Third Sunday of Advent

The Third Sunday of Advent! And it's all about Advent Readiness.

The Middlers heard Jesus in today's gospel ask the crowd, who had come to eavesdrop on questions from John the Baptist: "Who did you go out to the desert to see?" The possible answers were either John the Baptist or Jesus himself. But when we listened carefully to Jesus, we heard something else. And that's when the mirror came out, and the Middlers understood exactly what Jesus was trying to say. We go out to the desert to look in the mirror and see ourselves.

Ask your Middler about a good friend of mine, Mary Alice, and a friend of hers, Desda. Let him/her tell you how Mary Alice learned from a homeless woman sitting on a heating grate to look in the mirror and see herself. And when she did, her life was changed, and the lives of so many were made better for it. Let him/her tell you how Desda became Mary Alice's Angel.

I asked the Middlers to email and tell me about their own look in the mirror and if there is anything they're doing for Christmas to see a changed person. So far, I've only heard from one Middler. There's still time, and I would love to hear from others and share what they have to say with the rest of the parish.

The Elementaries gathered as usual for Grace Before Snacks. This week, we prayed a Christmas Grace:

Dear God,

on this special night

we remember how Mary and Joseph

came to Bethlehem looking for shelter,

but found no place to stay.

In our celebration of Jesus' birth,

teach us to welcome him into our homes

by being kind to each other.

Show us how to care for him

by caring for all who need our help.

And bless our Christmas meal

and all of us who share it. Amen.

Christmas Pageant

Our Annual Christmas Pageant is celebrated immediately before the 4PM Christmas Eve Mass on December 24th

• First and Second Graders are the Pageant Kids
• Rehearsals: Wednesday (12/22) & Thursday (12/23), 4:00 to 4:45 PM
• NO SIGN UP, JUST SHOW UP!!!

Christmas CHOIRS

• Ken Corneille has formed 3 choirs: Regular Children's Choir (Grades 1-5), which has been been rehearsing and performing all year; Regular Youth Choir (Grades 6-8), which has been rehearsing for the last month, and the Special Christmas Choir (Grades 3-8), which is open to all students in those grades and has not met yet

Rehearsal Schedules

• Regular Children's Choir: Tuesdays (12/14 & 21) 5PM
• Regular Youth Choir: Tuesdays (12/14 & 21) 3:45 to 4:30 PM
• Special Christmas Choir: Mondays (12/13 & 20) 4:00 to 4:45 PM, plus Wednesday (12/22) and Thursday (12/23) 4:00 to 4:45 PM

NO KIDSRELIG UNTIL AFTER THE NEW YEAR.

Love,

Deacon Charlie