Holy Family Catholic Church

830 Main Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96818 Telephone: 422-1135 Fax:423-0389 Email: HFC830@gmail.com and Sebchacko@hawaii.rr.com Third Sunday of Advent December 15, 2013 In this week-ends Scripture Readings we have Saint James too joining in, like Saint John the Baptist, advising us that the coming of the Lord is at hand. Please note that Saint John proclaimed that before Jesus began His public Ministry; whereas Saint James asserted it, after Jesus had risen and ascended to Heaven. Even in the writings of Saint Paul we have sometimes an urgent appeal from him to Christians to prepare for the coming of the Lord, which is the Second Coming of the Lord...at the end of the world! Two thousand years after John, James and Paul preached the return of the Messiah, we have now realized that those words: the kingdom of God is at hand has some other hidden meaning. Isaiah in the First Reading today, spoke about the joy of expectation that we all must experience, because God was going to restore the splendor of Carmel, Sharon and Zion. While Carmel and Zion are mountains, Sharon was the fertile plain in Israel. God was not talking about the geographic or aesthetic beauty of the mountains and plains, but that of people, especially the blind, the lame and the deaf! It is people who have no hope that experience immense joy when they receive gifts that they would or could not ever think of obtaining Because of our sins, we are all in a spiritual sense blind, lame and deaf. The Good News is that by accepting Christ into our lives more fully, we shall indeed experience a liberating joy and peace beyond our expectations. Like John, James and even Paul, we are all human beings expecting what we want. What the Lord wants is our total surrender to His Son, Jesus Christ. Our sins and our worldly desires make us like hypocrites seeking what we want and not realizing that when we seek what God wants, we shall have everything that we need beyond our expectations. God bless. Fr Sebastian

Mass Schedule
Monday-Saturday: 7:15 AM Saturday Vigil: 5:00 PM Sunday: 8:30 AM, 11:00 AM & 7:00 PM 1st SundaySamoan Mass-2 PM 3rd Sunday-Pohnpeian Mass-2 PM Confessions Saturday: 4:004:45 PM and after daily Masses First Friday of the Month Benediction After 7:15 am Mass

2014
THE YEAR OF THE

CONSECRATED LIFE
Come Follow me.
Matthew 4:19

WEBSITES PARISH: Holyfamilyhonolulu.org ACADEMY Hfcahawaii.org

ARE YOU THE ONE WHO IS TO COME?

St. Peter Canisius (1521-1597)

The energetic life of Peter Canisius should demolish any stereotypes we may have of the life of a saint as dull or routine. Peter lived his 76 years at a pace which must be considered heroic, even in our time of rapid change. A man blessed with many talents, Peter is an excellent example of the scriptural man who develops his talents for the sake of the Lords work. He was one of the most important figures in the Catholic Reformation in Germany. His was such a key role that he has often been called the second apostle of Germany in that his life parallels the earlier work of Boniface (June 5). Although Peter once accused hi mself of idleness in his youth, he could not have been idle too long, for at the age of 19 he received a masters degree from the u niversity at Cologne. Soon afterwards he met Peter Faber, the first disciple of Ignatius Loyola (July 31), who influenced Peter so much that he joined the recently formed Society of Jesus. At this early age Peter had already taken up a practice he continued throughout his lifea Renowned as a popular preacher, Peter packed churches with those eager to hear his eloquent proclamation of the gospel. He had great diplomatic ability, often serving as a reconciler between disputing factions. In his letters (filling eight volumes) one finds words of wisdom and counsel to people in all walks of life. At times he wrote unprecedented letters of criticism to leaders of the Churchyet always in the context of a loving, sympathetic concern. process of study, reflection, prayer and writing. Peter had a zeal for the apostolate. He could often be found visiting the sick or prisoners, even when his assigned duties in other areas were more than enough to keep most people fully occupied. At 70 Peter suffered a paralytic seizure, but he continued to preach and write with the aid of a secretary until his death in his hometown (Nijmegen, Netherlands) on December 21, 1597.

THERE IS NO BETTER WAY TO PREPARE FOR CHRISTMAS, THAN BY MAKING A GOOD CONFESSION.
MIDNIGHT MASS FELLOWSHIP
The tradition at Holy Family Parish is to enjoy fellowship after the Christmas-Midnight Mass over homemade soups and rolls. If you are planning to attend Midnight Mass this year, please plan on bringing a pot of your favorite soup to share. Contact Chet Malins to sign up or if you need more info: 456-3933 or

2. CHRISTMAS

1.ADVENT CONFESSIONS On Wednesday December 18 at 7.00 PM

VIGIL 6.00 PM (Divine Mercy Choir) MIDNIGHT (Our Lady of the Rosary Choir) XMAS DAY 8.30 AM (Michelle & Malia) 11.00 AM (International)

3. NEW YEAR
Vigil 6.00 PM (Divine Mercy) NIGHT 9.00 PM ( Our Lady of the Rosary) NEW YR 8.30 (Michelle & Malia) 11.00 AM (International)

4. CONTRIBUTION ENVELOPES
Those who like to contribute using envelopes, please Register your names. Registration forms are available.

Our Weekly Offerings

December 8, 2013 Thank you for your generous contribution for the past weekend. 5:00 PM 8:30 AM 11:00 AM 7:00 PM $ 814.75 $1,633.00 $1,039.91 $1,388.39

5. ANGEL TREE
Monday December 16, is the last day for delivery of the boxed gifts. Thank you. 6. STAINED GLASS/APOSTLES They will be put up during the next weeks before Christmas. A big thank you to those who contributed to this Project and especially for the volunteers who will put them up in our Church.

TOTAL

$4,876.05

Church Bulletin: EditorJoe Padron, Phone 423-2439. Bulletin deadline is Tuesday 12:00 noon. Please email notice and picture if applicable to pad.ronjoe@gmail.com

Samoan Community of the island celebrated their Annual Traditional and Cultural Thanksgiving Mass last Sunday followed by Christmas carols and pageantry.

St. Joseph Church- Waipahu; Sacred Heart- Waianae, Our Lady of Good Counsel- Pearl City; and Holy Family Church. St. GeorgeWaimanalo provided the Samoan Cultural aspects of the Mass together with the help Divine Mercy Group and other individuals. Hail Mary, Full of Grace
Perhaps the most common misconception about theImmaculate Conception is that it refers to the conception of Christ, rather than the conception of His mother, Mary. It should be a simple mistake to avoid: After all, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8 (see When Is Immaculate Conception 2013? for an important exception in 2013) and Christmas, the Nativity of Christ, only 17 days later! The Gospel reading for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception may have something to do with this misconception. Luke 1:26-38 is the story of the Annunciation, when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she had been chosen to be the Mother of Our Lord. That sounds more tied to the Christmas story than to the circumstances of Mary's own conception, doesn't it? To be "full of grace" means to be free from sin. Adam and Eve were full of grace, but after their Fall, all of mankind was born into their sinwhat we call Original Sin. After Christ's death and resurrection, we who believe can be freed from Original Sin by Baptism and kept free from sin through sanctifying grace. But how could Mary be "full of grace"? She was born into a fallen world; Christ's redemption of mankind was not yet complete. That is the question that theologians struggled with for centuries. ((continue next column)) Scripture says that Mary is "full of grace," so it must be true. Yet how could it be? The answer, especially as formulated by Blessed John Duns Scotus, was that Mary was kept free from the stain of Original Sin from the very moment of her conception. God granted her this special privilege in His foreknowledge of her willing acceptance of His plan of salvation, and through the merits of the sacrifice that Christ would offer in that plan. In other words, Mary was redeemed by Christ, just as all of us who are baptized into Christ are; her redemption, however, was accomplished in a special way at her conception. That doesn't mean that Mary could not have sinned. Like Adam and Eve, she could have fallen from graceyet she did not. That is why, from the earliest centuries of the Church, Christians have regarded Mary as a "second Eve." Through her lifelong obedience, Mary reversed the disobedience of our first mother, and by her willingness to become the Mother of God, she became our mother, too.

Hail Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with thee!

NEW PARISHIONERS: Newcomers are encouraged to register with the parish and are welcome to participate in all parish
Activities and ministries. Registration forms are available in the back of the Church.

Pope Francis is calling us to be joyful missionaries to the poor year-round.

(OSV News Weekly)

Commandments of Compassion (By Deacon Keith Fontenot) Many of us grew up thinking of the Ten Commandments as God saying Dont do this or dont do that. We thought, God made the rules and if we break them, we lose the game. We may never have taken the time to think about why God gave us the commandments. So lets think about God and the reason He gave us, what I like to think of as, His commandments of compassion. First off, God is love. He is a loving Father. He is not saying you cant do this or dont do that to limit our freedom. When we sin, we hurt ourselves, we hurt our relationship with God, we hurt our relationships with each other, and, worst of all, we put our family and friends in the position of having to either accept our sinful lifestyle or break our relationship. God wants us to be happy. If we think of God in this way, then we can see that His commandments are commandments of compassion

From almost the moment of his election, Pope Francis has made it clear that he wants a Church of and for the poor. This exhortation takes that call to a new level: The pope wants a Church filled with evangelizers to be of and for the poor. Poor in a material sense and poor in a spiritual sense. Some of his most challenging words are aimed at us: Those of us who minister to the people, who go to Mass on Sunday, who are practicing Catholics. In this document, the bishop of Rome is exhorting us to get out of our comfortable recliners of indifference, to become ignited with the light of the Gospel and to start actively witnessing to the joy and beauty of the Catholic faith. This document is the spark a piece both energizing and empowering in its clear call for all Catholics whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the faith to be agents of evangelization. Pope Francis even tells us to whom we should go first: When we read the Gospel we find a clear indication: not so much our friends and wealthy neighbors, but above all the poor and the sick, those who are usually despised and overlooked he writes (No. 48). Once we have taken care of our materially neediest brothers and sisters, our focus must be on those poor in faith. If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, the pope writes, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life. In short, Pope Francis is calling us to have what Catholic social teaching calls a preferential option for the poor of every kind. The Joy of the Gospel eloquently outlines the importance of focusing on the common good rather than on the desires of the individual, and the pope makes clear that social justice rightly extends from the unborn to those at the end of life, recognizing that every human being is loved by God and must be loved by us.

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, groups often reach out to the needy, but the pope is calling us to be joyful missionaries to the poor yearround. So important is this call to evangelization and renewal that we recommend parishes and small groups to read prayerfully and slowly this document.

50% OF MY EARNINGS DONATED TO YOUR CHURCH OR CHARITY WHEN I REPRESENT YOU IN PURCHASE OR SALE OF YOUR REAL ESTATE!! EDWIN D. YOST, REALTOR PB, CRB, CRS, GRI, CCIM, MA EMAIL:EDYOST@CCIM.NET PHONE: 808-772-9678 MIDPAC INTERNATIONAL REALTY REAL ESTATE SERVFICES SINCE 1975