve
4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Lloyd Dugas, Lionel and L.J. Duplechain, Martha Escagne Rodriguez, Allen Borres Lula Mae Delahoussaye, Huval Family, Derek LeBlanc, Lovel Romero, Alma Jo Landry and Ryan Family and Landry Family, Francis and Lorena Dupoy, Patrick Lasseigne Family, Sib and John Mullican, Warren Dupoy, Louis J. “Nego” and Lita N. Judice and parents, Mike Judice, Rhule, Mabel and Wayne Gondron, Darrell Judice, Octave “Tot” Judice, Family, Lester Delaune Family, Robert D. Johnson Family, Sophie F. Bonin Family, Linda F. Trahan, Jay Gonsoulin Family, Paul Sonnier Family and Clyde Warfel Family, Alton and Cecile Segura, Ken Segura, Dr. Harold Heitkamp, Merlin, Edna & Butsy Walet, Sam and Glo Delcambre, Mr. and Mrs. Collins Louviere and Kerney and Mr. and Mrs. Will Roberts, Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Breaux and Breaux and Viator Families, Judice and Walet Families, Deacon Al Marcel, Jr., Roy and Shirley Slaughter Young, Landry and Champagne Families Ancestors and Descendants and Souls in Purgatory, Pope, Priest, Religious, Protection from and end to Corona Virus, Msgr. Richard Soseman, Ruben Rogers, Elizabeth Capps Rogers, Wayne Rogers, Alfred Crochet, Claude Hebert, Cecile Hebert, Deacon Jay Bergeron, Archbishop Harry Flynn, Sue Crochet.
December 25, 2020 Christmas Day
8:00 a.m. Colby Braquet, Troy LeBlanc, Joseph Jeansonne, John Sonnier Jr., Nicholas LeBlanc Sr. and Emily, Nicholas LeBlanc Jr. and Janice, Michael LeBlanc, Terry LeBlanc, Anthony Champagne Jr., Tony Champagne, Louto Braquet Sr. and Elda, Louto Braquet Jr., Eula Braquet Champagne and Jessie, Eugene Braquet, Bertha Braquet, Harvey Latiolais, Dianna Braquet Jackson, Lloyd Dugas, Richard Guillotte, Harry and Evelyn Guillotte, Andrew “Tupee” Bonin, Jr., Joseph Landry and Champagne Families Ancestors and Descendants and Souls in Purgatory, Pope, Priest, Religious, Protection from and end to Corona Virus, Judice and Walet Families, Loto Louviere, Jr., Gam and Velma Gondron Alma Jo Landry and Ryan Family and Landry Family, Carol Boutte Romero, Louto and Anite Gondron Family, Kernis and Aimie Peltier, Stanley and Elsie Crochet, Edgar and Emmeritte Peltier, Jack Braquet and Francis Crochet, Yvonne LeBlanc, Don Davis and Linda Derouen, Phyllis C. LeBlanc, John Michael Steiner, Berard, Bonin, Douet, and Morvant Families, Steven and Donna Berard Family Special Intentions, Justin Boudreaux, Elton Bourque Family, Philip Hebert Family, Joseph L. Bastian, Helen Bastian, Mr. and Mrs. T. L. Legnon, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Russell Ruiz, Sr., Rusty Ruiz, Earline Ruiz, Msgr. Richard Soseman, Ruben Rogers, Elizabeth Capps Rogers, Wayne Rogers, Alfred Crochet, Claude Hebert, Cecile Hebert, Deacon Jay Bergeron, Archbishop Harry Flynn, Sue Crochet.
The Only Person Ever Pre-announced by Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen History is full of men who have claimed that they came from God, or that they were gods, or that they bore messages from God — Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, Christ, Lao-tze, and thousands of others, right down to the person who founded a new religion this very day. Each of them has a right to be heard and considered. But as a yardstick external to and outside of whatever is to be measured is needed, so there must be some permanent tests available to all men, all civilizations, and all ages, by which they can decide whether any of these claimants, or all of them, are justified in their claims. These tests are of two kinds: reason and history. Reason, because everyone has it, even those without faith; history, because everyone lives in it and should know something about it.
Reason dictates that if any one of these men actually came from God, the least thing that God could do to support His claim would be to pre-announce His coming. Automobile manufacturers tell their customers when to expect a new model. If God sent anyone from Himself, or if He came Himself with a vitally important message for all men, it would seem reasonable that He would first let men know when His messenger was coming, where He would be born, where He would live, the doctrine He would teach, the enemies He would make, the program He would adopt for the future, and the manner of His death. By the extent to which the messenger conformed with these announcements, one could judge the validity of his claims.
Reason further assures us that if God did not do this, then there would be nothing to prevent any impostor from appearing in history and saying, “I come from God,” or “An angel appeared to me in the desert and gave me this message.” In such cases there would be no objective, historical way of testing the messenger. We would have only his word for it, and of course he could be wrong.
If a visitor came from a foreign country to Washington and said he was a diplomat, the government would ask him for his passport and other documents testifying that he represented a certain government. His papers would have to antedate his coming. If such proofs of identity are asked from delegates of other countries, reason certainly ought to do so with messengers who claim to have come from God. To each claimant reason says, “What record was there before you were born that you were coming?”
With this test one can evaluate the claimants. (And at this preliminary stage, Christ is no greater than the others.) Socrates had no one to foretell his birth. Buddha had no one to pre-announce him and his message or tell the day when he would sit under the tree. Confucius did mot have the name of his mother and his birthplace recorded, nor were they given to men centuries before he arrived so that when he did come, men would know he was a messenger from God. But, with Christ it was different. Because of the Old Testament prophecies, His coming was not unexpected. There were no predictions about Buddha, Confucius, Lao-tze, Mohammed, or anyone else; but there were
predictions about Christ. Others just came and said, “Here I am, believe me.” They were, therefore, only men among men and not the Divine in the human. Christ alone stepped out of that line saying, “Search the writings of the Jewish people and the related history of the Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans.” (For the moment, pagan writings and even the Old Testament may be regarded only as historical documents, not as inspired works.)
It is true that the prophecies of the Old Testament can be best understood in the light of their fulfillment. The language of prophecy does not have the exactness of mathematics. Yet if one searches out the various Messianic currents in the Old Testament, and compares the resulting picture with the life and work of Christ, can one doubt that the ancient predictions point to Jesus and the Kingdom which He established? God’s promise to the patriarchs that through them all the nations of the earth would be blessed; the prediction that the tribe of Juda would be supreme among the other Hebrew tribes until the coming of Him Whom all nations would obey; the strange yet undeniable fact that in the Bible of the Alexandrian Jews, the Septuagint, one finds clearly predicted the virgin birth of the Messiah; the prophecy of Isaiah 53 about the patient sufferer, the Servant of the Lord, who will lay down His life as a guilt-offering for His people’s offenses; the perspectives of the glorious, everlasting Kingdom of the House of David — in whom but Christ have these prophecies found their fulfillment? From an historical point of view alone, here is uniqueness which sets Christ apart from all other founders of world religions. And once the fulfillment of these prophecies did historically take place in the person of Christ, not only did all prophecies cease in Israel, but there was discontinuance of sacrifices when the true Paschal Lamb was sacrificed.
Turn to pagan testimony. Tacitus, speaking for the ancient Romans, says, “People were generally persuaded in the faith of the ancient prophecies, that the East was to prevail, and that from Judea was to come the Master and Ruler of the world.” Suetonius, in his account of the life of Vespasian, recounts the Roman tradition thus, “It was an old and constant belief throughout the East, that by indubitably certain prophecies, the Jews were to attain the highest power.”
China had the same expectation; but because it was on the other side of the world, it believed that the great Wise Man would be born in the West. The Annals of the Celestial Empire contain the statement:
In the 24th year of Tchao-Wang of the dynasty of the Tcheou, on the 8th day of the 4th moon, a light appeared in the Southwest which illumined the king’s palace. The monarch, struck by its splendor, interrogated the sages. They showed him books in which this prodigy signified the appearance of the great Saint of the West whose religion was to be introduced into their country.
The Greeks expected Him, for Aeschylus in his Prometheus six centuries before His coming, wrote, “Look not for any end, moreover, to this curse until God appears, to accept upon His
Head the pangs of thy own sins vicarious.” How did the Magi of the East know of His coming?
Probably from the many prophecies circulated through the world by the Jews as well as through the prophecy made to the Gentiles by Daniel centuries before His birth.
Cicero, after recounting the sayings of the ancient oracles and the Sibyls about a “King whom we must recognize to be saved,” asked in expectation, “To what man and to what period of time do these predictions point?” The Fourth Eclogue of Virgil recounted the same ancient tradition and spoke of “a chaste woman, smiling on her infant boy, with whom the iron age would pass away.”
Suetonius quoted a contemporary author to the effect that the Romans were so fearful about a king who would rule the world that they ordered all children born that year to be killed — an order that was not fulfilled, except by Herod.
Not only were the Jews expecting the birth of a Great King, a Wise Man and a Savior, but Plato and Socrates also spoke of the Logos and of the Universal Wise Man “yet to come.” Confucius spoke of “the Saint”; the Sibyls, of a “Universal King”; the Greek dramatist, of a savior and redeemer to unloose man from the “primal eldest curse.” All these were an the Gentile side of the expectation. What separates Christ from all men is that first He was expected; even the Gentiles had a longing for a deliverer, or redeemer. This fact alone distinguishes Him from all other religious leaders.
A second distinguishing fact is that once He appeared, He struck history with such impact that He split it in two, dividing it into two periods: one before His coming, the other after it. Buddha did not do this, nor any of the great Indian philosophers. Even those who deny God must date their attacks upon Him, A.D. so and so, or so many years after His coming.
A third fact separating Him from all the others is this: every other person who ever came into this world came into it to live. He came into it to die. Death was a stumbling block to Socrates — it interrupted his teaching. But to Christ, death was the goal and fulfillment of His life, the gold that He was seeking. Few of His words or actions are intelligible without reference to His Cross. He presented Himself as a Savior rather than merely as a Teacher. It meant nothing to teach men to be good unless He also gave them the power to be good, after rescuing them from the frustration of guilt.
The story of every human life begins with birth and ends with death. In the Person of Christ, however, it was His Death that was first and His Life that was last. The Scripture describes Him as “the Lamb slain as it were, from the beginning of the world.” He was slain in intention by the first sin and rebellion against God. It was not so much that His Birth cast a shadow on His Life and thus led to His Death; it was rather that the Cross was first, and cast its shadow back to His Birth. His has been the only life in the world that was ever lived backward. As the flower in the crannied wall tells the poet of nature, and as the atom is the miniature of the solar system, so too, His Birth tells the Mystery of the gibbet. He went from the known to the
known, from the reason of His coming manifested by His name “Jesus” or “Savior” to the fulfillment of His coming, namely, His Death on the Cross.
John gives us His eternal prehistory; Matthew, His temporal prehistory, by way of His genealogy. It is significant how much His temporal ancestry was connected with sinners and foreigners! These blots on the escutcheon of His human lineage suggest a pity for the sinful and for the strangers to the Covenant. Both these aspects of His compassion would later on be hurled against Him as accusations: “He is a friend of sinners”; “He is a Samaritan.” But the shadow of a stained past foretells His future love for the stained. Born of a woman, He was a man and could be one with all humanity; born of a Virgin, Who was overshadowed by the Spirit and “full of grace,” He would also be outside that current of sin which infected all men.
A fourth distinguishing fact is that He does not fit, as the other world teachers do, into the established category of a good man. Good men do not lie. But if Christ was not all that He said He was, namely, the Son of the living God, the Word of God in the flesh, then He was not “just a good man”; then He was a knave, a liar, a charlatan and the greatest deceiver who ever lived. If He was not what He said He was, the Christ, the Son of God, He was the anti-Christ! If He was only a man, then He was not even a “good” man.
But He was not only a man. He would have us either worship Him or despise Him — despise Him as a mere man, or worship Him as true God and true man. That is the alternative He presents. It may very well be that the Communists, who are so anti-Christ, are closer to Him than those who see Him as a sentimentalist and a vague moral reformer. The Communists have at least decided that if He wins, they lose; the others are afraid to consider Him either as winning or losing, because they are not prepared to meet the moral demands which this victory would make on their souls.
If He is what He claimed to be, a Savior, a Redeemer, then we have a virile Christ and a leader worth following in these terrible times; One Who will step into the breach of death, crushing sin, gloom and despair; a leader to Whom we can make totalitarian sacrifice without losing, but gaining freedom, and Whom we can love even unto death. We need a Christ today Who will make cords and drive the buyers and sellers from our new temples; Who will blast the unfruitful fig tree; Who will talk of crosses and sacrifices and Whose voice will be like the voice of the raging sea. But He will not allow us to pick and choose among His words, discarding the hard ones, and accepting the ones that please our fancy. We need a Christ Who will restore moral indignation, Who will make us hate evil with a passionate intensity, and love goodness to a point where we can drink death like water.
Sunday, December 20, 2020 Fourth Sunday of Advent
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
The Light Is On For You Extra Confession Time
5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. — Saint Joseph Church
Thursday, December 24, 2020 Christmas Eve
[Holy Day of Obligation] NO Confessions
Christmas Vigil Mass — 4:00 p.m. Livestream Mass for Overflow Crowd
in Saint Theresa Hall
NO Confessions Christmas Vigil Mass — 6:00 p.m.
Friday, December 25, 2020
Solemnity of the Nativity of Our Lord [Holy Day of Obligation]
NO Confessions Christmas Mass at Dawn — 8:00 a.m. Livestream Mass for Overflow Crowd
in Saint Theresa Hall
Sunday, December 27, 2020 Feast of the Holy Family
Thursday, December 31, 2020
Solemnity of Mary [Holy Day of Obligation] Confessions — 3:00 p.m. Vigil Mass — 4:00 p.m.
Friday, January 1, 2021
Solemnity of Mary, Mother God [Holy Day of Obligation] Confessions — 8:00 a.m.
Mass — 9:00 a.m.
Saturday, January 2, 2021 First Saturday
Mass — 8:00 a.m. Our Lady of Victory Church
Sunday, January 3, 2021
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
Sunday, January 10, 2021 Baptism of the Lord
