Emmanuel - God is with us!

Emmanuel-God is with us!
Today we hear how Joseph, despite his fears and hesitations, is encouraged to accept Mary, his wife, into his home, and through her to accept Jesus. Joseph was to be an integral part of the story of salvation that God was writing, a story that we celebrate today as we enter into the last week of Advent in preparation for Christmas. What a different story it would have been had Mary or Joseph said “no” to God’s invitation! If that is true for Mary and Joseph, it is also true for us. We are invited to allow Jesus to become Emmanuel, to be God with us: in our own hearts, homes and families.  Our mission this week is to invite one person with us to Christmas Mass this weekend. Maybe there is someone you know who doesn’t have a ride or who would need someone to sit with. You can be that person! This week, we will have hundreds of people join us who do not normally attend Mass during the year. What a great opportunity! This is the best time for us to show our brothers and sisters what it means for God to be truly “with us” here at St. Dominic Parish: to smile, scoot and make room for them as we do for Christ.
We are also beginning our sign ups for our next round of Alpha, starting in January. Alpha is the perfect program for people who are just getting to know Jesus, even people who do not yet believe in Jesus or have a relationship with the Church. It can also be a great help for those of us who love the Lord but maybe struggle to articulate our faith or explain it to others. Alpha is a welcoming, fun place to ask the deep questions of life and come to know the Answer in a positive, life-giving way. I would love for every parishioner to experience Alpha, and also to invite those friends that you have been trying to reach out to experience it with you. It never hurts to ask!