In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town.
And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Luke 2:1-7
A Happy and Blessed Christmas to one and all! We gather now for one of the most holy days of the entire year. This day, we recall the momentous moment when God was born a man from the virgin Mary. We experience the tremendous love God has for us that He would not abandon us to the powers of sin, but came into the world to rescue us by his own suffering and death upon a cross. “For on the feast of this awe-filled mystery, though invisible in His own divine nature, He appeared visible in ours; and begotten before all ages, He has begun to exist in time; so that, raising up in Himself all that was cast down, He might restore unity to all creation and call straying humanity back to the heavenly Kingdom” (Preface II of the Nativity of the Lord). Oh what a momentous day indeed. Lord God, Jesus Christ, we greet thee; we praise thee; we honor thee! Welcome this happy morning!
On behalf of the entire staff of Holy Family Catholic Parish and School, we pray you have a joyous Christmas. May your family be enriched and encouraged by the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. May you experience the Peace and of Christ deep in your soul. May you draw ever nearer to the Lord – encountering Him deeply anew. And may this encounter change you and your life to more deeply reflect the Wonder of God’s own self-sacrificial love and service. Blessings and prayers for you.
May the Lord God bless you and yours this Christmas and New Year.
Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Pray for us.
~ Fr Jeremy M. Gries