When we read the Bible, we find the history of a nation called Israel. This is an amazing story where God was always helping the people of Israel through different characters, such as the patriarchs, kings, prophets, and so on. God talked to them and not to people of Israel directly. Why? Well, because at that time, all these people were not prepared to listen, see, and feel the real presence of God. For instance, Moses usually had a conversation with God on Mount Sinai. Even though God wanted to show Himself to the people of Israel so that they would have faith in Him, these people were always scared of the different signs such as thunder, clouds, lightning, and so on, that demonstrated the real presence of the Lord on Earth. The book of Exodus says: “On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 19:16-17). Moses wanted Israel to know God, but it was not the right moment. God manifests Himself step by step. God’s pedagogy consisted of showing Himself according to human evolution. For example, you cannot teach difficult mathematical problems to a child. You need to teach them first to add and subtract. This is a process that takes time in the life of a per- son. It is the same thing with human beings. God teaches little by little; hence, God sent Jesus Christ to teach us His real message of Love and Hope to all mankind.

Jesus, the Son of God, was using the same methodology. He was always teaching the truth with clear words to His disciples; however, He did not do the same with the rest of the people; He used parables with them. Why? This was the same question that His disciples asked Him. Jesus answered with a simple phrase: “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted” (Matthew 13:11). That means that like in Moses’ time, Israel’s people still were not prepared to know everything about the Good News that is the Gospel. However, Jesus also explained that He speaks in parables because Israel’s people “look but do not see but also do not listen or understand” (Matthew 13:13). Therefore, people need to be prepared in order to have a real meeting with God.

Today, we can better understand God’s message by the power of the Holy Spirit. You and I have the wonderful experience of listening to God’s voice through the readings in the Eucharist. We are also able to have a better comprehension of the Word of the Lord through priests’ explanations during the homily in the Eucharist. Moreover, we have the possibility to see God in His real presence in the bread and wine that the priest consecrates in the Eucharistic Sacrifice. I ask you, have you thought about this? Are you prepared to listen to God’s voice and see Him? Are you able to see and feel the presence of God in the Eucharist? If you answered, “Yes”, let me congratulate you. If your answer was “No”, probably you need to take time to think about the real meaning of the Eucharist. Anyway, we are more privileged than Israel’s people in Moses’ time.

Jesus loves us, and He wants the best for us. Listen to His voice! Receive His Body and Blood! Jesus is here! Do not miss Mass. Jesus is always waiting for us.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

We are finishing 2024. Probably, most of us are making resolutions for 2025. Some of us want to lose weight, work out more often, read more books, study, save money, and so on. All the resolutions that we keep in mind are good, because we are thinking about ourselves and other people in a positive way.

The Roman Catholic Church also is thinking about each one of us. Hence, in this time of Christmas, the Church introduces us to the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on January 1st. You can wonder why Mary is called Mother of God if she was just another human being. The first thing that we need to know is that the theological term for this title for Mary is “Theotokos.” This is a term that Catholic and Orthodox Churches use for Mary and came from the early centuries of the Church. The Council of Ephesus, in 431 A.D., insisted “If anyone does not confess that God is truly Emmanuel, and that on this account the holy virgin is the “Theotokos” (for according to the flesh she gave birth to the word of God become flesh by birth) let him be anathema.” This council also emphasized the double nature of Jesus, human and Divine. If Mary is the Mother of Jesus, and Jesus is Divine (that means that He is God); therefore, Mary is the mother of God. In other words, the title Mary is the “Mother of God” refers not to the relationship between Mary and God, the Father, but to Mary and God, the Son, who is Jesus. “In the encyclical Marialis Cultus (1974) Pope Paul VI states: ‘This celebration, assigned to January 1 in conformity with the ancient liturgy of the city of Rome, is meant to commemorate the part played by Mary in this mystery of salvation’” (ewtn).

Let us begin 2025 in the company of our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. As we make resolutions for the new year, let us make another important resolution: to be closer to God. The Mother of God will help us with this resolution. She always introduces us to our Lord, our God, and our Savior, and at the same time, she is leading us to see her Son. In this 2025, may all of us feel the love and blessings of God, and share this wonderful love with our brothers and sisters.

I want to wish you a Happy New Year!
¡Feliz Año Nuevo!

Let us pray:

Almighty Father, I thank You graciously for the New Year 2025. I ask You, Lord, to bless my family, as we begin this blessed new year with a renewed hope in You. Lord, I thank You so much for all that You have done for my family and me. Your hand on our lives is so much more than we could ask for. Your blessings are so greatly appreciated. Amen!

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build!

God bless you and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramírez

American people usually prepare themselves for the coming holidays doing different activities. Families go to find the right tree and put all the ornaments on it; moms prepare cookies and delicious food for the family and friends; dads put up all the Christmas lights, the Nativity scene, Santa, the snowman… people start to sing Christmas carols, and watch Christmas movies. This is something I have seen throughout the 15 years that I have been living in the United States. But, what do you know about other Christmas traditions?

Probably you can talk about “Las Posadas,” which is a novenario (an extended devotional prayer). It is celebrated chiefly in Latin America, Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, Spain, and by Hispanics in the United States. It is typically celebrated each year between December 16 and December 24. Latin American countries have continued to celebrate the holiday, with very few changes to the tradition. People gather together waiting for the coming of the Lord, and share as one family delicious food, just as “tamales,” “horchata,” chocolate, or other candies.

You can also talk about “Las Parrandas,” which are celebrated in Puerto Rico during Christmas season. “A parranda (English: party or spree) is a Puerto Rican music tradition that takes place in Puerto Rico during the Christmas holiday season. Parrandas are social events that feature traditional Puerto Rican music, food, and drinks. They are associated with pride for the customs of the traditional Puerto Rican jíbaro. The traditional events have been likened to Christmas caroling, but the contents of the songs are secular rather than religious. They are sometimes carried out in the evening, but most traditionally occur in the night, even into the wee hours of the morning. The songs sung are almost exclusively aguinaldos.

In my home country Colombia, we celebrate this beautiful season with music, food, and dancing as well. Also, we celebrate this season with faith, praying that baby Jesus comes to our hearts and transform each one of us. We start Christmas season on December 7th, the evening before the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. That day, Colombians light the candles in honor to our Mother. This night is called “La Noche de las Velitas” (The Night of the Little Candles). Also that night, we light the Christmas lights and eat the traditional Colombian Christmas Dessert: Natilla y Buñuelo. I have done the Night of the Little Candles and shared this dessert with you. On December 16th, Colombians start to pray the Christmas Novena. We pray during nine days, asking the Lord to come soon to our lives. We finish this novena on December 24th. That night Colombians make a huge party: music, drinks, food, and of course the gifts. At midnight on December 25th, all people start to look at what the baby Jesus brought. By the way, Santa does not go to Colombia, but Baby Jesus. Why? I guess Santa is very busy in America. The party continues all night long until the evening of December 25th. People continues to have fun even after Christmas day, because the New Year’s Eve celebration is very similar to Christmas Eve. More dancing, more food, more drinks, more fun is around to receive the New Year. People after the traditional “Feliz Año Nuevo” (Happy New Year) continue dancing and having the rest of the day, and sometimes until January 6th, the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord.

I do not know how many of you knew my Colombian tradition, but I wanted to share with you. However, it does not matter how we celebrate Christmas. The most important thing is to celebrate Christmas with faith and prayer, and wishing that the Lord Jesus comes to our hearts.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build.

God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. George

My brothers and sisters in Christ.

This Sunday, December 1st, is the first Sunday of Advent; therefore, we are starting a new liturgical year in the Catholic Church. We are starting to read the Gospel according to Luke. With this new year in the Church, Holy Trinity family is also starting to celebrate this wonderful season of Advent with different activities.

We start to light the Advent wreath every Sunday. “Advent candles readily demonstrate the strong contrast between darkness and light, which is an important biblical image. Jesus referred to himself as the “Light of the World” that dispels the darkness of sin: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12) (The Advent Wreath Tradition). When we light one of these candles, we are telling all people that Jesus Christ, the light of the world, is coming. We are very excited and preparing for His coming.

We are not only starting a new liturgical year, but our Jubilee 2025. This tradition dates back to 1300 AD, when Pope Boniface VIII declared a universal festival for the entire Church. Originally, the Church celebrates the Jubilee every 100 years, but now we celebrate it every 25 years in order that all faithful participates at least once in their life. I do remember the last Jubilee, which was in the year 2000, when I was a seminarian in Colombia.

The official day for the opening of the Holy Door and the Jubilee will be on Christmas Eve, when Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. This will be at 7:00 p.m. Rome Time. In our Diocese of Rochester, there will be a special Mass on December 24th at 11:15 a.m. at Sacred Heart Cathedral. All are welcome to join Bishop Matano and participate in this Eucharist at the Cathedral. In addition to the great tradition of opening this Holy Door, other holy doors will be open at the different basilicas in Rome. For pilgrims who cannot travel to Rome, the local bishops will designate the

cathedral as a place of pilgrimage for prayer, offering opportunities of reconciliation, indulgences, and other moments to strengthen our Catholic faith. The theme is “Pilgrims of Hope”, and it will be a year of hope for a world suffering the impacts of war, the ongoing effects of COVID-19 pandemic, and a climate crisis.

Let us start this new liturgical year in the company of the Lord, participating in this Holy Year of Jubilee. Let us renew our faith in the Lord, always feeling joy because the Lord God is always with us.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build. God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always!

Fr. Jorge Ramirez

My dear brothers and sisters.

It is not a secret that I came from Colombia; therefore, my native language is Spanish. My priestly ministry is at Holy Trinity Church (it is my priority); however, I help sometimes with the migrant ministry, presiding the Eucharist and other sacraments in Spanish in different places of the twelve counties of the Diocese of Rochester. There is a great necessity to offer the sacraments in Spanish.

Few parishes of the Diocese of Rochester offer Spanish Mass. It is not enough to evangelize in this language. Those who speak Spanish and do not have the possibility to go to the parish in Rochester in Spanish, deserves to worship the Lord in their language.

I heard about Spanish speakers who live in Webster and wish to have a Spanish Mass here. Some of you have manifested the interest to have the Eucharist in this language at Holy Trinity. Therefore, being the pastor for over a year already, and answering the petitions of some parishioners, I decided to have a Spanish Mass at Holy Trinity Church once a month.

Since this new liturgical year, which starts on December 1st (the first Sunday of Advent), I will preside at the Spanish Mass at Holy Trinity Church the first Saturday of each month at 6:30 p.m. That means that our first Spanish Mass will be on December 7th.

If you speak Spanish or want to have the experience of a Spanish Mass, you are welcome to join us. Invite your family, relatives, and friends to participate in this Eucharist. Moreover, if you want to actively participate as a lector or usher, please let me know. You can contact me anytime.

Remember that I can preside other sacraments in Spanish, such as baptisms or confessions. I am here to serve all of you.

Never forget that God loves all of us regardless of our language.

Remember, The parish that we dream is the parish that I help to build. God Bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you always.

Fr. Jorge Ramírez