First Friday 2016

December is always a really busy time for us.  Christmas came and went in a blur.  What is so sad, however, is how so many people just take down on the decorations and put the Christmas tree out and declare Christmas over.  But if Christmas is 'over ' by New Year you never really celebrated it in the first place.  Christmas is not just for Christmas, it is for the whole year!  We keep a little carving of the Holy family by the clock just to remind us of this. The first mass and the first Friday of the month were celebrated together this year - the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. As always Mary shows us the way to Jesus. Luke's Gospel,  which was read at mass, reminds us what we must do in the next 12 months: we have to 'ponder all these things in our heart'.  We have a print of  'La Vergine che legge' - the reading virgin - by  Antonio Vivarini (1440-1480) which helps us to remember to ponder the mystery of Christmas in our hearts.  In this year of mercy we pray that the Mater Misericordiae  - our  Mother of Mercy - will help us to keep the fire of Christmas burning in our hearts long after the tree has been re-cycled.