Today’s Readings: 1st Reading - Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10 | 2nd Reading - James 5:7-10 | Gospel - Matthew 11:2-11

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me

To bring glad tidings to the poor.

Sacred Heart Parish

The 3rd Sunday of Advent

December 15, 2013 | 0132

0132 Sacred Heart Parish Sunday, December 15, 2013

This third Sunday of Advent let us reflect together on the word "share" and the implications it has for us as Christians and as members of Sacred Heart Parish.

The starting point for sharing begins with the recognition that every good thing which we have has come to us as a blessing from God. Whether it be a baby we hold in our arms, a technical expertise for which we are well-compensated, or the ability to appreciate the snowy landscape-- all of this comes from God. There is nothing good which we have which does not have its origin in God. Any notion that we have it solely because of ourselves is an illusion.

God shares His goodness with us in His creation. If we go further, as we should, we see that God has shared much more than this-- He has shared His very life with us in Christ. Think about this! God our Father began to share His Son with us on the day that Mary conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. In Christ-- God Himself is shared! And, if we are to be good Christians, we are to imitate the example He has given us (cf. Jn 13:34)

God has so created us that our fulfillment as human persons is achieved only through love. There is simply no way to be happy other than to have the experience of loving and being loved. We can have all of the blessings in the world-- but we are reminded by St. Paul that unless we have love-- we have nothing (cf. 1 Cor 13:2).

In a very real sense we can say from this that there is no way for me to be happy unless I have the experience of sharing and being shared with. I witnessed a four year old do this at the conclusion of Children's Liturgy of the Word last Sunday. As the catechist was handing out treats to the children for Christmas-- a girl asked if she could have one for her brother. Therein lies the secret of happiness: the awareness of my brother's need and my desire to provide to meet it.

The most fundamental and intimate witness of sharing is within the life of the husband and wife. They have the blessing and responsibility of "teaching" us about sharing in their communion of life together. When we reflect on a married couple it should hit us: "Hey, look what happens when I share myself! I experience joy and happiness!" This is why we so desperately need the witness of joy and happiness within marriage. In essence, the married couple says to all of us, "Get onboard-- to share is to be made happy!"

The extension of sharing naturally leads to the creation of the family. The married couple is distinguished in their sharing insofar as they have the ability to co-create with God another human person.

Within the family sharing is a fundamental value of day-to-day life. Husband and wife are challenged to share on perhaps an even more selfless level as there is no immediate hope for reciprocity in their relationship within their newborn child. As time goes on-- as brothers and sisters are also born into the world-- mutual love and mutual sharing deepen. This sharing goes out to extended family and shines forth in a very special way in the love of grandparents, but also in the love of aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Before moving on to the context of the parish I want to make special mention of the sharing that occurs between friends. In a sense we can say it is a bridge to our understanding of "church" because in friendship we begin to have the beautiful experience of sharing beyond the lines of biological relationship. We love and are loved by those to whom we are not related. In fact, we can say with our friends our only relation with them is love itself!

Turning to the parish we should recognize that in praying the "Our Father" we are given the concrete under-standing that I have brothers and sisters whom I have even a deeper relationship with than that of blood-- I have a relationship forged by the power of the Holy Spirit. I am part of a supernatural family! This is not simply an intellectual concept. I really do have brothers and sisters who have been born of the Holy Spirit and I sit beside them when I come to Mass on Sunday.

As we swim in the sea of consumerism which falsifies the meaning of human existence we can lose sight of the essential nature of marriage, of the family, and of the parish. A husband or wife can become merely an instrument by which an end is achieved. A parent can become over-involved in the life of their child or a child can lose sight of what they owe to their family.

On the level of a parish we can lose sight of the fact that it is essentially a family of families who really are God's family in a particular place at a particular time. Within this family I have the blessing of brothers and sisters who share themselves with me and with whom I am called to share myself. While respecting an individual's search for a community where he or she feels comfortable-- at some point a commitment to a particular community must

be made to prevent membership from becoming a merely self-referential term. (Con’t. )

P a s t o r ’ s C o r n e r

Stewardship Corner ~

Earlier this year, we heard about the value of persistence in regards to prayer. In order to reap the benefits of being persistent, we must also be strong in the virtue of patience. This week’s second reading from James urges us to be patient. But what for you ask?

Especially in this season we are patient for the arrival of Jesus Christ, our Savior and King, but we might also need to be patient at times with our requests, with our families, with our children, even with ourselves. It is described as the level of endurance one can take before resorting to negativity. But, this beautiful virtue can also be defined as diligence- careful and persistent work or effort. Patience is a virtue because it is a refusal to complain when faced with an enduring circumstance in spite of the effort it might take to wait for something, or to complete a task.

The author of today’s reading points to the brother prophets that spoke of the Lord in their time, acknowledging that they must have had great faith, perseverance, and most of all patience with whom they were speaking to. So many people today just want everything this moment at their fingertips, and they feel entitled to have it that way; I encourage you instead of expressing frustration, to take deep breaths and to be patient. Maybe you’ll find yourself waiting in line at a store making Christmas purchases with your children tugging at your sleeve. Maybe you’ll go online only to find that the company you were going to buy boots from is all out of your size and your size only. Maybe you will find that during Christmas Dinner, your Aunt just wants to keep chatterboxing away about the littlest, most inconsequential things. Maybe Santa will be packing up in the mall just as you get everyone in the door for pictures...

Behold, we await the most beautiful miracle of all this season, God incarnate. I encourage you to instead take this time to reflect on that miracle and find ways in which you can use this virtue of patience. Call upon God and offer it up- it gets tough! But instead of getting frustrated and taking your impatience out on the wrong people (or the right, depending on how you see it…) talk to Him. Offer it up and ask for the calm that you might be patient in that moment. This virtue was gifted to us, we should use it, enjoy it, and offer it up as He wishes for us to do!

Peace,

Kaitlyn Wiant, Parish Services Director

(Pastor’s Corner, con’t.)

Sharing within the parish is charted to the glory of God between the buoys of either being under-involved or over-involved. The challenge in any parish is getting everyone involved. A thriving parish in Maryland has the motto: Every member a minister. Everyone can be a minister-- because we have all been blessed by God with gifts and talents no matter how great or small and we all have a responsibility to share them with our brothers and sisters. It is not just a responsibility-- it is a privilege! I am able to give glory to God by sharing my gifts and talents with others.

Over-involvement is a much smaller issue in any parish-- but a real one nonetheless. Loneliness in marriage, family, and personal relationships can lead someone to share time and talent in the parish which is first meant for one's spouse, one's family, and in one's personal relationships.

Sharing obviously goes even beyond the boundaries of family, friends, and parish. If we recall the parable of the Good Samaritan we see that we are called to share with anyone in need-- regardless of who they are. We may be called to share a listening ear with a co-worker, a portion of our income with the poor, or a helping hand to an elderly person exiting the supermarket. In each we have an opportunity to praise God by sharing our gifts and talents.

Sharing on earth reaches its pinnacle during the celebration of Mass. Christ, the Son of God, offers Himself for our salvation as He did on Good Friday and then feeds us with His Body and Blood. There can be no sharing greater than this and it is in our sharing in this sacrifice and meal that we are most empowered to testify to God by our own witness of the gift of ourselves to God and to others. Yours in Christ,

Father Hamill

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR SICK, especially:

Thomas Muchanic, Gary & Linda Tomasulo,

Sue Vinciguerra, Pat Ryan, George Cleary

and all parishioners with special needs.

Please contact the parish office if you would like to add

someone to our prayer list. You may resubmit a person’s name

anytime through our website, www.sacredheart.us

or call 610-932-5040 ext.1.

Any new additions to the sick or military list will be in the

bulletin for one month, then continued on the website

for our prayers.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

5:00 PM

Extraordinary Minister: C. Karat, J. Kelly, J. Tiriro

Lector: M. Williams

Altar Server: Trevor & Ethan Chan, Morgan Curl

Music: Beth Van Woert, Karen Evangelista

Ushers: Beau Jones

Sunday, December 22, 2013

7:45 AM

Extraordinary Minister: P. Kozakowski, J. Mosley

Lector: R. Daley

Altar Server: Hannah D’Aquanno, John & Joseph Murray

Music: Jamie Shover

Ushers:

9:00 AM Both Species

Extraordinary Minister: C. Fischel, B. Hampshire,

M. Hillegass, J. Jansen

Lector: J. Jansen

Altar Server: Mackenzie & Molly Johnson, Sophie Sapp

Music: Sacred Heart Adult Choir

Ushers: Mark Bradford, Frank Sipala, Brandon & Lauren Kim,

and Samuel Hamilton

LOWwC: Renee Resetar, Gwen O’Brien

10:30 AM

Extraordinary Minister: K. Plakosh, M. Styer, C. Kennedy

Lector: J. Fazio

Altar Server: John & Peter Lane, Zachary Canavin

Music: Lauren Cupples, Cathy Grebner

Ushers: Catherine Lacek, Jerome Lacek, John Peluchette

12:00 Noon

Extraordinary Minister: Jeri Santine, Joe Santine, P. Carnevale

Lector: M. Oronzio

Altar Server: Leah & Jonathan Fritz, Shannon Reilly

Music: Amy Murphy, Fran Murphy, Bob Boyle - Guitars

Ushers: Jack Morrison, Jon Anderson

M i n i s t r i e s a t M a s s

Saturday Louis Hartman,

req. by Lillian Hartman

Sunday December 15, 2013

7:45 am The People of Sacred Heart Parish

9:00 am Joe Dunlap

10:30 am Robert Urig,

req. by the Urig Family

12:00 Noon Helen T. Batten,

req. by the Williams Family

Monday December 16, 2013

8:00 am Aili Mitchell,

req. by Joanne & Al Penttila

Tuesday December 17, 2013

7:00 pm Diane Nangle,

req. by Art & Kay Tuinstra

Wednesday December 18, 2013

8:00 am Gene Callahan, III,

req. by the Fritz Family

Thursday December 19, 2013

8:00 am Mary Russell,

req. by Dottie Shirtz

Friday December 20, 2013

8:30 am Kristy Jo Kelleher,

req. by the Kelleher Family

Saturday December 21, 2013

5:00 pm Dolores Seward,

req. by Paul & Judy Seward

Sunday December 22, 2013

7:45 am The People of Sacred Heart Parish

9:00 am Michaela Benedek,

req. by the DiLiberto Family

10:30 am John & Catherine Lacek,

req. by Jerome & Catherine Lacek

12:00 Noon Mr. & Mrs. William McCarthy,

req. by the Ledger Family

M a s s I n t e n t i o n s

0132 Sacred Heart Parish Sunday, December 15, 2013

Spirit of Christmas

Please visit our Parish Giving Tree set up in the Narthex. Every year, this parish project helps families in our area receive food and gifts to help them joyfully celebrate the birth of our Savior. Feel free to browse the gift tags and pick one you think you can help provide for.

Place unwrapped gifts with gift tags under the

tree anytime before Monday, December 16.

Please note for your calendar:

There will be NO Adoration on Tuesday, Dec. 24th, Christmas Eve.

Adoration will take place from 8 am until 5 pm on Tuesday, Dec. 31st, New Years Eve.

A Taste of Heaven Awaits in Eucharistic Adoration (EA)

“Come Let Us Adore Him”

Eucharistic Adoration is open to all and is held on Tuesdays from 8 am to 7 pm.

We are currently in need of an adorer for 2 pm.

If you are interested in becoming an adorer or would like to have more information about Eucharistic Adoration at Sacred Heart Parish, you may contact Joann Di Liberto at 610-932-8962.

Sacred Heart Giving: December 8th, 2013

Dec. 8th Collection: $ 9,421.00

Dec. Month to Date: $ 19,144.88

Immaculate Conception: $ 787.00

Retired Religious Fund: $ 1,352.00

Thank you!

Christmas Mass Schedule:

Tuesday, December 24th Christmas Eve Masses at:

5:00 pm in the Church 5:10 pm in the Gym 7:00 pm 10:00 pm (“Midnight”.)

Wednesday, December 25th Christmas Day Masses at:

7:00 am Dawn (new) 10:30 am 12:00 noon

Advent Confession Schedule

Each Wednesday during Advent from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

Saturday, December 21 from 3:00 pm to 4:45 pm

with two additional guest Confessors.

There will be NO Confessions on December 25th or January 1st.

S a c r e d H e a r t S c h o o l

Sacred Heart School Many Families, One Heart

Our sixth grade students spent an afternoon sharing conversations

about their faith and lives with Young at Heart members. We are one family, one heart!

Please join us on Thursday, December 19th at 9am for our annual Christmas Show,

A Pirate Christmas This is a free performance and no reservations are necessary.

Upcoming Events:

Wednesday, January 8 - Open Gym. Come cure “cabin fever” with your little ones from noon to 1:30pm.

Our gym will be open for all children ages 6 and under accompanied by an adult.

Sunday, January 26– Catholic Schools Week Mass and Open House.

We will be accepting registrations for the 2014-15 school year beginning in January.

Please contact the school office to schedule a tour. Financial aid is available.

Solemnity of Mary

a holy day of obligation

is Wednesday, January 1, 2014.

Mass times include: Vigil Mass on Tuesday, Dec. 31st at 5:00 pm Wednesday, Jan. 1st at 8:00 am and 12 noon.

PASTOR

Rev. Gregory J. Hamill

frhamill@sacredheart.us

484-758-0099

WEEKEND ASSISTANTS

Rev. Joseph Shenosky & Rev. John Franey

MASS SCHEDULE Saturday Vigil at 5:00 pm

Sunday 7:45 am, 9:00 am, 10:30 am & 12:00 noon

DAILY Monday, Wednesday & Thursday at 8:00 am Tuesday Evening 7:00 pm & Friday 8:30 am

Holy Days as announced in the bulletin

Reconciliation Saturday at 4:00 pm & Wednesday at 6:30 pm

Adoration Tuesday 8:00 am-7:00 pm

Rosary: Monday, Wednesday & Thursday at 7:30 am

Friday - 8:00 am

Miraculous Medal Novena Monday following 8:00 am Mass

Sacred Heart Parish Office

610-932-5040

203 Church Road

Oxford, PA 19363

Sacred Heart Parish School

610-932-3633

Website:

www.sacredheart.us

Comm uni ty

0132 Sacred Heart Parish Sunday, December 15, 2013

REGISTRATION FOR NEW PARISHIONERS

If you are new to the parish, we welcome you. You may come as a stranger to us, yet you are known to Our Lord, Jesus Christ—there are no strangers in grace—in His name we pray you will find peace, hospitality and friendship with us. You are invited to register at Sacred Heart after any Mass on the weekend, just stop by the Welcome Desk in the Lobby.

SACRAMENTS: Visit our website, www.sacredheart.us for the sacrament page and information about becoming Catholic, Baptisms, Marriage, and PREP. If you would prefer, you may call the parish office at 610-932-5040 ext.1 for details.

THE SACRAMENT OF THE SICK - If a loved one is dealing with a serious illness, it is wise to notify the parish office as soon as possible. This sacrament is intended by the Church to be a comfort and strength to people during their illness, not to be held out as “Last Rites”.

ANNUAL MARCH FOR LIFE

The MARCH FOR LIFE in Washington, D.C., began as a small demonstration and rapidly grew to be the largest pro-life event in the world. The peaceful demonstration that has followed on this somber anniversary every year since 1973 is a witness to the truth concerning the greatest human rights violation of our time, legalized abortion on demand. Be sure and join us for the upcoming March for Life on Wed., January 22nd, 2014.

Sacred Heart will provide a bus to the annual March For Life in Washington, DC that will leave the Church parking lot at 6:30 am on Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014. Mass for the faithful who will be attending the March For Life will be celebrated by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.M.F., Cap. at 10:00 am at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. The bus will arrive at the Shrine by 9:30 am allowing enough time to celebrate Mass. Following Mass, we will reconvene with the bus and head over to the National Mall at approximately 11:30 am to gather with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for the March.

The annual March for Life Rally is from noon-1pm on January 22, 2014 and as customary, will be on the National Mall. There will be an exciting line-up of speakers. There will also be a warm up event/concert in the hour leading up to the Rally. The March will begin immediately after the Rally and follow its route up Consti-tution Avenue to the Supreme Court Building on Capitol Hill. There will be time to meet with your represent-atives before re-boarding the bus for the trip home.

Seats are limited so please call either Sheila Hamilton to make your reservation for the trip at (610)932-9992 or email her at 7makescircus@gmail.com or Dos Leach (610)932-8878 or dosleach@zoominternet.net .

We will be eating on the bus so please pack meals that that will allow you to eat on the bus in order to provide as much time as possible at the March. We will return to Sacred Heart's parking lot by 7:00 pm.