St. Cornelius Church 5500 Wardlow Rd., Long Beach, CA 90808

(562) 421-8966 www.stcorneliuslb.org

CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE December 24th - Christmas Eve 3:30 p.m. Samoan Choir—Church

Music program begins at 2:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. Children’s Choir—Large Hall

5:30 p.m. Organist & Cantor 10:00 p.m. Adult Choir

Music program begins at 9:30 p.m.

December 25th - Christmas Day 8:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m. & 12 Noon

(No evening Mass)

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PASTOR’S CORNER 1 1 PASTOR’S CORNER 1

The setting is a town in the South. A father, a lawyer by profession, lives with his two young children, a son and a daughter. His wife is dead. Though he is strict with the chil-dren, he is good to them and they love him. He is an upright man and an excellent lawyer. However, he has made himself very unpopular in the town by opting to defend a black man who is charged with a very serious crime. Though he is almost certainly innocent he stands very little chance of getting a fair trail. At the end of the street there lived an elderly woman. She spends her afternoon sitting in her front garden. She was very cranky and bad-tempered. She is forever giving the lawyer’s kids a bad time as they pass her house on the way from school. What hurts the kids the most are the names she calls their father, simply because he is defending a black man. One day the son decides that he has taken enough from this cranky woman. He hops over the garden wall and destroys some of her flowers. Then he runs home. When his Dad arrives home he told his son; “You should not have done that...the son says: “You should hear the things she says about you. I did it because she says horrible things about you. I did it be-cause of you.” “That woman is a very sick woman. Now, go down there and apologize to her” his father said. Reluctantly the son goes down and apologizes. The woman asked if he would agree to come and read for her for an hour each evening. He was horrified at the thought but when he got home and tells his father, the father insist that he must say yes to the old lady. So each evening the boy accompanied by his sister, goes to visit the lady and reads to her. They both hate it, for she remains contrary and can-tankerous and still continues to insult their fa-ther. Each evening after they have read for her

about an hour the woman gets a violent fit of trembling. However, as the weeks go by, the fits get less frequent and severe. Then one evening their father arrived home and tells them that the old lady has just died. They think, “Thank God” but do no say it. But then the father tells them something that changes their whole attitude. He tells them that several years earlier a doctor had prescribed painkilling drugs for her and she became addict-ed to them. Then when she was told she only had a short time to live, she made up her mind that she would kick the habit and die free of drugs. Those fits they saw were withdrawal symptoms. “Did she succeed” the kids asked. “She did” the father said. “And just before she died she told me she would never have succeed-ed if you hadn’t come and read for her. She asked me to thank you.” The kids didn’t realize the full signifi-cance of the task their father had asked them to do. Nevertheless, they did it in the spirit of love and obedience. (The full story is, To Kill a Mockingbird) In today’s Gospel, we see how Mary con-sented to be the Mother of Jesus because she wanted to do the will of God. But when she said yes to God, I wonder did she realize the full implications of what she was agreeing to. Mary just didn’t say yes once, she had to confirm that yes many times during her life. Each of us has to say yes when we have undertaken commitments and responsibilities. Sometimes our “yes” is a leap in the dark. So like many we have to confirm our original yes not once but often. It was in this way that Mary brought Je-sus to birth. It is by following the same path that he will be brought to birth in us.

Siempre Adelante, Fr. Mike

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

SAYING YES TO GOD

By: Fr. Mike Gleeson, Pastor

2 PASTOR’S CORNER FOR CHRISTMAS

HOMILY FOR CHRISTMAS

CHRIST, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

By: Fr. Mike Gleeson, Pastor

There is a story about a group of third graders who were practicing to put a Christmas pageant together. The boy who played the part of the innkeeper was instructed by the Nun that when Joseph comes and knocks on the door he had to open the door and shout “No Room, No Room.” While he was uncomfortable with saying no to Joseph and Mary he wanted to be part of the pag-eant and so he decided to go along. On the night of the pageant all the parents gathered. When Jo-seph and Mary came and knocked on the door, the boy opened the door and shouted—”No Room! No Room!, but come in and have a drink any-way.” Christmas is an invitation to open the door of our hearts to Jesus. For, if Jesus is not born in our hearts, he is not really born. It might come as a surprise to some to learn that the actual date of Christ’s birth is unknown. December 25th was chosen by Rome around the year 300 A.D. Why this particular date? In an-cient times before artificial light was invented, the season of Winter was long, dark and dreary. All of this was due to the fact that the Sun had gone away. However, the people knew that at a certain point the sun began to come back, and everything changed for the better. So they had a feast to cele-brate this fact. It was known as The Feast of the Unconquerable Sun. (Sol Invictus) To counter this pagan feast the church chose December 25, which is close to the winter solstice, to celebrate the birth of Christ. Instead of worshipping the Sun-God people were encouraged to worship Christ, the Son of God. The church saw the coming of Christ as fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah:

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;

Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom

A light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy

and great rejoicing.

Jesus described his mission in similar terms when he said, “I am the light of the world,” December is the darkest month of the year (In the Northern Hemisphere) it is a time when we appreciate the value of light. Christmas means the coming of God’s light into the darkness of the world. Someone described Christmas as a pool of light in the inky darkness of winter. The Russian writer, Dostoevsky put it like this: while we are on earth we grope in the dark, but for the precious image of Christ before us, we would lose our way completely and perish. Christ light knows no set-ting. It continues to shine for all who believe in him and follow him.

Christ’s light come as a friend It brings healing not hurt Freedom not oppression

Life, not death. The celebration of Christ light brings out the best in the worst of us. It reminds us that we are inter-dependent. Whether we are conscious of it or not, our lives are linked together. As the poet John Donne said: No man is an Island; Each is part of the continent!

Yet the world is full of division. We are divided by Race, class, creed, nationality. What is it that unites us? Sometimes when a tragedy hap-pens in the community, all of a sudden the barriers come down. For a few moments, there are no strangers, no rich people, no poor people, no Christians, no Muslims, no Jews, just sisters and brothers in the same boat, helping one another to get through. Christmas gather us together in great uni-versal fellowship in the name of Christ. On this day we experience the sisterhood and brotherhood of all human beings. Christ turns the foreigner in-to a neighbor, a stranger into a sister or brother. This is the miracle of Christmas.

Siempre Adelante, Fr. Mike

3

Monday, December 25th Christmas Day 8:00 a.m. †Brian Tempel †Lore a P. Silvestre Michael Timoney (Birthday) 10:00 a.m. †Patrick McCormick †Eugenio Jala 12:00 Noon †Ruben Lopez †Petronilo L. Garcia Jr. Tuesday, December 26 8:00 a.m. Dagel Family †Eric Dagel †Sandra Lukehart 5:00 p.m. Dominic Cretara †Robert Cisternino Wednesday, December 27 8:00 a.m. Sesilia Aoga †Angela Ven †Sandra Lukehart 5:00 p.m. †Evaristo Asumbrado Bri any & David de Castro Thursday, December 28 8:00 a.m. Sesilia Aoga Katopau Family †Sandra Lukehart 5:00 p.m. †Consuelo Tinoco The Tinoco Family Friday, December 29 8:00 a.m. Manuel Hernandez Joe & Thomas Patolo 5:00 p.m. Dellfasse Family Inten ons Samoan Choir Saturday, December 30 8:00 a.m. Julienne Aoga (Birthday) Sesilia Aoga 5:00 p.m. †Fernando Sanchez †Charles Warden †Sandra Lukehart Sunday, December 31 8:00 a.m. Dr. & Mrs. Suaray People of St. Cornelius 10:00 a.m. Mary Kate Belliveau †Brian Tempel Paka Tuiloma (Birthday) 12:00 noon Samoan Choir The Ghaly Family 5:00 p.m. †Christan Gonzalez Margaret Sawatzky

LITURGY 3

WEEKEND MASSES Saturday, December 30 5:00 p.m. Fr. Mike Gleeson Lector Valerie MacRae Sunday, December 31 8:00 a.m. Fr. Mike Gleeson Lector: Terri Roach/ Ted Brodeur 10:00 a.m. Fr. Bill McLean Lector: Charles Trucios 12:00 Noon Fr. George Reynolds Lector Marife Zarate 5:00 p.m. Fr. George Reynolds Lector Mon Bigelow

Monday, January 1st (Not a Holy Day of Obliga on) 8:00 a.m. Fr. George Reynolds 12:00 Noon Fr. Mike Gleeson **No Evening Mass

MASS INTENTIONS † = Indicates Deceased

Sunday, December 24, 4th Sunday of Advent 8:00 a.m. †Anthony Paracca Dr. & Mrs. Suaray Darla Waddicar 10:00 a.m. †Brian Tempel †Petronilo L. Garcia Jr. 12:00 noon Sesilia Aoga Nicolas DeGaulejac Sunday, December 24th Christmas Eve 3:30 p.m. Guinan Family Church †Myles Nolan Nolan Family 3:30 p.m. †Angela Miranda Hall The Dagel Family Alba Lucy Elrod 5:30 p.m. †Mary Maglione †Anthony Bonvino 10:00 p.m. Frederick Mildred Be s People of St. Cornelius

4 YOUTH MINISTRY RELIGIOUS EDUCATION NEWS

Christmas Holiday Closure There will be no Religious Educa on sessions, Sun-day, December 17, 2017 through January 7, 2017.

The Office of Religious Educa on will be closed December 22, 2017 through January 3, 2018.

Sessions and dismissals will resume the week of January 7, 2018.

Wishing you many blessings for a very

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Informa on for THE LOS ANGELES RELIGIOUS EDUCATION CONGRESS

is available online, www.recongress.org or in the Religious educa on Office.

SAFEGUARD THE CHILDREN Did you know? Educa onal video resources The Na onal Center for Missing & Exploited Children, through its ini a ve Kid Smartz, provides age-appropriate videos for children on how to put safety rules into ac on. This video series teaches children to always “check first” with a parent, guardian, or other trusted adult before going anywhere, helping anyone, accep ng anything, or ge ng into a car. Visit h p://www.kidsmartz.org/Videos to view the video.

PRAYERS FOR THE SICK For The Sick Who Have Asked To Be Remembered In Prayer:

Marcey McConnell Flood Alba Lucy Elrod Elizabeth Cannata Adam & Carla Mars Sandee Bradley DJ Barwick Peggy Hasse Dolores Lounsbury Peggy Pen s Walter Bordeaux Erin & Brian Longhofer Ghusn Mhawji Martha Burris Frances Boudreau Lee Hicks Julienne Aoga Sio Patolo Kasiano Alai Fiu Iosefo Aoga Mulitalo Mikaele Patricia Wolfe Samuel McCarthy Sherill S llwell Judy Klenk Jonathan Kolp Frank Novak Jean Wells Karen Gingras Alvin York Jack Alva Cooper Chris Leon Greg & Laurie Kelly Diane Reed Larry Gaudy Travis Melnick Joseph Lesko Helen Orton Dave Wills Henry Sarnecki Bob Early Jenni Rojas Rochelle Lewis Lavin Percival Francisco Paxton Thompson Maria Valdez Rosa C. Lopez Diaz Salvador Diaz Rosa M. Vivar

Anna Salinas Bella Moody William Steele Dennis Meza Javier Roberts Jessica Ortega Erin Miskelly Renee Ganske Roman Romo Rebecca Upton Jesus Palacios Pat Kitching Jim Kline Marjorie J. Lehman Alma Gomez Carna Ahmadzai Marta R. De Quiros Fernando J. Rodriguez Ana Maria Menendez Anna Coles Ruben Diaz Hazel Foley Kathy Statlander Sharon Barre Olivia Howard Jan Wynn Carlos Jaramillo Jessica Rigsby Cliff Richard John Cutler Alberto J. Smith AnneMarie Robinson Anita Digregorio Joyce Kelly Nadine Roberts Deb Sanders Sherry Waide Carmen Bernales Ronald Collins Kenny Collins William Priest Victor DeGrazia Harry Lacave Nanda Wijetunga Lori Richards Bret Has ngs Joe Miskiel

PRAYER LIST O en mes family members and friends call us to

ask that we pray for individuals during a trying health issue. Most of the me they do not call back to let

us know if the person is well. Please contact the Rectory if your loved one can be

removed from the Prayer list.

ADULT FAITH & SPIRITUALITY

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COMMUNITY NEWS 5

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY Fourth Sunday of Advent: Imagine how Mary felt at the birth of Jesus: excited, awed, frightened. Deep faith was her light in the dark-ness, for Jesus was born during the night of the year when darkness is the longest. Your gi to the Society of St. Vin-cent de Paul brought light into the darkness surrounding the heart of those living in poverty bringing them the real, las ng, and deep joy of Christmas.

RESPECT LIFE NEWS & NOTES AudioGirl Ministries and St. Cornelius Respect

Life Team Accomplishments for 2017 We were going to give you a list of items we’ve

accomplished, however, nothing is more im-portant than this list: Because of the ultrasound machines we purchased and donated to Horizon

Pregnancy Clinic in Hun ngton Beach, 210 abor on minded women chose LIFE for their

babies a er seeing their child via the ultrasound. What does that number look like? Like this…

Thank you for partnering with us to purchase ul-trasound machines to be placed in

pro-life pregnancy clinics. Our 4th machine has been purchased and will be donated to The Gua-dalupe Medical Clinic in Los Angeles, where up to

400 babies a year are saved from abor on.

Merry Christmas from AudioGirlMinistries.com and the St. Cornelius Respect Life Team!

THANK YOU

Dear Friends, Thank you to everyone for your wonderful generosity with the gi cards. We helped

many, many families who were most grateful as I was to each and every one of you. May you be blessed during this coming year.

God Bless you all!

Sr. Claire.

THANK YOU Many thanks for the generous gi s of stocking stuffers for the Precious Life residents. Thanks

for making a difference in the lives of those women who choose life. Much appreciated.

Rich Boucher

7 COMMUNITY NEWS