ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI CATHOLIC CHURCH WHITESBORO, TEXAS DECEMBER 21, 2014

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT (B) Today’s Mass is a summary of Salvation History. God always seems to do the unexpected: He took a shepherd boy, David, and made him king. He promised that David’s dynasty would last forever, but this happens in an unexpected way. Unexpectedly, God reconciles Jew and Gentile in Christ Jesus. In order to save us, God himself becomes one of his people! Let us renew our trust in God who shows us his unexpected love and mercy. CUARTO DOMINGO DE ADVIENTO (B) Misa hoy es un resumen de la historia de la salvación. Dios siempre parece hacer lo inesperado: Tomó un pastor joven, David, y lo convirtió en rey. Prometió que la dinastía de David duraría para siempre, pero esto sucede de una manera inesperada. Inesperadamente, Dios reconcilia Judio y gentiles en Cristo Jesús. Para salvarnos, Dios mismo se convierte en uno de los suyos! Renovemos nuestra confianza en Dios, que nos muestra su amor inesperado y misericordia.

Please join us for coffee and fellowship after Mass today in the Parish Hall.

Por favor únase a nosotros para el café y compañerismo después de Misa hoy en el Salón Parroquial.

“THE LORD IS WITH YOU”

by Fr. Jeremy Myers Luke 1:26-38 The gospel of St. Luke begins with a familiar and unassuming line. The passage for this Fourth Sunday of Advent recalls that beginning for us: “The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David.” And what message did this winged angel from on high say, since angels always carry messages? He said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women.” Those words, of course, are not addressed only to Mary; they are addressed to this world, because in the end we are all blessed because the Lord is with us. As we enter this last week of waiting for the Lord’s birth in Bethlehem, we rejoice, as the angel instructed Mary to do. Surely we have cause to be full of joy. Why? Because the Lord is with us. For ages, there was some doubt in people’s minds as to whether or not the Creator had concern for them. Feeling abandoned and alone—much of it brought on by our own blindness—the world yearned and prayed for redemption. That prayer was answered by heaven, when Almighty God determined that He would show His love to this world unequivocally and unrivaled. He would come to be with us so that we would know that we were not alone, but had God with us all our days. In that classic and beautiful poem by Robert Frost called “Mending Wall,” he writes this line, “Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,/ That wants it down.” That poetic line could easily have been said by Almighty God just as surely as it was by Frost; in fact, it was said by God on a still night in the foothills of Bethlehem, as the world slept and shepherds watched their flocks. Angels appeared suddenly in the skies overhead, glittering like sparkling stars. A song of joy they sang to the sleeping world, rousing the shepherds with news of great joy. “A child is born to you,” they announced. Of course, he was a child and he was more. He was God—God among us. That which this world could only dream and imagine became real on that Christmas night. That prayer which had been uttered by many lips through so many centuries was answered in bodily form—a child in a crib who carried the name Christ. As the celebration of his birth comes to this world again, we ponder those holy and unimaginable words—the Lord is with you. There are times in all of our lives—dark moments of doubt and trial—when we ask ourselves if God is near or is God here. The answer was given on Christmas those many years before, when God spoke a word of intense love and longing for this world—the word “Jesus.” Since that entrance of God into our world, there has been no time and no moment without God, even the darkest moment. We celebrate with joyful song and festive dance the message of Christmas—that the darkness which had enveloped our world and ourselves was shattered by a ray of light which shone above shepherds’ heads on a still night in Bethlehem. Christmas, then, is not only the birth of a savior; it is also the birth of this world. Now, we have life again and we have hope. Why? Because the Lord is with us.

STEWARDSHIP FOR DECEMBER 14, 2014 $1,059.00

RETIREMENT FUND FOR RELIGIOUS $ 503.00

Thank you for sharing your blessings with others.

“Only when we give joyfully, without hesitation or thought of gain, can we truly know what love means.” Leo F. Buscaglia

Lector Mike Crone

Eucharistic Ministers Larry Sandmann Anita Morales Margaret Pack

Gift Bearers Mike Pack Family

Servers Casey Balak Aaron Dobbs JC Crosby Ushers Gary Dale Lewis Cleo Dreyer Bobby Jolls Toby Fuhrmann

The Mass of the Nativity of our Lord’s Birth will be Tuesday, December 24th at 10 p.m. The Church will be open early and the choir will be singing Advent and Christmas carols. Please come pray, listen, and sing with us as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ. La Misa de la Natividad de nacimiento de nuestro Señor será el martes, 24 de diciembre a 22:00 La iglesia estará abierta temprano y la voluntad del coro cantando villancicos de Adviento y Navidad. Por favor venga a orar, escuchar y cantar con nosotros mientras nos preparamos para celebrar el nacimiento de Cristo.

The Parish Office in Sherman will close this Wednesday at noon for the Christmas holidays. We will reopen at 8:30 a.m. on Friday, January 2nd. La oficina de la parroquia en Sherman se cerrará este miércoles al mediodía para las vacaciones de Navidad. Reabriremos en 8:30 el viernes, 2 de enero 2015.

The schedule of Masses at St. Anne’s Church in Sherman is as follows: Wednesday, December 24th 4 p.m. Vigil Mass of the Nativity of the Lord 6 p.m. Mass of the Nativity of the Lord in Spanish Thursday, December 25th 12 a.m. Midnight Mass of the Nativity of our Lord’s Birth (Bilingual) 10 a.m. Mass of the Nativity of the Lord El calendario de Misas en la Iglesia Santa Ana en Sherman es el siguiente: Miércoles, 24 Diciembre 4 p.m. Vigilia de la Natividad del Señor 6 p.m. con una Misa de la Natividad del Señor en Espanol Jueves, 25 Diciembre 12 a.m. Misa de la Natividad del nacimiento de nuestro Señor (bilingüe) 10 a.m. Misa de la Natividad del Señor

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the Child Jesus of Bethlehem enter your hearts and your homes and find there a place to rest and a place to abide. May these days be days of good cheer and happiness as we remember the cause of our joy—God among us. May the New Year be filled with that same joy to the Lord. Les deseamos a todos una feliz Navidad y un feliz año nuevo. Que el niño Jesús del Belén pueda entrar en sus corazones y sus hogares y encontrar allí un lugar para descansar y permanecer. Que estos días sean días de alegría y felicidad al recordar la causa de nuestra alegría de Dios entre nosotros. Que el nuevo año sea lleno de la misma alegría al Señor.

SOLEMNITY OF CHRISTMAS (B) He was divine; yet he did not cling to his equality with God. He emptied himself to assume the condition of a servant, to become as we are. And being born as men are, he was even humbler yet. Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, is born to us as man. May he bring his light and peace and justice to this world. SOLEMNIDAD DE LA NAVIDAD (B) era divina; Sin embargo él no se aferró a su igualdad con Dios. Se despojó de sí mismo para asumir la condición de siervo, para ser como somos. Y nacer como los hombres, era incluso más humilde todavía. Jesucristo, la luz del mundo, nacio como hombre. Él puede traer su luz, paz y justicia a este mundo.

MASS INTENTION FOR DECEMBER 24, 2014

†Ray Endres by Jimmy Ferguson Family

LITURGICAL ASSIGNMENTS FOR DECEMBER 24, 2014

Minister to the Homebound Jean Podborny

2015 North Texas Catholic Men’s Conference

“Sword of the Spirit: Fight the Good Fight of Faith”

Men are taught at an early age to fight for what’s theirs. But as men grow older, it’s easy to forget how to fight for what’s right, particularly when it comes to one’s faith. In the Book of Ephesians, the call for us as Christians to be armed with the clothing of Christ teaches us how to wage battle against sin and pursue goodness. The 4th annual North Texas Catholic Men’s Conference will celebrate how men can model their life after Jesus and how to fight the good fight of faith. On Saturday, Feb. 7th, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Registration begins at 7 a.m.) men 18+ will experience a day of fun, food, fellowship, joyful music, reconciliation, mass, praying the rosary and Eucharistic adoration. The state-of-the-art Hurst Conference Center will be our setting to serve both the Dallas and Fort Worth Diocese. Lunch is provided. Please go to www.ntxcmc.org to register today!

Bishop Michael Olson - Prior to becoming the Bishop of the Fort Worth Diocese, Bishop Olson was Rector of Holy Trinity Seminary. A recipient of the CRS Global Fellowship with a focus on global development in social justice, he has earned many other distinctions such as a doctorate in moral theology at the Academia Alfonsiana in Rome. Father Larry Richards - A gifted and captivated speaker, preacher, retreat master, evangelist, author and Catholic Radio guest speaker. Tom Peterson - The founder of Catholics Come Home, has presented at the Vatican and the U.S. Conference of Bishops. He is often seen, heard and read in various media outlets including EWTN program The Journey Home. Michael Coren - Host of The Arena, an evening TV Show on Sun News broadcast from Canada. He is an author of 15 books and a weekly columnist for various publications including The Catholic Register, Catholic Insight and Catholic World Report.

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

St. Francis of Assisi CCD students presented a Christmas Program to family and friends last Sunday. Thanks to everyone who helped make this annual event a success.

We want to wish a happy birthday to everyone in our church family celebrating a birthday this week, especially Peter Cunningham on December 23rd, Curley Thomas on December 26th, and Aaron Dobbs and Phyllis Stacey on December 27th. Queremos desearle un feliz cumpleaños a todos en nuestra familia de la iglesia celebrando un cumpleaños esta semana, especialmente Peter Cunningham el 23 de diciembre, Curley Thomas el 26 de diciembre y Aaron Dobbs y Phyllis Stacey el 27 de diciembre. Please remember in your prayers all the sick and suffering, especially Jude Lazaroo, brother of Tina Hubbell, who is battling cancer, and Thomas Morales, who had knee surgery last week. May they receive the care and consolation they need. Por favor, recuerde en sus oraciones a todos los enfermos y los que sufren, especialmente Jude Lazaroo, hermano de Tina Hubbell, que está combatiendo el cáncer, y Thomas Morales, quien tuvo una cirugía de rodilla la semana pasada. Que reciban la atención y el consuelo que necesitan.

Please remember in your prayers all the faithful departed, especially Fr. TJ Martinez (friend of Mike & Lisa Maberry), who died recently after a battle with stomach cancer. May he share in the fullness of joy and heavenly peace. Por favor recuerde en sus oraciones a todos los fieles difuntos, especialmente el Padre TJ Martínez (amigo de Mike & Lisa Maberry), que falleció recientemente tras una batalla con el cáncer del estómago. Que el pueda compartir en la plenitud de gozo y paz celestial.

Join us in wishing Fr. Antonio a happy birthday this Friday, December 26th. May God grant him many blessings and much happiness on his special day. Acompáñenos en el deseo de franco Antonio un cumpleaños feliz esto el viernes, 26 de diciembre. Dios del mayo le concede muchas bendiciones y mucha felicidad durante su día especial.

The Christmas Float 2014 is a much anticipated tradition for grownups and kids alike. Thanks to those who helped design, build and accompany the float in the parade! Our award for the much sought after “oohs and aahs” of the crowd was achieved once more! El Flotador de Navidad 2014 es una tradición muy esperada igualmente para adultos y niños. ¡Gracias a aquellos que ayudaron a diseñar, construir, y acompañe el flotador en el desfile! Nuestro premio codiciado "oohs y aahs" de la multitud se logró una vez más.

The Guadalupanas would like to thank all who purchased tamales and made this year’s fundraiser a success. A special thank you to all those who helped prepare them and/or donated money to help purchase the ingredients. Las Guadalupanas, quisiera dar las gracias a todos los que compraron tamales este ano para recaudar fondos - fue un exito. Un agradecimiento especial a todos aquellos que ayudaron a preparar y donaron dinero para comprar los ingredientes.

RCIA class will not meet December 23rd or December 30th. Class resumes on Tuesday, January 6th.

MASS INTENTION FOR DECEMBER 28, 2014

†Don Stacey by Stacey Family

LITURGICAL ASSIGNMENTS FOR DECEMBER 28, 2014

Lector Anita Morales

Eucharistic Ministers Mike Crone Sharon Sandmann

Suzanne Cunningham

Gift Bearers Roland Balak Family

Servers Sam Lewis Chloe Lewis Claire Lewis

Ushers Brian Ruda Allison Ruda

Minister to the Homebound Sharon Kirkpatrick