Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Advent is the season is a time of preparation and anticipation of the coming of the Christ Child at Christmas. The four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas. The Advent season also directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time.

Advent devotions including the Advent wreath, remind us of the meaning of the season. Traditionally, Advent wreaths are made of a circle and may include evergreen branches into which four candles are inserted, representing the four weeks of Advent. Our gift shop may still have some Advent wreaths on the shelf.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I was recently up north enjoying Arizona’s version of the Fall season which lasts about two days. This is one of my favorite times of the year. The weather is beautiful, our programs are in full swing, and people just seem to be more pleasant. It is a great time to focus on our gratitude! Thanksgiving Day most certainly includes giving thanks to God for His countless blessings in our life. We will have two morning Masses (6:30am and 8:30am) on Thanksgiving day. There is no better way to give thanks to God who has given us everything.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I could have never imagined that one day I would be a pastor of a parish that had a school with nearly 640 students, much less a school where almost every student has access 24 hours a day 7 days a week to the internet via a smart phone or tablet . If you would have told me the sort of material that children have access to with just the click of a mouse or push of a button, I would have thought you were crazy. The sad reality is that our young people have access to much more addictive and horrible material than we ever even just a few years ago thought possible .

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Are you grieving after the death of a loved one? Prayers for souls in purgatory can help them and console you! While we can derive great comfort from the hope that our loved ones are enjoying Eternal Life with God, it never hurts to pray for their souls in any case.

In purgatory, the souls of many of those who have died in God’s grace undergo purification so that they may enter heaven.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Pope Francis, quoting Pope Benedict XVI once wrote: If indeed 'the just ordering of society and of the state is a central responsibility of politics,' the Church, 'cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice.'" (Evangelii Gaudium, No. 183)

As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops remind us, "Our nation faces many political challenges that demand well informed moral choices: The ongoing destruction of a million innocent human lives each year by:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I’m sure you have seen the rather ghoulish Halloween scenes in front yards around your neighborhood, not to mention the spooky de cor found in many stores that seem to glamourize evil. The fascination with death is troubling. The way our culture currently recognizes Halloween is more than scary… it is wrong. Let me attempt to clarify a few things. Next week, we will celebrate the Feast of All Saints, which is celebrated every November 1st. This celebration dates back to the fourth century. It was originally called the Feast of All Martyrs. The words “martyr” and “saint” originally meant basically the same thing — someone who is a witness to Christ even unto death.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, After years of prayer, fasting, and a powerful Christian witness by Respect Life groups from faithful Catholics and the faithful witness and support from organizations like the Knights of Columbus, Planned Parenthood is struggling to promote their failed agenda against women and the unborn. The hours of standing in the hot sun, hearing the insults of passersby, resisting the temptations to give up, all speak to the grit of the prayer warriors who are fighting the good fight and standing for life!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On the first Sunday of October the Church in the United States celebrates Respect Life Sunday. We are encouraged to focus on the Church’s teachings on human life. As Catholics, we believe that every human person is made in the image and likeness of God. Every human life is therefore sacred and inviolable and should be protected and cherished from conception until natural death. Practices such as abortion, assisted suicide, and capital punishment violate the dignity of the human person and must be rejected.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Several years ago, a brother priest and some dear friends were blessed to visit the Island of Molokai where St. Damien De Veuster and St. Marianne Cope ministered to lepers. At that time, there were twelve people afflicted with Leprosy or Hansen’s disease who are now cured but remained on the Island. If I had to guess, they preferred to be hidden from the world after being treated so harshly when diagnosed.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

One of my favorite places on all of planet earth is Lourdes in France. There are many reasons I enjoy this holy place. The peace, the prayerfulness, the faith, the candlelight processions, the healings, the beautiful liturgies, and adoration of Our Lord, are just a few ways I have encountered God’s goodness there. Many people who have been to Lourdes have shared with me similar experiences. While making a trip to Lourdes is a blessing, it is not always possible. So, after many months of planning and waiting for the city to grant us the permits to build, we are finally able to begin construction our new grotto right here in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When I was a kid, I always enjoyed this time of year. Going back to school was sort of exciting– call me weird. I liked seeing my classmates and hanging out with friends. I even looked forward to my first day of Kindergarten – just ask my mom. Recently, I have been thinking about education and religious education in particular. Today, I want to reflect on the role of parents as educators of our children in the faith of Our Lord Jesus.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On December 7, 1941, the United States was attacked at Pearl Harbor. This attack eventually led to World War II. I have met veterans who had once been young and patriotically idealistic and had responded to Japanese aggression, altering their whole life for the good of our country. After what they had been through and what they had lost, including many of their peers, one can understand how they would not want us to forget the pain of their past and the military heroes of World War II.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This past week my family celebrated my sister’s birthday at Lake Pleasant. If you are familiar with that area, you know that there is minimal, if any, cell phone reception. Whenever that happens, I realize how dependent I have become on my phone. It also reminded me that from time to time, I need to be less connected to my email, text messages and the phone that seem to keep my priestly duties front and center.