From the Pastor January 3/4

A Dark Story

This weekend we celebrate the Epiphany. This is the last Sunday we will read an excerpt from one of the Nativity stories during the Liturgy of the Word. Over the last month we have seen and heard much of the story of Jesus’ birth. We have received Christmas cards with beautiful scenes of a beaming Mary and Joseph holding the baby Jesus in their hands. Maybe we had the pleasure of attending a school Christmas concert that included small children reenacting the story of Jesus birth. All these depictions can cloud the fact that while the birth of any baby is a joyful story, Jesus’ had a very dark side. 

It started out with the Annunciation to Mary of her being chosen by God for a special role. That was a heavy burden to place on a girl not much past her mid-teens. Joseph was to find the birth of this child disruptive to his life too. The shame and sense of betrayal he had to endure when he first learned of Mary’s pregnancy was very deep. 

Being forced to make a long journey to Bethlehem, on the orders of foreign rulers, at a time so close to birth, put Mary and the unborn baby at great risk of developing complications during the Jesus’ delivery. The darkness of the story intensifies when in an unfamiliar town, among total strangers, the holy couple could only find shelter in a cave with farm animals.

A group of shepherds coming to be part of the scene, in the hours immediately after the delivery, must have caused Joseph and Mary fear. Shepherds didn’t have a good reputation. They were considered very disreputable characters. Add to that their story of angels proclaiming Jesus’ birth was terrifying. Angels would have been a most fearful sight for shepherds and the young couple. The darkness of Jesus’ birth didn’t end with the child’s delivery but continued with the flight into Egypt to avoid the murderous wrath of King Herod. Frightening too were the prophecies of Simeon and Anna when Joseph and Mary brought their first born son to the Temple for purification. 

With all this darkness it is hard to remember that Jesus’ birth ultimately brought light into the world. Jesus was God made man who came to our world to bring compassion, mercy, reconciliation, and new life to it. The world can seem very dark and violent at times but the scriptures remind us that Jesus has power over darkness and despair. He came to offer light to our world and the joy that, when open to God’s grace, we can also offer the fulness of light in our world. 

Healing Mass for Separated and Divorced

The Divorced and Separated Ministry of the Diocese of Fall River is sponsoring a Mass of Healing at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, 327 Second Street, Fall River on Sunday, January 25, 2026 @ 10 :30 a.m. Very Rev. Jeffrey Cabral, JCL, Judicial Vicar for the diocese will be celebrant. The failure of a marriage can inflict feelings of abandon and hurt on many spouses. For more information, contact Deborah LeDoux, Family and Respect Life Director, at 508-658-2956. 

Annual Wedding Anniversary Celebration

The Fall River Diocese’s annual Wedding Anniversary Celebration will be held at a Mass of Thanksgiving on Sunday, February 8, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Married couples celebrating significant wedding anniversaries, (including first year) are invited to renew your wedding vows with Bishop Da Chuna at the Mass celebrated at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River. Please call the Parish Office (508)-945-0677 as soon as possible to register for an invitation. The registration deadline is January 16, 2026.

Baby Bottle Boomerang 

January is Sanctity of Life Month. Again, this year Holy Redeemer will be conducting a Baby Bottle Boomerang as a fundraiser for Your Options Medical Centers. Your Options is an agency that offers pregnant women services such as free ultrasound tests and counseling to help women considering abortion to know all their options before deciding. Pro-Life people need to be ready to help women with problem pregnancies with prayer and financial resources. We need to meet our words with action.

Parishioners participate in the Boomerang by taking a baby bottle, filling it with the loose change they receive during the month, and returning it in early February. Take a baby bottle as you leave Mass today and help support Holy Redeemer’s effort to support pregnant women.

Another good pro-life activity for January is 9 Days for Life, an annual novena for the protection of human life. This year the novena will be prayed from January 16-24. Each day’s intention is accompanied by a short reflection and suggested actions to help build a culture of life. To learn more about the 9 Days for Life Novena and to sign up to participate, go to https://www.respectlife.org/9-days-signup. Let’s bombard heaven with prayers for a deeper appreciation in our world for the sanctity of life from the cradle to the grave. 

Christmas Thank-You

Thank you to the Music Ministry, led by Music Director Teresa Lim, the Hospitality Ministry, who made everyone feel welcome, and our decorators, who helped make our church beautiful for Christmas. Many complements were expressed; we all deserve to be proud. Thank you to those parishioners who sent the parish staff a Christmas Card or shared a holiday baked good. May everyone receive God’s blessings in 2026. 

Simplify

Perhaps, as a New Year’s resolution, you are considering uncluttering your life? Modern living can be filled with things that clutter our lives. Many of them are material things but even more of a hinderance are unnecessary commitments, distractions, and mental and emotional clutter. Some of them are the baggage we carry from broken relationships or past hurts. Cleaning out that clutter can provide space to breathe, to focus on what’s important; building better relationships and connecting with God.

Beginning today and continuing through mid-February we will preach a series of Sunday homilies on the topic “Simplify”. Through this series we’ll offer uplifting insights from Scripture and many practical steps to take to simplify your life. Plan to join us for each of these homilies at weekend Mass, Saturday at 4 pm and Sunday mornings at 8 & 10 am. Invite someone you know who needs to simplify their lives to join you.

Happy New Year!