DEC 31

EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD

On Tuesday, January 6th, 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 “an apparition” and the word, “Theophany means an appearance of God.” On this day we celebrate the appearance or manifestation of Christ among us as God’s Son.

The feast of Epiphany was first celebrated in the East around the third century and eventually was adopted by the Western Church. In the Eastern Churches the celebration of the Epiphany originally centered on both the Birth of our Lord and his baptism. When the later Western feast of Christmas was introduced into the East, Christmas became the feast of the Birth of our Lord and the Epiphany, that of his baptism.

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. Originally, the mystery of baptism was celebrated on this feast and the waters blessed were those of baptism.

On Epiphany, 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.

 

MEN’S SOCIETY

LET’S GO BLUES! The Saint Raymond’s Men’s Society is having a night out at the Blues game. The game is on Thursday January 8th at 7 pm against the San Jose Sharks. Tickets are $27.00. Please consider bringing your sons or grandchildren and/or a friend to the game. We will meet at Johnny’s Restaurant & Bar located at 1017 Russell Blvd at 5:01 sharp for dinner and drinks and they will shuttle us to the game and back. Please contact Scott Elking at (314)267-3002 or scott@caryep.com to reserve your tickets.

DUE TO THE HOCKEY GAME, THE MENS SOCIETY  WILL HOLD THEIR MONTHLY MEETING ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 15TH  AT 6:30 PM IN THE LEBANON ROOM. ALL MEN ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE.

 

LADIES SOCIETY

Due to the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th, the Ladies society will hold their monthly meeting on Tuesday January 13th at 7 pm in the Lebanon room. All ladies of the parish  are invited to attend.

  THANK YOU....

Chorbishop Moussa Joseph extends his sincere thanks and appreciation for all the thoughtfulness, the

Christmas cards and the gifts from the parishioners and friends of St. Raymond’s. May the New Year bring to all of you the blessings of good health , peace and happiness.

 

THANK YOU

Sincere thanks and appreciation to all those who helped with the tree of life gifts for the needy. A special thanks to Mr. And Mrs. Brian Wahby  who coordinated the project and distributed the gifts to the Sisters of St. Teresa & Bridget.

 

FAITH & HERITAGE

There will be no Faith and Heritage classes on December 28th and January 4th. They will resume January 11th. Have a blessed holiday Season.

EPIPHANY

On Monday, January 5th at 7:00 pm, there will be a Liturgy for the Epiphany of Our Lord with the ceremony of the blessing of the water. Following the Liturgy, everyone is invited to the hall for the traditional treat “ZLABYEE” and coffee.  Please join us as a parish family and community. On Epiphany, there will be two

Liturgies: 8 am and 12 noon. Please make every effort to attend one of the Liturgies

The Little Sisters of the Poor, who have been welcoming aged poor persons and sharing their lives with them within the Archdiocese for over 140 years, will be visiting our parish Saturday, January 24 and Sunday, January 25 to speak of their mission within the Church, and to ask our help.  Their Home, in North St. Louis, currently serves 115 needy elderly persons who are loved and cared for until death, so that they live in security and dignity.

 

The heart of their mission is simply to provide a “Home”, so that those elderly with whom the sisters joyfully share their lives, realize how much God loves them and wants them to be with Him forever in heaven.  Throughout their history, the Little Sisters have depended on the collaboration of the laity to enable them to support their Residents and live their vocation.  The Sisters will have envelopes in the pews and will briefly speak at Mass to ask your support.  Please make checks payable to the Little Sisters of the Poor.

 

 

 

Dec 13

THE REVELATION TO JOSEPH

Joseph, the spouse of Mary, lived a life of obscurity and devotion to him suffered the same lot during the first centuries of the Church. However, we find that Jerome praises his virginity: John Chrysostom spoke about his sufferings and his joys. It is said that Helen built a church in his honor at Bethlehem and a feast has been celebrated in his memory by the Eastern Churches since the ninth century.

The Maronite Church celebrates his feast on the fifth Sunday of the Season of Announcement and also on March 19.

From the day of the announcement of Gabriel to Mary and her virginal conception, three months had already passed. During this time, Mary kept silent. Although the consequences could have been disastrous to  her reputation,  her betrothed, or her relative, Elizabeth. She trusted in God and knew that he would reveal the great mystery in his own time and in his own way. The Lord did just this.

When Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant, he could not understand how something like this could have happened. Mary continued to be modest, kind and compassionate. Saint Jerome describes Joseph’s confusion. “Joseph, knowing the chastity of Mary and admiring what happened , his in a silence the mystery he was unable to understand.” Just as Mary respected the mystery, so did Joseph. However, he decided that it was his duty to send her away in silence, even though he would have to suffer. They would have to separate rather that unveil the mystery. The Holy Family began with this martyrdom of self in the face of God’s mystery.

God intervened in a dream, which Joseph did not doubt as coming from heaven. God told Joseph that Mary was pregnant through the power of the Holy  Spirit. He also gave Joseph his role as the “father” of the family: “Mary will give birth and you will call him Jesus.” This child will deliver people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). A great responsibility was given to Joseph and, like Mary, he accepted the will of God.

Joseph was called to be the humble servant of God, Jesus and Mary. He would do all his duties in silence. He would serve, protect, provide and die before even seeing a miracle. His entire life became one of love, immolation, sacrifice, work and self-effacement.

He would take Mary to Bethlehem, flee to Egypt, bring Jesus and Mary out of Egypt, look for Jesus in the Temple-and die in silence. This was his mission and he accomplished it because he trusted God.

Joseph has often been compared to the Joseph of the Old Testament, the son of Jacob. As Joseph of the Old Testament saved Egypt and its neighbors, may the Joseph of the New Testament  save the Church and all those who come to him. “Go to Joseph. He has the riches of the king!  The King has entrusted to him the distribution of his goods!”

 

MEN’S SOCIETY

LET’S GO BLUES! The Saint Raymond’s Men’s Society is having a night out at the Blues game. The game is on Thursday January 8th at 7 pm against the San Jose Sharks. Tickets are $27.00. Please consider bringing your sons or grandchildren and/or a friend to the game. We will meet at Johnny’s Restaurant & Bar located at 1017 Russell Blvd at 5:01 sharp for dinner and drinks and they will shuttle us to the game and back. Please contact Scott Elking at (314)267-3002 or scott@caryep.com to reserve your tickets.

 

THANK YOU

Breakfast with Santa was a huge success. Sincere thanks to Mrs. Robbyn Wahby and her committee for a job well done. Thank you also to the Men’s Society for cooking and to all those who helped behind the scenes setting up and cleaning up. A special thank you to Santa and Mrs. Clause for making the day a good memory for many children! Mark your calendars for next year. Breakfast with Santa will be held on December 6, 2015

 

CALENDARS

The 2015 calendars are available in the vestibule of the church.  The Catholic Extension calendars are with the Maronite setting.  Sincere thanks to Kutis Funeral home for their complimentary Roman calendars. Please help yourselves.

 

FAITH & HERITAGE

There will be no Faith and Heritage classes on December 28th and January 4th. They will resume January 11th. Have a blessed holiday Season.

 

WEDNESDAY LUNCH

The hall will be closed Wednesday, December 24th and Wednesday,  December 31st for the Christmas Season. We will reopen Wednesday, January 7, 2015.

 

CHRISTMAS NOVENA

Beginning Monday December 15th, the Christmas novena will be prayed at St. Raymond’s every evening at 7:00 PM. On Saturday December 20th the novena will be prayed following the 5 pm Liturgy and Sunday December 21st  the novena will be prayed following the 11 am Liturgy. The last day of the novena will be Tuesday December 23rd. This is a good way to prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming of Our Savior. Please make every effort to attend and bring a friend or family member.

 

 

Dec 7

The Birth of John the Baptizer

Fourth Sunday of Announcement

 

The Church does not usually celebrate the earthly birthdays of the saints, but rather their birthdays in heaven, namely the day of their deaths when they obtain their crown of glory. However, in the case of John the Baptist, we celebrate his earthly birth-his coming into the world to announce the Son.

John’s coming was filled with marvels. The angel announced his birth. Because of his doubt Zechariah was struck dumb. John leaped with joy in the womb of his mother when visited by the Virgin. He was sanctified at that time by the Holy Spirit. As soon as John was born, Zechariah was able to speak and sing the beautiful song of “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,” a hymn the Church continues to sing even today.

The angel predicted that many would rejoice at John’s birth and that he would be great in the sight of God, and holy, ascetic, and just before the people. He will bring many back to God. He will be the Forerunner of the Savior and return the hearts of parents to their children, and the unbelievers to the wisdom of the just. He will prepare for God a holy people.

Some months before the Lord began his preaching ministry, John came out of his solitude and appeared  near the Jordan River, as the Forerunner of the Lord predicted by the prophets. He impressed the crowds by his poverty, austerity of life, severity of preaching and the practicality of his exhortations. His ministry was quite successful. Many people came to him to receive his baptism and confess their faults as he announced the imminence of the messianic kingdom. He was so humble that he declared himself unworthy to untie the sandals of the Lord. “I have baptized you in water; he will baptize you the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:8)He will separate the sinners from the just.

When Jesus came to be baptized, John wanted to withdraw, saying that it was he who should be baptized by the Lord, but Jesus insisted. John said, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” and told his disciples to follow Jesus. When the disciples complained that Jesus was becoming more and more popular, John said, “He must increase and I must decrease.” He reproached Herod for his scandalous conduct and was put in jail. In prison he sent his disciples to Jesus. He wanted them to follow him and to let Jesus declare himself as the Savior predicted by Isaiah. John was praised as superior to all the faithful of the Old Testament.

 

CHRISTMAS NOVENA

Beginning Monday December 15th, the Christmas novena will be prayed at St. Raymond’s every evening at 7:00 PM including Saturday December 20th and Sunday December 21 and will end Tuesday December 23rd. This is a good way to prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming of Our Savior. Please make every effort to attend and bring a friend or family member.

 

 

WEDNESDAY LUNCH

The hall will be closed Wednesday, December 24th and Wednesday,  December 31st for the Christmas Season. We will reopen Wednesday, January 7, 2015.

 

MEN’S SOCIETY

LET’S GO BLUES! The Saint Raymond’s Men’s Society is having a night out at the Blues game. The game is on Thursday January 8th at 7 pm against the San Jose Sharks. Tickets are $27.00. Please consider bringing your sons or grandchildren and/or a friend to the game. We will meet at Johnny’s Restaurant & Bar located at 1017 Russell Blvd at 5:01 sharp for dinner and drinks and they will shuttle us to the game and back. Please contact Scott Elking at (314)267-3002 or scott@caryep.com to reserve your tickets.

 

The Men’s Society Christmas party will be held Thursday, December 11th at 6:30 pm in the Lebanon room. All men are invited to attend.