Message from Parish Priest Dear Parishioners, Greetings of Love, Joy and Peace. December month reminds and gives us a big picture of Advent and Christmas. The word "Advent" means "coming." In Advent we celebrate the various comings of Jesus: We commemorate his coming at Bethlehem two thousand years ago; we celebrate his Second Coming at the end of the world, and his coming to us in time - in our baptism and in the reception of his sacraments, such as the Holy Eucharist and especially this Christmas. The Church urges us to open our hearts to receive him with faith, hope and love.

Advent is our annual season of preparing and waiting in hope for Christ. This season reminds that Christmas is coming. We all have our hopes and aspirations for Christmas. What are our hopes and aspirations as we are already in advent season and how can we aspire for it.

We contemplate during Advent to see whether there is any bad behavior or habits or addictions or may be negativity coming in our life? Our world is somewhat broken and needs fixing. The world is broken because it does not pay attention to Christ or put Jesus first. The only way to fix our broken world is to mend and repair it with Christ, put him first. Christ is the solution to our broken world.

How to bring Jesus in our broken world? Jesus says we are to stay awake and pray, we are to prepare to meet him. During Advent we tend to prepare more materialistically

and watch for Santa Claus coming to town. But we are called above all to prepare for Jesus' coming to town, Jesus coming to each one of us.

Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. How do we prepare for Jesus' coming? How many times are we forced to say to Jesus, with St. Augustine, “You were with me, but I was not with you?”

Jesus gives us a way out, "to stay awake and pray". Jesus gives us clear means of preparation by fervent and daily prayer, by being faithful to our commitments and state in life, by practicing acts of self-denial, by carrying our cross daily, by kindness towards others (especially members of our family), by avoiding all sarcasm and unjust criticism of others.

As we wait in hope for the gift of Christ coming to us, we can make a return gift to Jesus, a return gift of our lives pleasing to him. This will help us to say with the psalmist: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” (Ps 42:2).

People today are passionate with so many things and accordingly we make plans. I am sure many of us have made plans for Christmas and for Christmas holidays. Let all our passion not fall short of Passion for Christ this Christmas. Lest we may start searching Christ in Christmas and we find all the rest except Christ. Let all our passions, interests, desires, dreams begin and end in Christ, so that this Christmas really becomes a celebration of love, joy and peace.

May God bless you all and your families. Fr. Maxim Cardoza, OFM. Cap.

Volume 2 Issue 12 December 2019

Wishes and Greetings from Parish Priest, Co Priests, Parish Council Members & Editorial Team

The Holy Mass

Most beautiful thing in the Catholic Church.

Greetings Soon after the sign of the cross Priest greets the congregation with “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and Communion of the Holy Spirit” and the congregation responds “and with your Spirit”. God wants to do something great in our life; he wants to enter in our personal life. Therefore when Priest says “The Lord is with you” or “the grace …love of God…with you”, it means that during these precious moments in the Eucharist God is with us, Emmanuel, His real Presence is felt. We respond and with your spirit. What do we mean by “and with your Spirit?” We all share in the common priesthood of Jesus by a virtue of our Baptism. But during Eucharist Priest represents Christ the Eternal High Priest and he offers a Sacrifice for us. By saying “with your spirit” we remind the priest that what he is going to do at this moment is something precious and holy. He needs the spirit of God moving inside him to do what he is ordained to do…to bring Christ to us during this Celebration of Eucharist. We do not have that power to turn bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ but a priest has. So we tell him that with the Spirit of God bring that Christ to us during this Eucharist. As St John Chrysostom in a homily on Pentecost says: “If there was no Holy Spirit there would be no shepherds or teachers in the Church, for these also come through the Spirit. For if the Holy Spirit was not in the common father and teacher when just now he went up into the sanctuary and gave all of you the peace, you would not all have answered: ‘And with your Spirit.’

“For this reason, not only when he goes up into the sanctuary and when he addresses you and when he prays for you do you shout this answer, but when he stands at the sacred table and when he begins to offer the awe-inspiring sacrifice he does not touch the offerings before he himself has begged for you the grace of the Lord and you cry in answer to him: ‘And with your spirit.’ By this reply you are also reminded that he who is there does nothing, and that the right offering of the gifts is not a work of human nature, but that the mystic sacrifice is brought about by the grace of the Holy Spirit and his hovering over all. For he who is there is a man, it is God who works though him. Do not attend to the nature of the one you see, but understand the grace which is invisible. Nothing human takes place in this sacred sanctuary. If the spirit was not present there would be no Church assisting, but if the Church stands round it is clear that the Spirit is present” (PG 50,458-459).

Hence let your response be loud and clear assisting the priest to do something for you which you yourself could not do.

Fr. Wilson Rumao OFM Cap.

BIBLE QUIZ Dec-2019 1. In which city was Jesus born? 2. Who recognized Jesus as the Messiah when he was

presented at the Temple as a baby? 3. Who was the first person to come upon the injured man in

the parable of the Good Samaritan? 4. Who wanted to kill Jesus when he was a baby? 5. What did baby Jesus lay in on the night He was born? 6. According to which prophet, John would prepare the way of

the Lord? 7. Who is Stephen in Acts of the Apostles? 8. According to Paul’s formulation in 1 Corinthians, which is the

greatest of the imperishable qualities? 9. Which tribe is Paul from? 10. Paul was shipwrecked on which Island?

Dec 2: Malayalam 1 day retreat

Dec 3 : St Francis Xavier Feast

Dec 3: Konkani Community celebrated St. Francis Xavier feast

Dec 8: Fr. Mathew celebrated his priestly ordination day

Dec 9: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Dec 12: Fr. Paul's Birthday

Dec 25: Christmas

Dec 26: Fest of St Stephen

Dec 28: Feast of Holy Innocent

Dec 29: Feast of the Holy Family

Your answers along with your name, age and contact details and submit at the parish office before on or before 1 January 2020.

Dear Parents, Encourge your children to participate in Voice of St. Paul’s Monthly Bible Quiz.

Bible Quiz Winners November-2019 Congratulations!n

Deron Lawrence - Grade 6th Cleon D’souza- Grade 7th

St. Cicilia Feast Celebration held on 21 Nov 2019

Photo Corner

Church Events

Retreat in Malayalam by Rev. Fr. Mathew Naickomparambil

Wedding Anniversary Celebration during the Month of November Tamil Community Retreat held from Dec 18 to 21 Dec 2019

Editorial Team: Fr. Maxim Cardoza OFM Cap, Jerry Gomez (Chief Editor), Jean Zibbin, Shibu Thomas, Shital Mohan, Suresh Saldana

Church Cleaning and Painting by Konkani Community