Déjà Vu:  A couple of weeks ago, I wrote what happened on Christmas Eve.  I had pre-programmed the outdoor speakers to play some Christmas music as people were gathering for the masses.  To accomplish my task … and actually to get the speakers to play any music at pre-determined times … I create “alarms” to go off at particular times using a playlist I select as the “alarm” sound.  I then set the length of time the “alarm” should sound.  So, for example, with the 4:00 p.m. Christmas Eve mass, I set an “alarm” to go off at 3:10 p.m. and had it last for 50 minutes using a Christian holiday music playlist I created.  I was trying to create this awesome atmosphere as people gathered for mass.  My ideal was it would be lightly snowing (which never happened), the sun would be setting, the Christmas lights would be aglow and people would hear this beautiful Christmas music playing outside to get them in the right mood as they gathered for mass.  What we got instead was a loud glaring alarm clock broadcasting throughout the campus.  So much for the quaint atmosphere I was trying to create.  Instead of the calm and holy music to get people in the right place for the start of Mass on Christmas Eve, I set up the largest and loudest alarm clock at the south end of Saint Clair Shores.  I couldn’t understand how my quaint Christmas music playlist got overridden by a glaring alarm clock sound. After a bit of scrambling a few minutes before the start of the 4 p.m. masses, I was able to turn the sound off.  I then glanced at the system to make sure things were set up correctly for the start of the 6:00 p.m. and 12 midnight masses.  I then went about my Christmas Eve activities and never gave the music another thought.
 
Jump forward to New Year’s Eve.  We had the two daily masses in the morning and then things were eerily quiet until we started getting ramped up for the 4:00 p.m. mass.  I ended up putzing around the office most of the day.  I walked over to Church early to get things set up for mass and then walked back over to the Parish Center and grabbed a cup of coffee.  As I was sitting in the kitchen area of the Parish Center around 3:10 p.m. that day, enjoying my cup of coffee and getting geared up for mass and then our family’s New Year’s Eve gathering, I suddenly heard the sound of music.  I was stumped.  Was I hearing something?  Where was this music coming from?  Suddenly, I realized the sound was coming from the outside speakers. I almost chocked on my coffee as I realized what was happening.  I immediately opened the app on my phone which controls the outside speakers and discovered I still had all three “alarms” from the previous Monday … Christmas Eve … set and active.  As I looked at the controls, I discovered I set the alarms as recurring alarms and thus they would have gone off each Monday until I turned them off.  I also discovered I accidently set a snooze alert for each of the alarms and thus the reason we were getting the glaring alarm clock sound through the parking lots the previous week after a few minutes of my quaint Christmas music.  Clark, what were you thinking??  I was glad I was around to hear what was going on otherwise the music AND alarms would have gone off before the 4:00 p.m. mass like the previous week and then music would have been sounding throughout an empty campus at 5:30 p.m. and then again at 11:20 p.m. until the start of the non-existent Midnight Mass on New Year’s Eve.  It was déjà vu all over again but this time no one was around to hear it all happen but me.  All I wanted was a cup of coffee and a quiet New Year’s Eve!  One day I might get it right!
 
End of the Year Tax Statements:  With the many changes to the tax laws in 2018, itemizing deductions will not benefit as many people as in the past.  As a result, many people will not need or benefit from the usual end of the year tax statements normally generated this time of year.  Please consult with your tax preparer to determine if you still need a contribution statement from us.  If you need a statement of your offertory, capital campaign and sponsorship appeal contributions for your 2018 income taxes, please complete the online form found at www.sjascs.org/taxstatements.  We will then generate a statement for you toward the end of January.  You can indicate on the form if you would like to pick the statement up or have it mailed or emailed.  You can also complete the paper form found elsewhere in the bulletin and drop it off at the Parish Center.
 
A Day of Prayer and Penance for Life:  Tuesday marks the 46th anniversary of the infamous ROE vs. WADE and DOE vs. BOLTON decisions that rocked the foundation of human life in our country.  With those two decisions, a woman’s right to “choice” outweighed an innocent child’s right to life.  It’s incredible to think of how many abortions have taken place in our country alone.
 
We need to continue to pray for a greater respect for human life in all of its stages, not just during the annual March for Life in January but throughout the year.  I hope and pray that you will take the opportunity on Tuesday to make it a day of prayer and penance for life.
 
Project Rachel:  We also need to pray for those many people who somehow were touched by an abortion experience and now seek healing and reconciliation with God, themselves and/or their family.  Project Rachel is a wonderful healing ministry within the Church for people in these situations.  If you have been touched by an abortion experience and seek healing, please call the Project Rachel Hotline (888-RACHEL5 / 888-722-4355) for confidential assistance or information.  You can also send an email to [email protected].  Additional information can also be found at HopeAfterAbortion.com (the US Bishops’ website for post-abortion healing that has English/Spanish articles on the effects of abortion, personal stories of hope and healing, prayers and resources) and RachelsVineyard.org (a website that offers English/Spanish articles for men and women, resources and information on weekend retreats for healing after abortion).
 
Let’s be a People for LIFE!
 
Enjoy the week.  Know of my prayers.
 
In Christ,
 
gmb
[email protected]