They shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”
I am not very good at small talk or cocktail party chit chat. Part of it is that such conversation does not come naturally to me. Secondarily, if I am somewhere where I am not dressed in clerical clothing and my profession is not obvious to a stranger, I will get what for me and many priests is a loaded question, “So what do you do?” I say it is a loaded question because once I say I am a priest, I know that there will be a follow- up which can be a very inspiring ministerial moment, a cringeworthy account of corporal punishment from a nun or a mixture of anger and pain as a result of a more serious experience with the church and its ministers. I mention all of this because this quote from today’s gospel reminded me of a recent incognito moment for me.
As I was getting my haircut one afternoon, the woman cutting my hair asked if I was off for the weekend or did I work weekends. “No, I work weekends,” I said. She asked what I did, and I waited to answer until the scissors were not so close to my ear. After I told her I was a priest, she told me she was reading and translating her grandmother’s New Testament written in old Greek She said that it called Jesus a strange name. When I asked what it was, she said, “Emmanuel.” I wondered how she could not know this. It could not have been her first encounter with the word/name “Emmanuel.” But rather than pass judgment, I explained it was not the proper name of our Lord but rather a statement about who he is — God with us. The conversation did not go much further, but I continued to think about the exchange. And I wondered to myself, how many of us take the name “Emmanuel” for granted – more than the name itself, but the statement of identity that it proclaims, “God is with us.” As we enter these joyful days of Christmas, it is good for us to bring that simple statement to our prayer. God is with us; we are not alone in the extraordinary moments of our lives. God is with us in the sacraments of the church, in sacred scripture and in our brothers and sisters of faith. It was the knowledge that God was with him that allowed Saint Joseph to take Mary into his life, despite his uncertainty. And it is the knowledge that God is with us every day of our lives that helps us to meet the challenges, decisions and mysteries of our lives. EMMANUEL — do not be afraid.
WELCOME HOME – Family members, friends, college students, and military personnel will travel great distances to be with loved ones this week. In those gatherings, they will feel at home and maybe even recognize the presence of Christ in the “home” they create together. In that same spirit, many will return home to Saint Rose of Lima this week. For the last several weeks, we have been preparing ourselves and our parish community to be a worthy home for the Lord. And so, it is now our opportunity to welcome Him. In a particular way, we welcome him as he comes within the broken-hearted, the estranged, the sorrowful, the poor, the afraid, the tired and the lonely. During these Christmas days, may all be welcomed as Christ.
CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE – Please see the information in the bulletin, and on our website and social media regarding the Christmas schedule. For a less crowded experience, I encourage you to consider attending a mass other than the one offered on Christmas Eve at 4:00 p.m.
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION – Please consider the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation during this last week of Advent. Confessions are scheduled to take place Monday to Wednesday after the 9:00 am mass and on Monday, December 22 2:00 – 4:00 pm and 7:00 – 9:00 pm in our parish and every parish throughout Long Island and New York City.
Peace,
