“Open wide your door to the One who comes.
Open your soul, throw open the depths of your heart
to see the riches of simplicity,
the treasures of peace,
the sweetness of grace.
Open your heart and run to meet
the Sun of eternal light
that illuminates all.”
~St. Ambrose
In the midst of the Advent quiet and waiting,
we rejoice with exultation this weekend, Gaudete Sunday!
The joy we proclaim this weekend is not a sudden outburst. It is a joy that has been building within us. We do not create joy ourselves because joy is the effect of a connection and relationship with God.
Since Advent began, we have been preparing our church of the homes and ourselves for the feast of Christmas. The celebration of the Lord's coming is near so this weekend is an opportunity to take a breath and rest in the joy that is within you and around you.
What are the sources of joy in your heart and your church of the home?
Do we know the cause of our joy?
How do you rejoice within yourself and within your church of the home?
Bringing Gaudete Sunday into your Church of the Home
Light the rose-colored candle of your Advent Wreath
Wear pink
Participate in the "Follow the Light" event and enjoy the holiday lights that shine in the darkness.
Donate winter hats, mittens, and/or socks at Resurrection. This collection will help protect students in area school districts from the cold. While you may never see the joy of the face of the child who benefits from this collection, know that your donation will bring the love of God to the heart of those in need.
"Joy does not mean living from laugh to laugh. No, it’s not that. Joy is not entertainment. No, it’s not that. It is something else. Christian joy is peace, peace that is deeply rooted, peace in the heart, the peace that only God can give. This is Christian joy. It is not easy to foster this joy."
~Pope Francis
The Afters - Joy Unto the World
Our Lady of Guadalupe
In addition to being Gaudete Sunday, tomorrow is also the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The feast in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the 16th century. Chronicles of that period tell us the story.
A poor Indian named Cuauhtlatohuac was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. He was a 57-year-old widower, and lived in a small village near Mexico City. On Saturday morning December 9, 1531, he was on his way to a nearby barrio to attend Mass in honor of Our Lady.
Juan was walking by a hill called Tepeyac when he heard beautiful music like the warbling of birds. A radiant cloud appeared, and within it stood an Indian maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. The lady spoke to him in his own language and sent him to the bishop of Mexico, a Franciscan named Juan de Zumarraga. The bishop was to build a chapel in the place where the lady appeared.
Eventually the bishop told Juan to have the lady give him a sign. About this same time Juan’s uncle became seriously ill. This led poor Juan to try to avoid the lady. Nevertheless the lady found Juan, assured him that his uncle would recover, and provided roses for Juan to carry to the bishop in his cape or tilma.
On December 12, when Juan Diego opened his tilma in the bishop’s presence, the roses fell to the ground, and the bishop sank to his knees. On the tilma where the roses had been appeared an image of Mary exactly as she had appeared at the hill of Tepeyac.
Mary’s appearance to Juan Diego as one of his people is a powerful reminder that Mary—and the God who sent her—accept all peoples. In the context of the sometimes rude and cruel treatment of the Indians by the Spaniards, the apparition was a rebuke to the Spaniards and an event of vast significance for the indigenous population. While a number of them had converted before this incident, they now came in droves. According to a contemporary chronicler, nine million Indians became Catholic in a very short time. In these days when we hear so much about God’s preferential option for the poor, Our Lady of Guadalupe cries out to us that God’s love for and identification with the poor is an age-old truth that stems from the Gospel itself. (franciscanmedia.org)
Join us for Mass this weekend in person at 4:oo on Saturday, 8:30 or 10:30 on Sunday, on www.gbres.org/live, our YouTube channel, and our Facebook page.
READINGS FOR THIS WEEKEND’S MASSES
VIRTUALLY SUNDAY REFLECTION
What Can I Do?
Are we ready for the answer? Join Sr. Marla as she reflects on a childhood memory. How will this week's Gospel reading speak to you?
Project Nazareth
New to Resurrection is "Project Nazareth: Faith Begins at Home"
This is an initiative that will deliver weekly resources to Churches of the Home. These resources will give suggestions for how to Pray, Listen, Act and Ponder with a given topic throughout the course of each week. Project Nazareth will explore the fundamental Gospel message of the Sunday Mass and other special topics such as the Year of the Eucharist.
This is a way to weave faith formation into the fabric of family life.
This Weekend's Bulletin
(click to read)
Announcements
Celebrate this Christmas with our Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Christmas Cookie Kits! Each kit contains everything you need to make Christmas cookies a breeze. Each donation helps CRS assist the poor and vulnerable around the world.
Each kit is a donation of $20.
Pick up Options:
December 12th after 10:30 am mass at St. Matthew's Church
December 17th at 3:00pm at Father Allouez Catholic School St. Matt’s Campus
December 19th after 10:30 am at Resurrection
December 20th at 3:15pm at FACS Resurrection Campus
Recent Losses to Our Parish Family
Humor
What is Santa's favorite item to buy at the annual bake sale?
A Jolly Roll!
Health and Wellness
Families
Ruby and Res
Ahhh...the joy of a good ear rub!
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