Dear Family of Assumption,

Today we celebrate the Second Sunday in ordinary time year A. Ordinary Time is a time for growth and maturation, a time in which the mystery of Christ is called to penetrate ever more deeply into history until all things are finally caught up in Christ. The goal, toward which all of history is directed, is represented by the final Sunday in Ordinary Time, the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. (Taken from the USCCB)

The readings this weekend remind us that God has called all of us to holiness, to become disciples and to bring his love to whomever we come in contact with and beyond: we are to be a light to the nations and to share the Good News of God’s love.

We are called to holiness to become Saints with God in heaven, which requires much time and sacrifice and to be willing to put the needs of others before our own. In this way, we bear witness as John the Baptist tells us in the Gospel.

Pray that God will give us his grace to make us holy and to always follow Jesus Christ.

God Bless,
Fr. Cyrus

Dear Family of Assumption,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

As the Christmas Season draws to a close, Holy Mother Church celebrates the great Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. “Epiphany” literally means a manifestation or a showing forth. As the original Christmas, this was the day more highly regarded and celebrated because, while the birth of Christ brings great joy, on Epiphany he was made known to the world, represented by the Magi. Traditionally this is the day on which gifts are given, in imitation of the gifts given to the Child Jesus by the Magi.

In addition to this, the Church continues one of her most ancient traditions, that of the blessing of homes. Epiphany gives the opportunity for a unique and special blessing particular to the day. Along with the prayer of blessing, the door lentil is “chalked”— marked in chalk with a sign of the Epiphany: the year along with the letters C, M, and B. The acronym CMB stands for both a Latin prayer, Christus Mansionem Benedicat (May Christ Bless this House) as well as the traditional names of the Magi—Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.

This outward sign of our celebration of Epiphany is a visible sign to all who enter our homes that they are entering the home of faithful Christian, one who rejoices in the manifestation of Christ in the world as its King and Savior, and one who proclaims year-round the joy that is the message of Christmas. As we have all been marked with the sign of the Holy Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation, this marking of our homes lets it be known to the all the world. The chalk mark will fade with time, but we permit what the sign represents—our Faith—to sink more deeply into our hearts and mind, that it may be manifested more fully in our thoughts and actions.

Below is a brief Blessing for Epiphany, and I encourage all our families at some point this week to take a moment to gather as a household, to offer this prayer, and to “chalk the doors” in celebration of Our Lord’s Epiphany.

Epiphany Blessing Gathering near the main entrance to the home

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.  May peace dwell in this house and in all who live here.  O God, by the guidance of a star you revealed your Only Begotten Son to the nations. Grant that we who know you by Faith in this life may come to live in your presence in the next. Amen.

Bless this home, Almighty God, that it may be a dwelling of grace, love, peace, happiness, forgiveness health, humility, goodness, mildness, and obedience. Amen.

God Bless,
Fr. Cyrus

Dear Family of Assumption,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

In the Gospel this weekend we hear of Mary’s faithfulness to God, because of this she was able to receive the gift of God’s Son and accept her role in God’s plan for salvation. Mary models for us how to be a disciple.

Our call to discipleship means prayer and reflection on the events of our lives that we might see God’s presence and work in our lives. It means being obedient to God. We are called as Mary to be a willing servant, trusting in God and obeying his call. As we enter the year 2023 let us reflect on this and pray to the Lord to become like Mary trusting in God’s plan for us.

I wish to thank each of you, our parishioners for your faithful and continued generosity to the parish not only at Christmas but throughout the year.  Thank you to our Music Ministry who is always there enhancing our Liturgies with their beautiful music.  Thank you to the members of our many ministries and groups, our Altar Servers, Sacristans, Readers, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, Ushers.  Thank you to our Religious Ed. team of dedicated Catechists, our very active Youth Ministry, Social Concerns, the Knights of Columbus and Honor Guard who were with us on many occasions.  Thank you to our Filipino Community who are always on hand to help with our many celebrations. Our parish is very blessed.

May God bless you as we continue in this blessed season of Christmas and with a wonderful year of peace, hope, and good health in the new year.

God Bless,
Fr. Cyrus

T

Dear Family of Assumption,

This weekend we celebrate Jesus Christ who came to save us, who came as God’s gift to show us the way, the truth, and the life. What a gift he is for us. Christmas is so much more than just a holiday; it is a Holy day. It is a time when Jesus was born and came into our world to be the Light for each and every one of us. It is a time when our God shows up to bring us a message of hope and offer us a better way of life.

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life.”

So, we are blessed to have Jesus! As we go about our celebrations, my prayer is that you share this good news with everyone, so that they can know that Jesus came on earth bringing the message of love, hope, joy and peace and asks us to have love for one another, to be reconciled to one another and to accept one another. Each of us has been entrusted with a special gift, a sacred responsibility, to show others how the mystery of God is among us.

Wishing you and your families a Blessed Peaceful Christmas.

God Bless,
Fr. Cyrus

T

Dear Parish Family,

This weekend we celebrate the Fourth Sunday in Advent.

In the Gospel, we hear how the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. He was to be the protector of the incarnate Son of God and his Virgin Mother Mary.  Joseph did as the angel told him and accepted the role that God assigned to him.

“Let us too welcome God’s plan into our lives with sincere humility and brave generosity.” Pope Francis

God Bless
Fr. Cyrus

T