St John the Baptist Catholic Church
  • Home
  • Bulletin
  • Parish News
    • Virtual Tour
    • Parish Blog
    • From the Pastor >
      • Welcome
      • Father's Homilies
      • Parish Mission 2020
      • Parish Mission 2018
      • Parish Mission 2014
    • Parish History >
      • Brief Parish History
      • Extensive Parish Histories
      • Parish Directories
      • Parish History Photo Gallery
    • Past Events
    • Sacred Restoration
    • Staff Directory
    • Parish Committees >
      • Family Life
      • Social Justice
  • Ministries
    • Prayer Chain
    • Prayer Shawl Ministry
    • Mission Team
    • Marriage Resources
    • Ministry Schedules >
      • Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion
      • Lector Schedule
      • Server Schedule
  • Sacraments
    • Baptism
    • Reconciliation
    • Holy Eucharist
    • Confirmation
    • Holy Matrimony
    • Holy Orders
    • Sacrament of the Sick
  • Religious Education
    • First Communion 2020 >
      • More from July 12 ...
      • More from August 16 ...
    • Marshfield Faith Formation
    • Cherubs
    • Catholic Kids Camp / VBS
    • Columbus Catholic Schools
    • MERIT - for Special Needs
    • Ongoing Education
  • Evangelization/Youth Ministry
    • Formed.org
    • Youth Group
    • Small Groups
    • Adventure Camp
    • Serving the Community >
      • Rotary Winter Wonderland
      • SVDP Fellowship Meal
    • Fundraising Opportunities

From the Desk of Fr. Jim - December 22, 2019

12/25/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
​“‘For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger,’ (Luke 2:11-12).”
​
MERRY CHRISTMAS

God’s sign is the baby in need of help and in poverty, exactly the same sign has been given to us...God’s sign is simplicity...God’s sign is that he makes himself small for us.. He does not come with power and outward splendor. He comes as a baby- defenseless and in need of our help. He does not want to overwhelm us with his strength. He takes away our fear of his greatness. He asks for our love; so he makes himself a child. He wants nothing from us other than our love, through which we spontaneously learn to enter into his feelings, his thoughts, and his will- we learn to live with him and to practice with him that humility of renunciation that belongs to the very essence of love. God made himself small so that we could understand him, welcome him and love him...Christmas has become the Feast of gifts in imitation of God, who has given himself to us. Let us allow our heart, our soul and our mind to be touched by this fact (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI)
The Incarnation of the Son of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity as a man, turned the entire world upside down. We think of a king being born with all the trappings of the world, the best of everything; but he was born in a stable and wrapped with swaddling clothes. His birth was announced by angels to a group of sheep herders, themselves rejected by their countrymen. His kingdom would not be formed through military battles or worldly wisdom; but a kingdom of service to others, based on his teaching known as the Beatitudes. His crown would not be a crown of gold and jewels, rather a crown of thorns. He doesn’t enter his city with a procession of power, but riding on a donkey. His throne was not in a palace; rather a cross on a hill outside the walls of the city. His glory is not occupying a worldly empire; but an empty tomb, the pierced hands of a glorified body, burning memories of a walk to Emmaus, a breakfast of grilled fish on the shore of Galilee; his generals are a group of nobodies that all abandoned him in the moment of his greatest need.
Everything is turned upside down, an inversion of all we hold dear as human beings. This is especially true in light of the scandals that continue to rock the Church. We do not make excuses for the actions of even one person in authority in the Church, but we need to learn to read the world through the eyes of the Gospels, bringing the real world into a sharper focus. On Christmas morning our expectations change. We worship a new born babe; a king who challenges us today and tomorrow, a king who will turn everything upside-down, a king who will lead us in our own journey to join him one day in heaven.
​
May God bless all of you and your families this Christmas season.
Fr Jim 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    MASS SCHEDULE
      Monday - Friday: 7:00 AM

      Saturday: 8:00 AM
      Saturday: 4:30 PM

      Sunday: 7:00, 9:00 & 11:00 AM
    CONFESSION SCHEDULE
     Tuesday–Friday: 6:30 - 6:50 AM
     1st and 3rd Fridays: Confessions begin at 6:00*
     Saturday: 3:30 - 4:15 PM

    *Friday confessions begin at 6:00, but vary in duration
    ADORATION

    PERPETUAL ADORATION:  The Marshfield Deanery has the St. John Paul II Adoration Chapel located in the lower level of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, at 201 W. Blodgett Street. The chapel is accessible from the rear parking lot.  For more information or to sign up, contact Jean Kaiser at 715-503-0118 or Deacon Ray Draeger at 715-207-6085. Click on the image below for more information
    Picture

    Stay Connected with Our Parish

    Welcome From Our Pastor
    Picture
    Welcome to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church!  Ever since 1877 this parish has been assisting souls in their quest for deeper union with God.  Pope John Paul II called the parish a “school of prayer” and St. John’s is committed to promoting growth in holiness in every state in life.  Each of us is called... Read More
    ​

    Picture

    Safe Environment Program

    Picture

    Archives

    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015

    Categories

    All
    Adult Formation
    Catholic News
    Father Martin
    Homilies
    Parish News
    Pastor's Desk
    Youth

    RSS Feed

 *All photos and videos on this site are used with permission. Special thanks to Dorothy Flees for contributing countless photos. Unauthorized duplication, in whole or in part, is strictly prohibited. | Copyright © 2020 Saint John the Baptist Parish. All Rights Reserved.
201 W. Blodgett St.. Marshfield, WI 54449 
​  715-384-3252 (parish office) 715-384-4989 (school)