The Diocese of Arlington has issued the following statement:
Due to the impending winter storm, which is predicted to be severe, and noting that the Governor of Virginia has declared a state of emergency beginning Saturday, January 24, if it is not possible for parishioners to attend Mass due to road and travel conditions that jeopardize safety, they are dispensed from the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday, January 25. For those who cannot attend Mass, then time should be spent reading the Word of God or in prayer to mark the Lord’s Day.
If parishioners reasonably foresee that they will not be able to attend Mass on Sunday, parishioners should consider attending a Saturday Vigil Mass wherever possible.
Ordinary Time returns tomorrow on the Church calendar, which means we’ll begin winding down our Christmas decorations and celebrations.
I usually ask the sacristan to take the shepherds away, send the kings home (by another route, of course!), and leave just the Holy Family in the manger scene for the first week of Ordinary Time. Isn’t that when much of real life happens—when the parties calm down, and the visitors go home?
We sometimes speak of the “hidden life” of Jesus: all those years between the joyful celebrations of His birth and the beginning of His public ministry. Approximately thirty years of growth and quiet, daily living. What would it have been like to know Our Lord during those years?
Speaking of hidden things…
Some folks have asked, “They have taken Our Lord from the nativity—where have they laid Him?”
Unfortunately, I don’t know. Someone who thinks they’re clever—or edgy—stole the baby Jesus from the nativity scene by the Parish Life Center. Sadly, this isn’t new. It’s just one more person who has, in effect, joined “Team Herod.” Our Lord—and innocent children—have long been the targets of hatred and attack.
We had a large chain securing the statue of Jesus to discourage the or desecration, but that visual deterrent wasn’t enough this year. Next year, we may add cameras or AirTags—it’s time for the defense of Our Lord to move into the high-tech age!
Please say a prayer for the sad soul who stole the baby Jesus. Our Lord instructs us to pray for our enemies, and anyone who would steal a baby Jesus likely carries a wound or burden—something unresolved with Jesus Himself.
He made Himself vulnerable to show us that love triumphs over death.
