From the Pastor's Desk | November 5, 2023 | St. Martha Parish & School

Advent / Christmas

Advent is right around the corner so also is Christmas! I want to make mention of some of the offerings during the Advent and Christmas seasons and provide the Mass schedule for Christmas which will be included in the bulletin regularly up until Christmas.

This Advent season, we will be focusing on the Eucharist - keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus who is really, truly, and substantially present among us in the Blessed Sacrament. To this end our efforts will include:

Preaching on the Eucharist during the four weeks of Advent leading up to our celebration of God’s incarnation on Christmas
Offering Eucharistic exposition and adoration every Friday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm
Providing every parishioner with a free subscription to the Hallow App as a gift from the parish beginning the first weekend of Advent and running through Easter. After the free period has ended, you can keep the subscription if you so choose by paying the subscription fee
Making the Little Blue Books and the Magnificat Advent Companion available to the parish beginning the first weekend of Advent
Keeping the beautiful tradition of Lessons and Carols which will take place on December 13, starting at 7:00 pm
Continuing our charity with the Giving Trees which have been set up at the entrances to the church. Please take a ticket to purchase a gift for our brothers and sisters who would otherwise go without this Christmas season
Offering poinsettias and pine wreaths for purchase through the CCW’s annual sale. The sale has already begun, click here to place an order.

Christmas falls on a Monday this year which makes things a little difficult for everyone because the Fourth Sunday of Advent is still obligatory as is every Sunday. In an effort to make things easier for everyone to get to Mass on Sunday and Christmas, the following is our Mass schedule for the Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas:

Saturday, December 23 (Fourth Sunday of Advent)
5:00 pm AND 7:00 pm Vigil Masses
Sunday, December 24 (Fourth Sunday of Advent)
10:00 am Mass There will be No 8:00am Mass
Sunday, December 24 (Christmas)
4:00 pm, 7:00 pm, Midnight
Monday, December 25 (Christmas)
10:00am

Parish Party / Fall Fundraiser

I just want to keep the momentum going leading up to November 18. I cannot wait to celebrate St. Martha Parish and School with all of you! If you have not purchased a ticket, please do so and plan on attending in support of the parish and our educational efforts while at the same time having a great time! I cannot thank everyone enough for your continued support and generosity to the parish and school.

Rectory Deck

Thank you to the Knights of Columbus for their work in fixing the damage done to the rectory deck from the tree that fell on the house. They worked hard and fast, and the deck looks great! This was all paid for through insurance due to the damage caused to the house.

Sr. Pat

We had a wonderful celebration for Sr. Pat after the 5:00 pm Mass last Saturday. Congratulations to
Sr. Pat on 65 years of religious profession and over 30 years of dedication and service to St. Martha Parish! Thank you, Ingrid Stines, and everyone who had a hand in planning and executing such a great celebration.

Gospel Reflection

There is a lot that can be said about the Word of God and particularly today’s Gospel. I would like to share a reflection on the title Father from the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture authored by Curtis Mitch and Dr. Edward Sri on the Gospel of Matthew. They write:

Catholics are sometimes criticized for addressing their priests as Father. On the surface, the practice does appear to contradict Jesus’s teaching in Matt 23:9. However, there is reason to think that Jesus is stressing the fundamental equality of his disciples, rather than establishing a literal prohibition against the use of religious titles. The earliest Christians did not understand Jesus to forbid such a practice. Both Stephen and Paul address Jewish crowds with the words, “Brothers and fathers” (Acts 7:2; 22:1), and the word father appears in other New Testament passages with reference to natural fathers (Eph 6:4; Col 3:21; Heb 12:9) as well as spiritual fathers (1 Cor 4:15; Phil 2:22; Philm 10). Likewise, spiritual leaders in the ascetic movement of the third and fourth centuries were addressed as Father, just as tradition commonly refers to the great teachers of the early centuries as the Church Fathers. The practice of the Catholic Church is consistent with these biblical and historical precedents.

Nevertheless Jesus’s words contain a salutary warning against a sinful desire or affection for honorific titles. Even the greatest spiritual fathers and teachers among us should never be (or want to be) esteemed in a way that compares to our reverence for the Father in heaven or the world’s true Teacher, the Messiah. Likewise, those of us who are called Father or Teacher (Professor or Doctor) must not love those expressions of honor or let them cause us to forget that our fundamental relationship to other Christians is that of fellow disciple, brother, or sister (pp. 293).

Know of my prayers for each one of you!

Fr. Ryan