Dear Parishioners,

Those of you who are regulars at the 10:30 and 12:15 Masses are well aware of those people who are part of the Order of Christian Initiation in our parish.

You have witnessed some of the rites by which various stages of their process unfold. Those of you who normally worship at other Masses have not had the opportunity to know of these people seeking to join our church or who, already baptized, are seeking to complete their Sacraments of Initiation. In these final weeks before Easter, those who have never been baptized joined more than a thousand others from around the Archdiocese with our Archbishop on March 9 for the Rite of Election. They are now known as the Elect and they will be baptized, confirmed ,and receive their first holy Communion at the Easter Vigil. Those who had previously been baptized also joined with the Archbishop in a special rite and are now known as Candidates for Full Initiation. I invite you to keep these young people and adults in your prayer. We are blessed to have them as members of our faith community!

At the 10:30 and 12:15 Masses this weekend and the next two weeks, the Elect will participate in three rites known as the scrutinies, which are prayers for purification and healing. At these Masses we will hear the readings from the A cycle of the Lectionary. For those of us at other Masses, we will hear the readings from the C-cycle.

In both cycles, the First Readings speak of Moses, who we also saw conversing with Jesus on the Mount of the Transfiguration in last Sunday’s gospel. He is one of the most fascinating figures in the Scriptures. Moses is the one through whom God worked to rescue the people from slavery and lead them toward the Promised Land. Moses is the one who was privileged to experience the presence of God in particularly powerful ways beginning at the burning bush and then seeing God “face to face” on Mount Sinai. Yet Moses was far from perfect. In fact, Moses committed murder and had to flee from punishment. During the course of the Exodus, there were occasions when Moses doubted. At times he was so frustrated and bent out of shape by the intransigence, grumbling and hard-heartedness of his people that he almost despaired. Yet Moses persevered in his mission, a mission he never wanted and tried to evade. You and I live lives that differ vastly from Moses. You and I have blessings far beyond those of Moses, who enjoyed manna from heaven but we enjoy the Bread of Eternal Life, the Body and Blood of Christ. Yet Moses has much to teach us in our own journeys of faith. We too encounter obstacles large and small. We too may sometimes feel we are wandering aimlessly. We too may be frightened, overwhelmed. We too can be mystified and not always perceive how God’s will is playing out. But hopefully, like Moses, we will always listen to the Lord and respond to God’s call. Hopefully like Moses, we will face our problems and persevere in our journey.

Let me also give a reminder that at the end of this week the three Santa Clarita parishes are observing 24 Hours for the Lord, a full day of Lenten renewal during which the Sacrament of Penance will be available to us. Please see details in the separate item in the bulletin. Also on this coming Saturday, we welcome Bishop Jerry Wilkerson for our annual cel ebrations of the Sacrament of Confirmation. Please pray for those to be confirmed. Also, please remember that because of the Confirmation ceremonies we will not have our usual Saturday confessions.

Jesus, Savior, help purify not only our Elect, but each of us. Holy Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, pray that we may persevere in our discipleship.

Father Craig 

Today we conclude the Christmas season with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. In the gospels, this marks the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. Today’s feast is an appropriate day to recall our own baptism in which we were given a share in divine life and made members of the Body of Christ, the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) teaches us:   
​
Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit, and the door which gives us access to the other sacraments. Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission: “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.” (CCC, #1213, quoting the Council of Florence)

     Let me recommend that if you do not already know it, search out the date and place of your baptism. Who was the priest or deacon who baptized you and where were you baptized? Who were your godparents, if any? I always make it a point to observe the day of my baptism as a special day of prayer and gratitude and to give thanks for my parents, the priest who administered the sacrament and my godparents. My godfather, my Uncle Bill, is still living.

The Rite of Baptism is particularly rich in both its wording and symbolism. Of course, water is an especially powerful symbol with multiple levels, symbolizing the gift of divine life, the gift of divine cleansing, and the working of God’s power to shape us into conformity with Christ. Early in the ceremony of the baptism of children the person to be baptized is signed with another great symbol, the cross. As the minister and then the parents and godparents trace the cross on the forehead of the one to be baptized, the prayer accompanying this signing says “…the Church of God receives you with great joy. In her name I sign you with the Sign of the Cross of Christ our Savior.” Among the intercessions in the ritual, we pray that God will lead those to be baptized “through holiness of life to the joys of the heavenly Kingdom.” In the first anointing before baptism the priest or deacon prays, “May the strength of Christ the Savior protect you.” The prayer accompanying the post-baptismal anointing proclaims:

     Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has freed you from sin, given you new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and joined you to his people. He now anoints you with the Chrism of salvation, so that you may remain members of Christ, Priest, Prophet and King.

The prayer accompanying the presentation of the baptismal garment proclaims, “…you have become a new creation and have clothed yourself in Christ. May this white garment be a sign to you of your Christian dignity. With your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring it unstained into eternal life.”

Today, let us indeed give thanks for our Christian identity and dignity as the baptized daughters and sons of a loving God. May we indeed move forward by holiness of life, signed and led by the cross, strengthened by the Lord, living always as members of God’s holy people on the road to eternal life.

Jesus, “beloved Son” in whom the Father is “well pleased,” embrace us with your love. Holy Mary, our Lady of Perpetual Help, pray for us.

Merry Christmas! But let me go farther. The word “merry” is indeed a great one. It means cheerful, lively, exciting, a time full of merriment. But while Christmas should indeed be merry, isn’t Christmas much, much, much more than that? Truly, “Merry” does not do justice to the mystery of faith we celebrate. And so, I wish you a Joyous Christmas – full of the deep powerful joy, fulfillment and peace that comes from God. I wish you a Wonderful Christmas – in which that child-like sense of wonder and awe is awakened within us and we stand astonished before the amazing love of God. I wish you a Blessed Christmas – for indeed the Birth of Jesus blesses us in ways we could never have imagined.   

The wonder of Christmas is of such beauty and importance that in the Church’s liturgy it unfolds over a period of twelve days. Today, the Fifth Day of Christmas, is also the Feast of the Holy Family. 

Think for the moment of Jesus growing up, first in exile as immigrants in the strange land of Egypt where his parents fled to save him from Herod, and later in the home at Nazareth. Mary and Joseph changed his diapers, taught him to walk and talk, taught him the prayers precious to them as good Jews. As he grew, Jesus had chores to do. He played with the neighboring children and certainly must have fallen and skinned his knees and elbows like any precocious little boy. I can picture him coming home in tears with a scrape, and Mary cleansing the wound and kissing him to “make it better.” He was given enough education to be able to read the Scriptures in the synagogue. As he grew, he learned Joseph’s trade. As we see in the incident when he was lost in the Temple at age 12, his parents did not always understand him (as parents and children do not always understand each other today). His family was like our families! 

The family of Jesus had its stresses and strains, its economic challenges (which must have been particularly difficult dur ing their exile). It can be easy for us to romanticize the Holy Family, but that would miss the mark. As St. Paul reminds us, Jesus emptied himself and became like us in all things but sin (Philippians 2:7). He was not pretending. He chose to share our life to the full, not to put on an act or go through the motions. Family life is a great challenge in our age, but it has been so in every age. So, we look to Mary, Joseph and Jesus not to escape the challenges of family life, but to learn how to face those challenges with courage and wisdom and grace. We call them the “Holy” Family not because life was smooth, not because they had everything under control, not because they had all the answers, but because they faced all those challenges with trust in God. Joseph and Mary and Jesus knew that God loved them and walked with them. That is what lifted them up. That is what gave them hope. And that is what gives us hope! Just as surely, God loves each and every one of us! Just as surely, God walks with is!

Our families have various shapes and sizes. Our families need to cope with their misunderstandings and struggles. Cer tainly, our families have their imperfections. And this is also true of our parish family! But God walks with us even in the mess, even in the valleys of darkness.

Whether we are currently alone or living with family members, whether we have close ties or are alienated from family members, let us all pray we take to heart the wisdom of the Holy Family – the awareness that God’s love abides with us.

 Jesus, Mary and Joseph, pray for us!