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Watch Out for Scams! Some parishioners have received requests that are said to be sent by me asking for gift cards. Scammers are very good at getting people to hand over money. I once got a message I thought was from my mom, asking for a gift card. It even had her e-mail address. Whenever you get a request that is even the slightest unusual, check it out. Call the person. Here are some other things you can do:

1. Report any scam or unwanted email by forwarding it to the Federal Trade Commission at uce@ftc.gov who will track down and prosecute the scammers.
2. Contact the organization that the email scam purports to be from.
3. Contact your Internet Service Provider, who can help stop scam emails from reaching you. Many have a way to forward these emails directly to them from your inbox.
4. Protect your friends from scams by checking them out before forwarding anything to your email distribution list.

Editor’s note:

One doesn’t know the sinking feeling of being scammed until one has been scammed! Fortunate for me, it was caught before any damage was done. I am one of the parishioners that Father Bill is referring to. I received an email from someone posing as Father Bill, asking me to help him buy gifts for the parish staff. “Father Bill” wanted me to buy a $100 gift card for each member of the staff, and send in my receipt for reimbursement. When I suggested that one can always use Amazon or Starbucks gift cards, he said he specifically wanted Apple gift cards. He went further to say that I should email him pictures of the gift cards with the PIN exposed. Once I have done that, draw a line through the card numbers and PIN, and give the cards to him when I see him on Sunday. He had me going until the picture part. I share this story because it is so easy to get scammed, when these scammers prey on your emotions. Set emotions aside, and let common sense take over. Please be careful!

Pat Defiesta

 

The Holy Family

Scripture tells us practically nothing about the first years and the boyhood of the Child Jesus. All we have are the stories of the sojourn in Egypt, the return to Nazareth, and the incidents that occurred when the twelveyear-old boy accompanied his parents to Jerusalem. In her liturgy the Church hurries over this period of Christ’s life with equal brevity. The general breakdown of the family, however, at the end of the past century and at the beginning of our own, prompted the popes, especially the farsighted Leo XIII, to promote the observance of this feast with the hope that it might instill into Christian families something of the faithful love and the devoted attachment that characterize the family of Nazareth. The primary purpose of the Church in instituting and promoting this feast is to present the Holy Family as the model and exemplar for all Christian families. “The Holy Family is an icon of the domestic Church, which is called to pray together. The family is the first school of prayer where, from their infancy, children learn to perceive God, thanks to the teaching and example of their parents. If we do not learn to pray in the family, it will be difficult to fill this gap later. I would, then, like to invite people to rediscover the beauty of praying together as a family, following the school of the Holy Family of Nazareth”. (Pope Benedict XVI) The Christian family is the first cell of the whole Church. It is the place where we begin the journey toward holiness and become more fully human. The Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, became one of us. He was born into a human family. That was neither accidental nor incidental. There, in what the Pope Paul VI called the “School of Nazareth”, we can learn the way of love. Jesus, in his childhood at Nazareth, forever transformed family life. Now, He teaches us how to live in love and devotion, if we will enroll in the “School of Nazareth”.

Scripture tells us practically nothing about the first years and the boyhood of the Child Jesus. All we have are the stories of the sojourn in Egypt, the return to Nazareth, and the incidents that occurred when the twelve-year old boy accompanied his parents to Jerusalem. In her liturgy the Church hurries over this period of Christ’s life with equal brevity. The general breakdown of the family, however, at the end of the past century and at the beginning of our own, prompted the popes, especially the farsighted Leo XIII, to promote the observance of this feast with the hope that it might instill into Christian families something of the faithful love and the devoted attachment that characterize the family of Nazareth. The primary purpose of the Church in instituting and promoting this feast is to present the Holy Family as the model and exemplar for all Christian families. “The Holy Family is an icon of the domestic Church, which is called to pray together. The family is the first school of prayer where, from their infancy, children learn to perceive God, thanks to the teaching and example of their parents. If we do not learn to pray in the family, it will be difficult to fill this gap later. I would, then, like to invite people to rediscover the beauty of praying together as a family, following the school of the Holy Family of Nazareth” (Pope Benedict XVI). The Christian family is the first cell of the whole Church. It is the place where we begin the journey toward holiness and become more fully human. The Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ, became one of us. He was born into a human family. That was neither accidental nor incidental. There, in what the Pope Paul VI called the “School of Nazareth”, we can learn the way of love. Jesus, in his childhood at Nazareth, forever transformed family life. Now, He teaches us how to live in love and devotion, if we will enroll in the “School of Nazareth”.

It is the Holy Spirit who moves the follower of Christ who has sinned to come to the Sacrament of Penance. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, we seek deeper and deeper conversion to God. This process of conversion through the Sacrament of Reconciliation has four elements: contrition, confessions, penance and absolution.

In previous articles, I have examined contrition and confession. Now I would like to focus on the element of penance. Sin is destructive. It can harm self, others, the community and creation. When I was a child, the common act of penance the priest gave us was to pray three Hail Maries and one Our Father.

While prayer is always good, I often did not see the connection between what I confessed and the penance that was given. Today, the focus is on a penance that can really be a remedy for sin and a help to renewal of life.

Sin can easily become habit forming, even addictive.

A penance can help one break a bad habit by developing a good one. One can push against a sin by choosing to do the opposite. In suggesting a penance, I often give the opposite of a sin confessed. The penance can also help repair an injury sin has caused to another. Whereas sin is destructive, a penance can be constructive and bring healing to others harmed by one’s sin.

While the priest suggests the penance, the penitent has to agree to it. One can always ask for a different penance if the one suggested is impossible or too difficult to carry out. Sometimes the penitent even can suggest a penance they believe will be a true remedy for their sin.

This Advent, since we do not have permission to celebrate Reconciliation with a general absolution, we do have the opportunity to be more intentional in offering a penance that truly addresses the sins being confessed. The whole purpose of a penance is to bring healing. True conversion is completed by acts of penance.