Dear Friends,
Merry Christmas to you! We are within the Octave of Christmas. . . blessed with an entire season in which to celebrate the birth of our Savior! This season continues to the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord on Sunday, 12 January 2025. Until then, please keep your manger intact and discover the serenity and joy offered through daily meditation on the Nativity scene.
As we come to the last weekend of 2024, what a blessing it is to end the year by celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family on 29 December 2024. We all know that families are the center, indeed the necessary foundation of the Church. They provide stability, love, and support to its members. Pope Benedict said, “The family is fundamental because that is where the first awareness of the meaning of life germinates in the human soul.” Pope Francis has added, “The good of the family consists in sharing relationships of faithful love, trust, cooperation, reciprocity,” because these build happiness. He continues, “The family humanizes people through the relationship of 'we' and at the same time promotes each person's legitimate differences.”
Our readings from this Sunday tell us how each child is precious and how parents long to have children who will grow into what God wants them to be. Sacred Scripture offers our children some guidelines about how they should honor, respect, and care for their parents. As for husbands and wives, St. Paul also provides instruction on how to avoid vices and embrace the virtues necessary for creating a stable home.
Pope Benedict XVI believed that families are built up when they:
- have a constant relationship with God;
- participate in the Church's life;
- cultivate dialogue and respect each member's point of view;
- are ready for service;
- are patient with the failings of others;
- are able to forgive and seek forgiveness;
- are open to other families;
- are attentive toward the poor; and
- exercise responsibility within civil
I take this opportunity to thank our parents, young and old, who have remained committed to their marriages despite life’s many challenges. We pray for those whose marriages are struggling. May our prayers help them be open to the transformations that can remove indifference and negative behaviors and revive the bonds of love.
I am deeply grateful to Ms. Tiffany Wieckowski who has served as our middle school youth minister since September of 2020. She and her husband Anthony have been dedicated to helping our youth grow in their faith despite very busy lives. A newly married couple, they moved to Orlando where Tiffany worked as a neonatal nurse while pursuing her master’s degree. Having completed it, she and her husband are now moving to Jacksonville where she will begin a new job. We wish Tiffany and Anthony God’s abundant blessings in their new life.
Pope Francis has proclaimed 2025 as an Ordinary Jubilee Year for the Church. This Jubilee carries the theme, “Pilgrims of Hope.” He opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2024. Earlier this year, the Pope said, "We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. The forthcoming Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire..."
Some 35 million people are expected to descend on Rome for the Jubilee. Since this might not be the best time to visit, you will be able to celebrate the Jubilee here in Florida. For example, there will be opportunities for us to visit the Basilica in Orlando, which now has a designated Jubilee of Hope Holy Door. The Jubilee will close on 6 January, 2026.
I have been very proud of those who responded to my invitation over the past couple of years to journey together by listening and praying The Bible in a Year Podcast and, later, The Catechism in a Year Podcast, both by Fr. Mike Schmitz. So many have been positively impacted by these years of drawing closer to Christ and the Church. For those who have not yet taken advantage of these aids to faith, there is still time. Just go to our website, www.stjohviera.org, for information on how to access these podcasts.
For 2025, Ascension Press is offering an amazing opportunity to journey with Mother Mary as we listen and pray The Rosary in a Year (RIY) Podcast hosted by Fr. Mark Mary Ames, C.F.R. Please visit the website to sign up: https://ascensionpress.com/pages/riy-signup.
And one more amazing opportunity is forthcoming: the pilgrimage of a lifetime to Croatia and Medjugorje! Dates to be announced soon.
The last few days of the year are here. As a sign of our gratitude, we will end the year in the presence of the Eucharistic Lord. Please plan to attend the Year-End Hour of Eucharistic Adoration at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 31 December, 2024.
The new year begins with the Solemnity of Mary, The Holy Mother of God, a Holy Day of Obligation. We will celebrate the Solemnity with a Vigil Mass on Tuesday, 31 December at 5:00 p.m., and with two Masses on Wednesday, 1 January 2025:
10:00 a.m. in the church and
5:00 p.m. at the grotto .
On behalf of the deacons and the staff, I wish you all a blessed New Year 2025 filled with HOPE and LOVE.
Be Blessed! With Love,
Fr. John