Christmas is a time to reflect upon the great love of our heavenly Father, and a time for thanking God for offering Jesus to us. There is no greater gift that anyone could give than the gift of one’s only child. The celebration of the birth of Jesus is therefore a celebration of the infinite love of our heavenly Father. As we experience this love let us pray that we may have love for one another, be reconciled with each other and accept one another. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis has given us this wonderful opportunity by announcing the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. Let this Christmas be special – let us try to experience deep within us that Love our Heavenly Father has for us and try to share it with others.
Christmas is also a most appropriate time to express our gratitude to family and friends. I take this opportunity to thank each one of you personally for your constant prayerful support, encouragement, your words of appreciation and love. It has been a great joy for us to serve each one of you for the past two years. Thanks to all those who make our job easy, especially those in the Parish Office, the school staff, and all those who give so much of your time through various ministries and commissions including the many volunteers and all our Parish members and friends. Thank you for your talents freely given, your financial sacrifices generously shared and most of all for your prayers. Be assured of my special prayers for you during this season.
On behalf of Fr. Henry and our parish staff I wish you a Christmas full of peace, gratitude, joy and love. May Jesus hold you close to His heart during this Blessed Christmas Season and throughout the New Year- 2016. And may the blessings of this holy season descend on all of you in abundance.
My prayer for you is the same as Paul’s prayer for the believers in Ephesians 3:17,18: “may Christ dwell in your hearts through faith; may you be rooted and grounded in love, so that you may understand with all the holy ones the width, the length, the height and the depth of His love you may be filled and reach the fullness of God.”
Happy Birthday Jesus and Merry Christmas to all.
Merry Christmas
Today we celebrate the great feast of our redemption, the birth of Jesus Christ. The feast of Christmas recalls the great event of God’s love in which the Lord assumed human flesh. The Incarnation, God taking on human flesh, is the fulfillment of the covenant that God formed with Abraham and Moses. The birth of Jesus is the sign of God’s unconditional love, a love that offers forgiveness, redemption and eternal salvation.
This promise of love is what offers hope to a world that is all too often in turmoil. In the midst of a world that does not embrace God’s wisdom and love Christmas stands as a sign of hope. The sacrificial offering of the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is our hope. It is a hope that offers the knowledge of eternal life, and it is a hope that can lead, guide and heal individuals and societies that struggle to find peace and love.
On a personal level, I am greatly heartened and encouraged by the number of teachers, aids, supervisors and volunteers in our Faith Formation Program who help us share the same Love to our future generation. I am also uplifted by the vigor and spirit they bring to the Monday Religious Education classes. This shows how much they continue to support and love our parish.
With a grateful heart I would like to thank and appreciate all the 3rd, 4th and 5th Graders in Religious Ed who put-up wonderfully the Nativity Play on December 14, 2015 at 7 pm in the Church. My heart goes out to two teachers, Amy Davis and Joan Ricotta who worked hard to train these kids to make the play successful. Also thanks to Bonnie Danic for all the good works she does for Faith Formation at St. Valentine.
Wishing you a Most Blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with many Blessings of Peace and Joy. May you feel His caring Love in the midst of all the challenges and struggles as well as in your joys and happiness and know for sure He is the Love that offers us hope.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2016!
Fr. Henry Rebello SAC
Dear St. Valentine Parishioners,
On our last day of school before the Christmas break, just before we went out the door to spend two weeks with our families, the students and the faculty of St. Valentine School we were able to pray together. We prayed “that God will bless us and our families during the coming holy days. That each of us will help to make our home a place of joy, love, peace and safety.” We also prayed that the St. Valentine School children will “be generous and considerate, not thinking only about ourselves, but of helping others enjoy the blessings of Christmas.”
In a world that is so much about the “getting” of the season and not enough about giving to others and sharing Christ’s love– THANK YOU for being a parish that supports a Catholic School, a place where we children can pray about these things together and teachers can share the lessons of Christ’s love daily. The world needs Catholic Schools and we are proud at St. Valentine to help fill that need. Thank you, dear St. Valentine parishioners, for your continued prayers and support for our school. The St. Valentine School community wishes you and your family a blessed Christmas season full of joy, love and peace. Merry Christmas and prayers for a blessed 2016!
Mrs. Rachel Damuth
Principal
10 Christmas Commandments
Anonymous
“The following item appeared in a church newsletter and contains some good advice that will help us keep selfishness in check this Christmas:
1. You shall not leave ‘Christ’ out of Christmas, making it ‘Xmas.’ To some, ‘X’ is unknown.
2. You shall prepare your soul for Christmas. Spend not so much on gifts that your soul is forgotten.
3. You shall not let Santa Claus replace Christ, thus robbing the day of its spiritual reality.
4. You shall not burden the shop girl, the mailman, and the merchant with complaints and demands.
5. You shall give yourself with your gift. This will increase its value a hundred fold, and the one who receives it shall treasure it forever.
6. You shall not value gifts received by their cost. Even the least expensive may signify love, and that is more priceless than silver and gold.
7. You shall not neglect the needy. Share your blessings with many who will go hungry and cold if you are generous.
8. You shall not neglect your church. Its services highlight the true meaning of the season.
9. You shall be as a little child. Not until you become in spirit as a little one are you ready to enter into the kingdom of Heaven.
10. You shall give your heart to Christ. Let Him be at the top of your Christmas list.
“Anyone keeping these commandments is sure to have a blessed Christmas.”