Volume 24 Issue 1 Bulletin Edition January 5, 2018

Angelus Address:

On the Solemnity of the Mother of God and the

World Day of Peace “Let us fix our gaze on her, to take up again, under

her maternal protection, the journey along the paths

of time”

JANUARY 1, 2018 / VIRGINIA FORRESTER / ANGELUS/REGINA CAELI

Source: zenit.org VATICAN CITY, JANUARY 1, 2018 (Zenit.org).-

Here is a ZENIT translation of the address Pope

Francis gave today, before and after praying the

midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s

Square.

Before the Angelus:

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

On the first page of the calendar of the New

Year, which the Lord gives us, the Church puts as

stupendous miniature the liturgical solemnity of

Mary Most Holy, Mother of God. On this first

day of the solar year, let us fix our gaze on her, to

take up again, under her maternal protection, the

journey along the paths of time.

Today’s Gospel (Cf. Luke 2:16-21) takes us

back to the stable of Bethlehem. The shepherds

arrive in haste and find Mary, Joseph, and the

Child, and refer to the proclamation given to them

by the Angels, namely, that that Newborn is the

Saviour. All are astonished, while “Mary kept all

these things, pondering them in her heart” (v. 19).

The Virgin makes us understand how the event of

Christmas is to be received: not superficially but

in the heart. She indicates the true way to receive

God’s gift: to keep it in the heart and ponder it. …Continued on page 2

The Light of Christ THEME: We are led to the truth when we look to Jesus

as our Redeemer.

WORD: Is 60:1-6 ~ Ps 72:1-2,7-8,10-11,12-13

Eph 3:2-3a,5-6 ~ Mt 2:1-12

ORDER: “Rise up… the glory of the Lord has dawned

upon you” – Is 60:1

REFLECTION:

On the Solemnity of the Epiphany, we celebrate

the manifestation of Jesus to the world and His

unconditional love for all. It is a celebration of light

through the bright guiding star observed by the wise

men of the East. As they followed the Star of

Bethlehem, they were amazed to discover the Light of

the world, Jesus Christ.

It was a simple, yet deeply meaningful, encounter

that profoundly touched the hearts of the three magi.

The magi were non-Jews and the first gentiles to whom

Jesus chose to reveal Himself. As wise and learned

pagans, but men of goodwill, they searched for the

Messiah who they knew about in their scholarly and

astrological studies. Thus, when the long awaited star

appeared, their strong determination …Continued on page 3

“… you shall see and be radiant … the wealth of

nations shall come to you.” (Is 60:5)

On the Solemnity of … (from page 1) It’s an invitation addressed to each one of us to pray,

contemplating and enjoying this gift that is Jesus

Himself. It’s through Mary that the Son of God assumes

corporeity. However, Mary’s maternity isn’t reduced to

this: thanks to her faith, she is the first disciple of Jesus

and this “dilates” her maternity. It was Mary’s faith

that at Cana caused the first miraculous “sign,” which

contributed to arouse the disciples’ faith. Mary is

present with the same faith at the foot of the cross and

receives as son the Apostle John. And, finally, after the

Resurrection, she becomes the praying Mother of the

Church, on which the Holy Spirit descends powerfully

on the Day of Pentecost.

As Mother, Mary carries out a very special function:

she puts herself between her Son Jesus and men in the

reality of their privations, indigence, and sufferings.

Mary intercedes, as at Cana, aware that, as Mother, she

can, rather, must make present to her Son the needs of

men, especially the weakest and most disadvantaged.

It’s in fact to these persons that the theme is dedicated

of the World Day of Peace that we celebrate today:

“Migrants and Refugees: Men and Women in Search of

Peace,” so is the motto of this Day. Once again, I wish

to make myself voice of these our brothers and sisters,

who invoke for their future a horizon of peace. For this

peace, which is a right of all, many of them are

prepared to risk their life in a journey that in most cases

is long and dangerous; they are willing to face toils and

sufferings (Cf. Message for the 2018 World Day of

Peace, 1).

Please, let’s not extinguish the hope in their heart;

let’s not suffocate their expectations of peace! It’s

important that, on the part of all — civil institutions,

educational, welfare, and ecclesial realities, there is the

commitment to ensure to refugees, to migrants and to

all a future of peace. May the Lord grant us to work in

this New Year with generosity, with generosity, to

bring about a more solidary and hospitable world. I

invite you to pray for this, while together with you I

entrust to Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, the

<year> 2018 that has just begun. The old Russian

monks, mystics, said that in times of spiritual

turbulence it is necessary to recollect oneself under the

mantle of the Holy Mother of God. Thinking of the

many turbulences of today, and especially of migrants

and refugees, we pray as they taught us to pray: “We

seek refuge under your protection, Holy Mother of

God: do not disdain the entreaties of us who are in trial,

but deliver us from every danger, O glorious and

Blessed Virgin.”

“And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.” (1 Jn 5:4b)

Last week, as 2017 was coming to a close, we

were greeting each other with “Happy New Year,”

and wishing everyone, a prosperous and healthy

2018. The year had been a tough one. My eldest sister

had passed away, and soon after that, her husband

was diagnosed with lung cancer (all along, he had

been ignoring any symptoms he might have felt

because he was so pre-occupied with caring for my

sister). Our family Christmas party felt so incomplete

because of their conspicuous absence. The wish for a

prosperous and healthy new year for everyone who

was there at the gathering took on a more urgent tone.

While we prayed for 2018 blessings, I couldn’t

help but wonder about what the coming year would

actually have in store for us. Already, I knew of

several challenges that members of my family would

have to face; challenges that if I dwelled on them,

could very easily seem overwhelming.

In years past, didn’t we always wish and pray for

happy, prosperous and healthy new years? But, as the

months rolled by, didn’t the bills still keep coming,

and physical bodies, including my own, keep aging…

So, last Monday, I started 2018 by thinking instead of

what there is in my life that could overcome any of

life’s challenges, because I knew that there would

still be many to face this year.

For the daily Mass for January 8 - The Baptism of

the Lord, the Church has four readings to select from

to go with St. Mark’s Gospel account of Jesus’

Baptism. One of them provided this answer:

“And the victory that conquers the world is our faith.” (1 Jn 5:4b)

It felt like a eureka moment when I read this

passage because of the enormity, urgency and

importance of its message. While some people end up

ignoring faith – some are just too busy; others don’t

even think about it – it is so true that the only thing

there is that would/could conquer the challenges that

eventually will confront our lives is faith in Jesus

Christ. Already, I’ve seen it in action among some

BLD members who are ill that I’ve been fortunate

enough to have spent some time with. I’ve seen how

faith in Him sustains them, conquering any

discomforts and pains they now face daily.

As we pray for blessings in 2018, I pray that He

increase our faith in Him, for He is the One Who

promises us the “victory that conquers the world.”

May we all have a truly joyous and

Christ-filled New Year.

(from page 1)

and belief led them to begin an arduous journey to

look for the Divine Savior. They found Him, the

newborn King, born to poor parents and lying in a

manger. In spite of such poverty, the magi gave

homage and gifts befitting royalty: gold - a gift to

honor a king; frankincense - perfume for a priest; and

myrrh - an anointing oil, pre-figuring Christ’s death.

As Christians, we too have our own guiding star

and light – our faith. Faith is our guide in our life-long

journey to the Father. We imitate the magi in our faith

journey and follow their example by diligently

searching for Jesus, to be close to Him as we seek His

guidance and blessings. The star that shines in our life

can change us powerfully when we begin to see more

clearly the truth about ourselves, our relationship with

God, others and community.

As we begin the New Year, let us be attentive to

our star of faith that leads us to the Light of Christ.

Our life is all about finding Jesus who is the Way, the

Truth and the Life. And as we have found Him in our

lives, we may also bring others to Him, so that they

too may embrace Jesus as their Lord and Savior; as

our theme for this week states: We are led to the

truth when we look to Jesus as our Redeemer.

The Light of Christ continues to shine in our midst

when we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. A life lived in

the Eucharist brings unspeakable joy to one’s being,

even amid trials and tribulations. We receive Jesus in

the Eucharist and we receive His light that keeps us

going through the many challenges that we encounter.

We radiate the light of Jesus to others and by our love

and concern, lead them to embrace Him as we pass His

light on to them. As God gave us a mission to reveal

Christ to others, we know that He will not abandon us

because we will always feel His light shining in our

hearts whenever we experience hope and joy.

With Christ in us, our joy is new every day. God is

with us and He wants everyone to be saved.

Thus He will always call us from our old life of sin

to a new life with Him. We journey through the

various stages of our lives, growing and bearing the

losses that increase with time and age. There are days

of celebration and days of sadness, of grace and of sin,

of realization, consolation and tribulation. But having

found the Lord in our search for truth and light, we

must believe that He will never abandon us and

completely trust that God will always be faithful. The

glory of God is risen among us and we are blessed

beyond what we deserve. Jesus, our Redeemer is here.

Let us receive Him with great joy and be expectant of

His promise in Isaiah:

“… you shall see and be radiant … the wealth

of nations shall come to you.” (Is 60:5)

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us

the star of hope and faith that leads us to Your Holy Word, teaching us to know, love, and serve You more

each day and continually nourishing us as we proceed

along our daily journeys.

Almighty Father, as we look back to 2017, we are

amazed to find that You, our God, have continued to

manifest Your presence in our lives with such joy and power that we were able to prevail despite all odds

and tribulations. Thank you for the love, mercy and

graciousness accorded to us far beyond what we have

expected and deserved. You are indeed a marvelous

living God. We look forward to 2018 with excitement

and expectant faith, and we pray that all our hopes and plans, both personal and communitarian, be in

accord to Your holy will, all for Your greater honor

and glory. Amen.

Directions:

- Read God’s word daily that you may see the truth in

all things.

- Visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament and offer

yourself as a gift, ready to do His will.

LORD’S PROVISION Previous Week’s

Collections: Prior Week YTD

Tithes $ 1,011 $ 69,118

Love Offerings $ 589 $ 60,217

Mission Collections $ 131 $ 6,329

Financial details are available to all members through treasury@bldnewark.com

Thank you for your continued support!

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

January 5, 2018 – First Friday Eucharistic Celebration Main Celebrant: Fr. Dennis Kaelin

Fr. Dennis will be retiring and this will be the last time that he will be celebrating Mass with BLD as Pastor of Divine Mercy Parish. Thank you, Fr. Dennis - for your service to DMP and support of BLD!

THANK YOU FR DENNIS!!!

To sign up, please see the representatives from Mission

and the Singles Ministry

Teaching Calendar

Teachings for Saturday, January 20, 2018 - 1 to 6 pm: - Apologetics (LSS 1-45)

- Basic Bible Seminar (LSS 1-48)

Medical Mission to the Philippines, 2018 Tarlac City, Tarlac / February 5-8

Date Apostolate

Jan 12 Pastoral

Jan 19 Evangelization

Jan 26 Formation

Feb 2 Management

A pdf of this Covenant News and more information about BLD are available online at BLDNEWARK.com