OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC PARISH

What would you do if a real king came to visit you?

This Christmas the King who visits you and your family is Jesus, who was also a little baby,

like you and I!

What will you do to receive Jesus this year?

Here are some ideas to help your family brainstorming…

Pray together. Hopefully prayer already is part of the daily routine, but if not, make it one. Prayer makes our relationship with God closer

Read sacred Scripture. You can read the Gospel; spend a few minutes reflecting upon it, inserting oneself into the passage, and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak in the quiet of one’s heart.

Take the time for Penance and Reconciliation. Do a thorough examination of conscience. If it has been a while, find a good examination of conscience, and over the course of the week — praying for help from the Holy Spirit — write down those sins that come to mind. Bring this to the sacrament of reconciliation, receive absolution, and do the prescribed penance.

Volunteer. For children and the entire family, volunteering is a special way of meeting Jesus in their neighbor. Prepare prayerfully as a family and offer your volunteering to God

Host a Christmas Gathering. Celebrate Jesus’ birthday with friends! This can be a party

with an eternal purpose. Features holiday food, chatting about Christmas traditions, a brief talk on

the meaning of Christmas and an opportunity to receive Christ.

Prepare this Advent to receive Christ as though He were coming for the first time.

Share your additional ideas with us, so we can share them with others!

Talk with your family about it; would you clean the house? Try to look good?

Change anything in your life? What if the visitor was the King of Kings?

Family Faith Sunday

Next month, we will explore the Wise Men’s journey to Jesus.

We will journey together as a community along the Wise Men’s experience of going to

adore the King of Kings.

Next Family Faith Sunday: January 6th

“The Secrets of the Wise Men’s journey”

Come prepared with your reflections, questions and your open heart!

You can read and hear Sunday readings at any time! Get them on your smart device!

Read them at usccb.org or listen to them at daily readings

Listen to Father Jack’s Homilies HERE

Reflections on the daily readings here

Family Faith Sunday is a multi-generational program

where parents/guardians and their children (K-8th) gather to

pray, play and share their faith in community with other

families in a fun way! More information here.

Do you enjoy having fun doing Christmas

activities and crafts with the family?

Click here for ideas and send us your

feedback, thoughts and family ideas!

Do you know what an icon is?

Icon comes to us from the Greek word eikenai, meaning "to

seem or to be like." Because of the significance of the icon, this

word is also used for a graphic symbol on a computer display

screen that represents an app, an object (such as a file), or a

function.

Religious images are referred to as icons––because they

represent the holy person we are asking for intercession. These

images are typically painted on a small wooden panel and used

in the devotions, especially of Eastern Christians.

St. John of Damascus

Saint John of Damascus (or “Damascene”) was born in the late 7th century.

When his country was under attack and the Christian faith was threatened, he

worked arduously to defend the faith. His writings were influential for Christians

to have a deeper understanding of Christ and His Incarnation. In the face of the

attack on religious images (iconoclasm), he defended and enriched the Church’s

understanding of the veneration of icons.

His eloquent defense of images has deservedly procured him the title of "The

Doctor of Christian Art."

He combined a life of prayer and works. His holiness expressed itself in putting

his literary and preaching talents at the service of the Lord.

He is the protector of sick children, theology students and icon painters.

His feast day is December 4th.

Read more about Saint John Damascene HERE and listen here

St. John Damascene, pray for us!

Saint of the Month

The word Christmas originates from the words Christ's Mass. In old English

(first recorded in 1038) it was referred to as Cristesmæsse, which literally means

'Christian Mass.'

The word Noel entered the English language in the late 1300s. It originated from the

Latin word 'natalis' which means 'day of birth'.

St. Francis of Assisi began the custom of singing Christmas carols and

having a Nativity scene in church in the 13th century.

The letter X in Xmas is a Greek abbreviation for Christ.

The three traditional colors of most Christmas decorations are red, green and gold.

Red symbolizes the blood of Christ, green symbolized life and rebirth, and gold

represents light, royalty and wealth.

In 1914 during World War I there was a now famous Christmas truce in the

trenches between the British and the Germans. They exchanged gifts across a neutral

no man’s land, played football together, and decorated their shelters. (Read more

about it in the book “Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce” by

Stanley Weintraub.)

The Christmas wreath was originally hung as a symbol of Jesus. The holly represents

his crown of thorns and the red berries the blood he shed.

Did you know?

There are changes in the Liturgy during Advent

There are always four Sundays in Advent, though not necessarily four full

weeks. The liturgical color of the season is violet or purple, except on the Third

Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday, when optional rose

vestments may be worn. The Gloria is not recited during Advent liturgies, but

the Alleluia is retained.

CATHOLIC TRIVIA

Take a guess with the family or make it a game!

3. What is a parable?

a) A word with many synonyms

b) A former scribe

c) A story used to illustrate a message or

teaching

d) A funny memory

4. In what city was Jesus born?

a) Nazareth c) Bethlehem

b) Jerusalem d) None of them

1.What is one thing that Mary, the mother of

Jesus, did not have in common with us

during her life?

a) Suffering c) Joy

b) Sin d) Nothing

2.When must human life be protected?

a) From birth

b) From the moment of conception

c) From the sixth month of pregnancy

d) From the age of reason

ANSWERS 1. b 3. c 1. b 4. c

CATHOLIC TRIVIA

Want to know a useful way to recycle your Christmas tree? Some zoos take donated

Christmas trees and use them as food for the animals.

In 2010 during the Christmas season, the Colombian government decorated jungle trees

with lights. The trees lit up when the guerrillas (terrorists) walked by and banners

appeared asking them to surrender their arms. The campaign convinced 331 guerillas to

re-enter society and also won an award for strategic marketing excellence.

Recycle Christmas cards making these fun Christmas stockings

Create a template and trace it on an old Christmas card, centered over the best part of the image. Cut out the shape, cutting out both the front and the back of the card at the same time, so you end up with two identical stocking shapes.

Hold the two stockings together and use a paper punch to punch holes evenly around the edge of the stockings. Tie yarn to the upper left hole and lace around the stocking, threading the yarn up into each hole around the edge until you get to the last hole. Make a loop for hanging then knot the yarn in the last hole and trim the yarn ends.

From your OLG family and

community, we wish you a blessed

Christmas with your family and

loved ones!