January
14, 2007
Love
Ahead
Christmas
Fund
Many thanks to all who gave in this year’s
Christmas Fund collection. As you may know, the donations made at Christmas
help us pay any unpaid bills left over from the past year and fund much
of the work of the coming year. Last year, $120,202 was donated at Christmas.
This year we have received $129,061 to date. All of the staff who relies
on these funds for the continuation of our programs are very thankful
for the generous support of so many. I’m certainly grateful for
not only the long-time parishioners who are so faithful in their support
of the parish, but also to the new families who have moved into our
parish over the past year for their support.
Now all we need is a new tenant for our convent building and we ought
to be in good financial shape for the year ahead.
Online
Masses
We are now going to be able to stream masses and other events live over
the internet to homebound folks and to relatives who live in other lands.
If you’re interested in this, in this, click
here.
Away
at College?
Are you or your child away at college? At St. Brigid’s we like
to stay in touch via occasional e-mails as we send photos and news from
“home”. College students wishing to be connected through
our “Letters from home” can sign up online here
or you can mail or
e-mail thecollege names and e-mail addresses to Father Ralph and he’ll
put them on the list.
Census
Continues
Of the approximate 6,000 families we usually send mail to, we’ve
received completed Census booklets from over 4,000. So we’ve got
a ways to go.
Is your booklet in?
e-mail Father Ralph:
Past Columns:
Jan.7:
So How Was Your Christmas?
Columns
from 2005
Columns
from 2004
Columns from
2003
Columns from 2002
A
few weeks ago Father Cine asked me what was the English equivalent of
the French phrase “charité prevenant”. (He
thinks I’m smarter than I really am.) So first I had to ask him
to explain the concept and he told me that it’s a way of living
charity when someone anticipates the needs of others and acts in love
ahead of time. I asked him to give me an example, and he spoke of Mary
at the wedding at Cana (today’s gospel).
In fact Father Cine spoke of Mary
at Cana in his New Year’s
Day homily: “At the wedding of Cana, Mary did not wait
for the groom and the bride to be ashamed by the lack of wine. She pushed
her Son Jesus to change the water into wine, knowing Jesus’ time
had not yet come. The compassionate heart of Mary moved the heart of Jesus
with pity to satisfy promptly the need of the people. With that first
miracle, performed under the request of Mary, his disciples and the people
believed in Jesus. Just as Mary gave birth to Jesus, she also gave birth
to his public ministry. During his whole ministry, Jesus always applied
the lessons of charity and love that his mother taught him by performing
many miracles for the people without waiting for them to ask him.”
What good insights into Mary’s
heart -- we see the same kind of love when she goes off to visit Elizabeth,
her cousin, when she is in need. What an inspiration for us as we continue
to envision what this new year of 2007 can be for us: a year of “charité
prevenant”. Alas there is no comparable term in English. But perhaps
we could consider the concept of “loving ahead” -- that is
-- look ahead of a situation and ask “How can I love the people
involved in that situation by anticipating what they will face?”
“How can I act in love in that situation?” “Who else
can I involve in that kind of loving-ahead?”
As we recall Mary and Jesus’
role at the wedding at Cana, let’s make this an opportunity for
us to recognize those who have loved us into the people we are today.
Who are the ancestors, the relatives and friends who looked ahead in our
lives and loved us?
Let’s give thanks to God for the ways we’ve
experience charité prevenant.
