Hope!!

When at the Christmas Cookie Exchange in PA with my former co-workers, amidst small talk and getting caught up on current caseloads, the question came up about the remainder of my stay in PA.  I mentioned how I had hoped to go to Christmas mass in Maryland.  Jen, one of my co-friends, said, "At that church you like?"  I love how even after so much time has gone by, and while we've drifted apart, my co-friends and I still "get" one another.  Even though she had never been there, Jen remembered how I had loved attending mass at a church outside Baltimore called, "Church of the Nativity".  I loved it so much that for one of my birthdays, my entire family (Delaware and NC included) met me down in Timonium, MD one Saturday night just to attend mass there together as a family.  Then we all traveled north back up 83 to York and enjoyed a delicious dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in downtown York, "White Rose".  Mark and I ended the birthday night with our family at Ashley's house afterward with cake and presents.  It doesn't sound like much but that birthday weekend was, and still is, one of my favorites in memory.  

The story of how I found this church comes from a failed relationship, which is now kind of funny.  One summer Saturday back in 2007, my ex boyfriend and I had plans to spend the day in the Baltimore area hanging out with his buddies (some of whom were in from Florida).  I can't remember why we couldn't go to mass on Sunday but for whatever reason we couldn't.  So, before we started our day, I had googled some churches in that area and printed out two or three I had found online complete with addresses and mass times.  As fate would have it, our day wrapped up just in time for a few of us to go to mass together at the church that happened to be the closest; one of the friends had been away from the faith for a while and was anxious about going to mass since it had been a few years but as soon as he stepped foot through those doors, he was at ease.  To this day, when I take new people to the Church of the Nativity, I get asked the same question Matt had asked of me that evening, "Are you sure this is a Catholic church?!"  

In my experience attending the Church of the Nativity, I'm blown away each time I attend.  From the contemporary music, to the pretty stained glass windows along the back wall, to the inspiring homilies and messages at every single mass, to the built-in bible studies for the congregation at the end of the Sunday masses, to the big screens that display the words to the songs and the readings, to the the coffeehouse and all the various prayer groups/missions/things to do with this church, and the location of the church, I absolutely love attending mass there.  I've often said that if I could pick up this church and take it with me wherever I go, I certainly would!  

Here is a squinty picture of Don, Chris, Shaun, and me after mass one sunny May Saturday evening!  Seeing the date in the bottom right hand corner of this photo, it reminds me that this picture was taken just before I found out whether or not I was accepted as a Fellow on that following Monday!!  Talk about hooooope!

Anyhow, ever since stumbling upon this church, I had wanted to go there for Christmas mass.  I had already had the joy of going there with my entire family one birthday weekend, of taking my Mom with my little brother and Dad one Mother's Day, of stopping there with my former roommate on our way home from a Kenny Chesney concert weekend in Alexandria, VA, to other random masses with friends but I had never attended a Christmas mass!  Last year, Mom, Dad, and I planned to go there but due to Dad's health scares, we were unable to go.  However, this past Christmas, we made it!  On Christmas Eve, masses are held at the nearby Maryland State Fairgrounds while Christmas Day masses take place in the actual church.  Mom, Dad, and even Patrick driving in from Delaware, attended the Christmas Eve mass with me in the Cow Palace.

There were live sheep at the entrance of the Cow Palace

This picture doesn't even begin to do the size of this venue justice.  The white lights at the front of this picture is where the altar was.  The blue lights are the poles that led up to the altar.  The big screens made for easy viewing of the altar way yonder in front of us.

This was the children's section; I think it had been called the Jingle Bell Jam.

My theme word for this past break was the word, "hope", so I smiled on the inside when I saw this as soon as we entered the Cow Palace.  Little did I know the homily would be all about hope as well!

I loved watching as the room began to get brighter and brighter as we lit our candles!

May peace and glad tidings light up not only your night tonight but every night! Let your light shine in hope! 

If you are interested in hearing the 20 minute homily from Fr. White, click on this link and look under "Launch Media Player" click on the "Christmas Eve 2013" link.  If you don't have time to listen to the entire 20 minute message, my favorite points were made at the 13 min. 22 sec. mark and again at the 15 min. 35 sec. mark.

If you're unable to listen right now, here are some notes I took from the beautiful Christmas Eve Homily:  The fruit of action is hope.  We all are in want and need of acceptance of WHO we are because we're designed to be that way.  We need to activate the message of hope by doing something and through prayer with God we can build confidence and resolve to act.

Have a hope~filled 2014 my friends!