When I was 22, I went on a pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee Year of 2000. I was traveling light with just a backpack, one blue shirt and black pants, little money, and no Italian. I had a few close friends and one goal: to reach the Eternal City. Despite the challenges and deprivations, I felt alive in a way I had never known before.
When do you feel most alive? I’d wager it’s not when you’re most comfortable or surrounded by stuff. Rather, it’s when your life is aimed at something great; when you’re on a meaningful and challenging journey with good friends.
That’s the image the Magi give us in today’s Gospel. They set out from the East not with certainty, but with hope. They study the signs, discipline their attention, and journey together, offering the best they have when they find the newborn King.
The Church gives us their story at the start of the year to reawaken something in us. We are not meant to drift. We’re meant to journey as pilgrims. The Jubilee Year of 2025 may have ended, but our pilgrimage has not. Like the magi, the closer we get to Christ, the more alive we become. — 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. That we the Church may shine the light of Christ upon the darknesses of all those in need, from here in our own communities to the ends of the earth, let us pray to the Lord.
B. That world leaders may welcome the light of God’s glory, revealing those in need who are otherwise relegated to the shadows, let us pray to the Lord.
C. For those who are searching for hope, for meaning, or for something they cannot find in their lives, that the light of Christ may lead them to what they need, let us pray to the Lord.
D. For refugees, migrants, and those seeking asylum, that they may be kept safe and warm in God’s tender care, let us pray to the Lord.
E. For all those who are traveling during the Christmas holidays, that they may find joy at their destination and may return home safely, 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
Our Parish will be sponsoring a free finance workshop on January 10 at 12pm in the St. Joseph Hall.
