Jan 5-20, 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Feast of the Epiphany

Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the Eastern churches this feast is known by two names: Epiphany and Theophany. The Greek word, “Epiphany” means a manifestation” or apparition” and the word “Theophany” is “an appearance of God.” On this day we celebrate  the appearance or manifestation of Christ among us as God’s Son.

The feast of the Epiphany is intimately connected with the mystery of our Lord’s birth. The Child who was born for us and the Son who was given to us is manifested before us to be the Son of the Most High. Christ begins his public life with his baptism by John in the Jordan River. At His baptism, Christ is seen as the fulfillment of John’s preaching: He is the Messiah and the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. The Father and the Holy Spirit are witnesses to Christ for he is the beloved Son of the Father and upon Him the spirit rests. Thus at the baptism of the Lord we have not only an epiphany or manifestation of Christ as God’s Son, but also a Theophany or manifestation of the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The feast of the Epiphany reminds us not only of the baptism of Christ, but also of our own baptism. St. Ephrem in his Hymn on Epiphany says, “Our blessed Lord came to be baptized with sinners and because of his glory, the heavens were opened. The One who purifies all creatures, desiring to cleanse them, went into the waters and sanctified them for our baptism. It is for this reason that we bless water on this day.

Today we celebrate the manifestation or Epiphany of the Trinity at the baptism of Christ as well as the manifestation of the glory of God in the person of the Lord come into the world, that is to say, the manifestation of Christ, the Word of God, among us.

Let us then call to mind the grace of God who has appeared for the salvation of all, and thank Him for the baptism through which we have been begotten in the Spirit and through which we have put on Christ and become children of the Father.

 

Sincere thanks and appreciation to my dear Parishioners and friends of St. Raymond’s for your kind wishes and thoughtfulness at Christmas time. May the Lord reward you with His abundant blessings in the year to come.

With Prayerful best wishes,

Msgr. Moussa Joseph

 

Pray for the Sick

Please continue to remember the sick or homebound of our parish in your prayers.

Josephine Bouhasin

James Crenshaw

Ann Elking

Tom McDermott

James & Dorothy Randazzo

Mary Jane Simon

Thelma Simon

Erma Valentine

Terry Rask

Offering Envelopes for 2013:

There are so many boxes of envelopes remaining in the vestibule of the church. Please take your box on the way out after mass.

Any family or any parishioner who did not find their box of envelopes, we ask you kindly to call the rectory at (314) 621-0056 and your box will be available to you! Thank you.

1/05/13	Sat	5 pm	Special Intention	The Celebrant
1/06/13	Sun	9 am 11 am	Nancy LeCuyer Pete Webbe	Damian Vitale Family Leroy Wilson
1/07/13	Mon	9 am	Tony Maniaci	Shirley Milford and family
1/08/13	Tues	9 am	David Tamayo	Adrian Johnson
1/09/13	Wed	9 am	Jimmy Joseph, Jr.	Betty Joseph
1/10/13	Thurs	9 am	Intention of poor souls	Ms. Linda Hill
1/11/13	Fri	9 am	Edmund Eltife	Phyllis Adkinson
1/12/13	Sat	5 pm	Special intention	The Celebrant
1/13/13	Sun	9 am 9 am 11 am	Richard Shaheen (A) Louis A. Antoni MaryAnn Meyer (40 day)	Roxie Rask & Family The Antoni Family Christopher Nackley
1/14/13	Mon	9 am	Nancy LeCuyer	Shirley Milford & Family
1/15/13	Tues	9 am	Hilary Ferguson	Carolyn Grosskopf
1/16/13	Wed	9 am	Dorothy Byck	Mitzi & Bob Anderson
1/17/13	Thurs	9 am	Eulalia Escobar	Carl & Barb Daywood
1/18/13	Fri	9 am	Sam Fekarry	Phyllis Adkinson
1/19/13	Sat	5 pm	Mae Siess (A)	Roxie Rask & Family
1/20/13	Sun	9 am 11 am	Bedelia George Norman & Melba Kinninger	Hutcheson & Busekruz Families Jim & Amera Cox

 

URGENT—We desperately need volunteers on Mondays and Wednesdays to help in the kitchen so we can keep our Wednesday luncheons going. Anyone who can spare a few hours on Mondays and Wednesdays we appreciate your efforts and sacrifices.  This is a weekly parish event that we do not want to loose or give up. Won’t you give a hand?

 

New Year’s Resolutions and your “Faith”

With the new year comes new hope for a new beginning. A new beginning is a perfect time when many people make New Years’ resolutions, oftentimes only to break them soon thereafter.

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? Do you keep them?

Simple resolutions are easier to keep . Consider some of these ideas:

· Wake up 10 minutes earlier than normal and begin your day with prayer.

· Choose one simple task that will help everyone in your home and do it daily.

· Practice doing at least one good deed.

· Spend 15 minutes reading the Bible before you go to bed at night.

· Say a prayer before every meal.

· Smile and be friendly to everyone you meet.

· Invite a family member or a friend to attend mass with you on a regular basis.

· Leave you home 15 minutes ealier to come to church so you can participate in the mass as it starts, not 15 minutes later…

· Let others go ahead of you in line sometimes

· Try to see others as God sees them.

Happy New Year to All!