When I was ten, my dad gathered our family around the table in small-town Vermont and told us we were moving to the big desert city of Phoenix, Arizona. We were leaving behind family, friends, and everything familiar. None of us knew what to expect.
But something beautiful happened. As we made the move together, our family grew closer. In retrospect, I’m amazed at my parents’ courage to go on that adventure. Even as a kid I realized our family found, in that challenge, a deeper unity and mutual love.
In today’s Gospel, Joseph is told: “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee…” (Matthew 2:13, 20). First to Egypt, then later to Israel. The Holy Family is frequently challenged to move and change, to adapt to God’s will for them, in order to find safety in the midst of threat. It’s not just an idiosyncratic story about survival. It’s a spiritual pattern for all of us. Every Christian family is called to be a kind of sanctuary, especially in a world full of noise, busyness, and fear.
May I make a practical application for us? The Lord’s Day, Sunday, is perhaps the most practical way we imitate this dynamic we see in Joseph and his family. Sunday is not meant to be just like every other day, filled with errands and stress. It’s meant to be a day set apart; a holy “escape” into rest, worship, joy, and peace. A day to rise, take your family, and flee, into God’s presence.
— Father John Muir ©LPi
General Mass Notes
Welcome
Good afternoon and welcome to St. Joseph,
As we begin our liturgy, we would like to extend a special welcome to everyone visiting our parish for the first time. We also warmly welcome all of you who are here today. We are so grateful and blessed to have you with us. As we settle in and prepare our hearts for Mass, please take a moment to make sure your cell phones are turned off so as not to disturb our prayer.
(Wait a few seconds to allow people to turn off their phones)
Let us now take a moment to prepare for Mass and open our hearts and minds to the message we will hear today. The intentions of this Mass are for all those in our special intention basket and for…
Please stand and greet those beside you.
Mass Intentions
Universal Prayer (Petitions)
A. For the Church, that we may treat each other with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and above all love, and thereby follow the model of the Holy Family, let us pray to the Lord.
B. For our parents, that we may treat them with care and reverence, especially as they grow older and their bodies and minds grow weaker, let us pray to the Lord.
C. For our children, that they may be raised with love and mercy so they may learn by example to be kind, considerate, and respectful, let us pray to the Lord.
D. For our extended families, that we may keep them warm in our hearts as we encourage them in times of trial, assist them at times of need, and console them in times of grief, let us pray to the Lord.
E. For our parish family, that we may sustain each other and grow in witness of the love of the Lord, let us pray to the Lord.
F. For all the prayers that we hold in the silence of our hearts; for all our intentions spoken and unspoken, and for (read all intentions from 1st page), let us pray to the Lord.
Announcements
1. Join us for our New Year’s Mass next Wednesday and Thursday as we celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Our English Mass on Wednesday, December 31, will be at 5:00 p.m., and the Spanish Mass will be at 7:00 p.m. We will have a special Holy Hour to welcome the New Year at 11:00 p.m. On Thursday, January 1, our English Mass will be at 10:45 a.m., and the Spanish Masses will be at 9:00 a.m., 2:15 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. Please take a bulletin or visit our parish website for our complete schedule.
