As we complete our Advent time of patiently waiting for Christmas, let us keep in mind that Christmas is not a day… it is a Season! This year Christmas is eighteen days long. It begins at 4:00 PM on Christmas Eve and continues until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on January 12! It includes such bright celebrations as the Feasts of The Holy Family; Mary, the Mother of God; the Epiphany (liturgically the brightest feast of the season, outshining Christmas Day itself); and the Baptism of the Lord. Let us make it truly joyful by celebrating it in its entirety! That is why it is good to celebrate Advent during Advent, and wait until Christmas to celebrate Christmas. It is difficult to enter into the many joyful Christmas feasts if we are all “Christmassed out” too early.
We thank everyone who so generously supported our Advent Giving Tree and other outreach ministries this year. Part of our Advent Conspiracy was an attempt to “Spend Less” on ourselves and even loved ones, and to “Give More” to those in need.
Speaking of those in need, our twice-monthly distribution of food from Forgotten Harvest continues to grow. The last distribution fed 397 families. This is all possible because of the amazing team of parishioners who brave heat, rain, snow, and freezing weather to assist in the distribution. They are a brave and sturdy group. And somewhat old, as many of them are senior citizens. We thank them for their ministry. One thing that made St. Isidore the Farmer a saint was his ability to feed the hungry, even though he and his wife Maria were themselves rather poor. Feeding the hungry is one way to honor him and to live out our charism as a parish under his patronage.