Continuing Christmas: January 4 Class Update

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas one final time!

In our most recent class, our guest speaker was Paige Krohn, Paul's fellow World Youth Day pilgrim.  She is a FOCUS missionary at Southeast Missouri State University, in Cape Girardeau, MO.  She shared about the importance of faith in her life, how she got involved with FOCUS, and her experiences as a missionary.

If you're interested in knowing more about the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, FOCUS, here is their website.

At the start of class, we spent time learning more about the deeper meaning of Christmas.  We looked at the Prologue in John 1:1-18, which takes a more cosmic view of Christ's Birth.  He was with the Father from the beginning, and then entered into time and into our world as the Word Made Flesh revealing God to us.

I also played some Christmas carols that speak to the meaning of Christmas Day and Season: "Joy to the World", "O Little Town of Bethlehem", and "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing".

The Christmas Season has numerous feasts that celebrate how God revealed Himself to the world: Christmas Day, the Epiphany (celebrated on January 2 this year), and the Baptism of the Lord, celebrated on January 9, and concludes the Christmas Season.

For this week, the activity is to spend time pondering the meaning of Christmas further by reading Pope Francis's message for the Christmas Urbi et Orbi Blessing on 12-25-2021.  After reading it, submit a short reflection of at least one sentence on what stood out to you in this Google form.  This activity is due by class time on January 11.

We will meet via Zoom on January 11 from 7-8 PM, in light of modifications to our schedule.

During this time, we'll continue in the spirit of Christmas Season by learning more about what baptism means for us.  And, as time permits, we also continue with the video series on the Mass.

Please be sure you bring with you the sheet of paper on which you're writing brief notes about the Mass video series, or something else to write with and write on.

As usual, please feel free to contact me with questions, etc.

We remain connected as One Church: All my relations.

May the Light we celebrate at Christmas continue to shine on you and transform you so that we may all go forth from the Christmas Season to bless the world with God's presence dwelling and stirring in us.

God's blessings,
Paul

Nativity scene at Mary's altar inside our Church

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