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Browsing From the desk of Fr. Tharp

January 12, 2020 - THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD

Congratulations

 

Congratulations to Christine Roach, the winner of the annual New Year’s Eve Split the Pot drawing at St. Ann.  I also want to offer my sincere thanks to Tim Vaughn who chaired this fundraiser for St. Ann. I am very grateful to Tim and all those who assisted him in selling the tickets.  I am also grateful to all the parishioners and friends of
St. Ann who purchased tickets.  Thanks to Tim and everyone who participated, the Split the Pot has been the successful fundraiser we so desperately need at St. Ann; in conjunction with the primary fundraiser (the festival), to supplement the Sunday Collection.   

 

Infant Pre-Baptism

 

The pre-baptism class for first time parents or parents from St. Ann or Sacred Heart who have not gone through a pre-baptism program at another parish will take place at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, January 13, 2020 in the basement of Sacred Heart Church.  The class takes less than forty-five minutes and provides answers for questions you may or may not have thought about. If you already went through the class for your first child, there is no need to repeat the class; just call Fr. Tharp (513) 858-4260 to schedule the baptism.

 

Information for Federal Income Tax

 

Now that we have closed the books for 2019 at both St. Ann and Sacred Heart, we will be working to issue the statement of donations as soon as possible; almost certainly before the end of January.  If you have a filing date earlier than April 15, and need this information sooner, please call the parish office and we will seek to expedite your statement.

 

Upcoming Confirmations

 

The Administration of the Sacrament of Confirmation will take place at St. Ann on Tuesday, February 4.   There will be no confessions at Sacred Heart on Tuesday, February 4.  Confirmation for Sacred Heart will take place on Wednesday, March 4, 2020.  

 

Reflection on Scripture

 

The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is actually the First Sunday in Ordinary Time.  The term “ordinary” does not mean bland or lifeless. It comes from the Latin “ordo, ordinis” meaning “one following upon another” or “succession.”  Liturgical “Ordinary Time” is the succession of Sundays revealing the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.   The Sundays of “Ordinary Time” are counted forward after Epiphany and before the First Sunday of Lent, but are counted from the Feast of Christ the King backward after Pentecost.  Thus in 2020, the last “ordinary time Sunday” before Lent and Eastertime is the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (February 23); while the first Sunday to fall in Ordinary time after Corpus Christi Sunday is the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (June 21).  

 

The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the Jordan is a pinnacle moment in the Liturgical Calendar because it signifies the inauguration of the public ministry of Jesus Christ.  The theophany of the voice heard from Heaven confirms the beginning of the Son of Man (the Messiah), Jesus Christ being revealed as the Son of God (the Second Person of the Trinity).   The infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke give us the “background” but the recounting of the Baptism of the Lord begins the public proclamation of the Kingdom of God by God Himself. Similarly the “reborn life” of a follower of Christ begins at baptism and is fulfilled not in death, but in resurrection.  Ordinary time each year gives us the opportunity to walk with Jesus, to be instructed by Jesus; on the road to resurrection.

 

Next Weekend: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

    

Is 49:3, 5-6

1 Cor 1:1-3

Jn 1:29-34

 

Theme:  “Behold the Lamb of God…..”







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