Dear Parishioners & Friends of St. Mary’s of the Lake:
 
As you know:  The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord marked a formal ending of our Christmas Season and began our first week of the Church’s Ordinary Time.  Indeed, oftentimes, the Baptism of the Lord falls on Sunday. Thus, the Baptism of the Lord is seen as the First Sunday in the Ordinary Time. Because the term ordinary in English most often means something that's not special or distinctive, we may tend to think that Ordinary Time refers to parts of the Calendar that are unimportant. In addition, the fact that Ordinary Time falls outside the major liturgical seasons may reinforce this impression. However, Ordinary Time is far from unimportant. It is called ordinary not because it is common but simply because the weeks in this period are numbered. The Latin word ordinalis refers to numbers in order. In other words, weeks in the Ordinary Time are numbered in order, totaling 33 or 34 in a given year and representing the weeks from the Baptism of the Lord until Ash Wednesday; and again from Pentecost until Advent. During these 33-34 weeks, the Church invites her children to meditate upon the whole mystery of Christ – His life & miracles, teachings & healings– in the light of His Nativity and Resurrection. It is to be noted: The segment of the Ordinary Time from the Baptism of the Lord till Ash Wednesday is called the ‘season of discipleship,’ because the Gospel Readings mostly cover the early ministry of Jesus and the calling of the first disciples.

✠ What is a disciple? The word disciple comes from the Greek word mathetes meaning pupil or student of the master. It is an apprenticeship in faith. In a formal way, we can say: A disciple is one who is baptized, confirmed and who practices the faith joyfully.  In all practicality, a disciple is one who follows Jesus, loves Him, wants to learn from Him, be with Him, and share Him with others. In fact, 4 important elements of discipleship are: To Discover Jesus, To Follow Jesus, to Worship Jesus, and to Share Jesus.  With the grace of God and with the powerful intercession of Mary, may each of us be an authentic disciple of Jesus through the mission & ministry of the Catholic Church: Rediscovering Jesus, following Him, worshiping Him and sharing His love among ourselves and beyond.  
Fr. Philip

HOLY HOUR: Because of the Funeral, the Holy Hour on FRI Feb 1 will be short (only from 9 to 9:30 am)