First Reading-Isaiah 61:1-2a,10-11

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed me;
He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
To heal the brokenhearted…..

There is a lot of hustle and bustle in my life this time of year. I am busy finding that perfect gift for my 4 children, and my 5 grandchildren. There is of course the quest for the PERFECT Christmas tree.

Times weren’t always so easy. The year 1975 was my first Christmas season as a single parent of 2 small children. I resorted to the discount tables for the perfect gift, sometimes made them myself and always depended on the kindness of strangers and waited until the day before Christmas to get my PERFECT Christmas tree free of charge.

That year, and for 6 years following, my children and I accepted the glad tidings directed to the poor by gifts from the giving tree and food from St. Vincent de Paul. My broken heart was healed, every year as a mom who could not provide for her family, by the kindness of strangers who would make our Christmas possible.

As some one who has been on the receiving end of the paper ornament from a giving tree and the meals from St. Vincent de Paul, I know how much it means. The gift you buy and the food you donate all have a special meaning to the receiver. You are bringing glad tidings to the poor and healing the broken hearts of the parents who can’t provide for their children this Christmas season. God’s work is being done through you. I know they are ever so grateful as I was those many years ago.

Our Parish Directory
is currently at the printers and is being prepared. We will continue to keep you updated with current information.

Parish Survey
results appear in the current issue of the Across the Parish and are posted on our website www.saintroberts.org

During the season of Advent we will be having our Christmas “GIVING TREE.” Please help yourself to one of the paper ornaments with a gift suggestion. After you purchase the item, return it unwrapped and place it in the box next to the tree. Please turn in all gifts before Dec. 18th so that we can deliver them in time for Christmas.

Once again thank you for your generosity and for taking the time to help those who would otherwise not have much of a Christmas.

If you have any questions, please call: Rob and Cathy Aveson or John or Eileen Grealish.

The Archdiocese of San Francisco
Invites all separated, divorced and widowed
to join them in a Christmas Celebration
Saturday, December 17th
for a Potluck dinner, Ornament Exchange
and Raffle at 6:30 p.m.
in St. Mary’s Cathedral Lower Floor

$3.00 if you bring food and $10 if you don’t

To ensure a “balanced” meal bring a dish according to your birthday.

Thank you for your generous donation of $2,220.18 to our School, CCD and Confirmation programs.

CENTERPLATE UPDATE

Bored on New Years Day?
No College Bowl Games to Watch

Just Pro Football on TV
Tired of All the Parties?

Just Want Out Of The House

CELEBRATE
The Beginning of The New Year
Join Your Fellow St. Robert’s Friends
To Celebrate the Final 49er Game of The Year

20 More Volunteers Needed
To Staff Our Centerplate Booths
Leave St. Robert’s at 8:45 a.m.

Next Saturday evening or Sunday morning,
light all the candles of your wreath!
The waiting time is almost fulfilled and we pray:

Christmas Poinsettias will decorate the Church during the Christmas Season. If you would like to make a donation of $10 toward their purchase in memory of a loved one, please fill out the form below and return by Wednesday, December 21st. Please make a check out to St. Robert's Poinsettia Fund.

Be Joyful Sunday
Some of us are old enough to remember when this Sunday was called “Guadete,” which means “Be joyful” in Latin. Paul’s second reading actually includes that phrase: “Rejoice always” and the first reading has Isaiah proclaim: “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul.” When Advent was more penitential like Lent, the Church wisely reminded the people that the austerity of the season would soon be over and we would be celebrating the joy of Christmas. The pink candle in the wreath and the pink on our banners reflect the shift in the readings from focusing on the second coming of the Lord to preparing for his coming in flesh and his coming in our hearts, in our time.

The first reading lays out God’s will for our world: the poor hear glad tidings (the meaning of the word “gospel”), the brokenhearted are healed; captives and prisoners freed; everyone experiences a year of favor from the Lord; and all is made right by God. The scripture group spoke of how beautifully Jesus fulfilled these words of Isaiah. Then we spoke of the irony of companies going bankrupt, hundreds laid off, and the CEO receiving millions in compensation. The growing gap between the rich and the poor and the shrinking middle class is also cause for great concern. I thought of the helpful bumper sticker which reads: Think globally, act locally. Perhaps, during this holy Advent season, we can be like John the Baptist testifying to the light which is Christ by our compassion and continued generosity. By the way, that’s why we have lights on our Christmas tree and candles in the window, for Jesus the light of the world.

Peace, S. Sheral

Your Help, Please!
If you’ve accidentally taken one of the blue-covered songbooks/missalettes home, could you please bring it back? We’ve just replaced all the books with the brand new ones for the new liturgical year and they are growing legs and walking off! If you’d like a missalette for your own use, please let me know and I’ll gladly order one for you.

I would like to invite anyone interested to a small faith-sharing group as we walk with Mary toward Christmas. We will focus on the following meditations:

With over 50 of his best love songs
Starring St. Roberts own Jim Kason

Now playing until December 31st
at the Hill barn Theatre
1285 East Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City