Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus!

I find today’s Gospel passage to be incredibly powerful. This print depicts the moment Mary and Joseph find Jesus in the Temple. In the image, both Joseph and Mary embrace Our Lord. Mary’s face is pressing in on the face of Jesus. She seems to be filled with a sense of relief. Joseph’s face has a look of concern and focus, perhaps realizing the fullness of what just happened. Both Mary and Joseph embrace the young boy they lost sight of in the crowd. In this moment, they were the suffering family.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It has been a good advent, albeit a quick one, from my perspective. I think that means I am getting old. If you are traveling this week, have a safe journey and Merry Christmas! If you are in town for Christmas, I look forward to seeing you again for Christmas Mass and extending the Christmas greetings to you in person!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“Hope is indelibly engraved in the human heart because God our Father is life, and for eternal life and beatitude we are made. Every child born is a sign of trust in God and man and a confirmation, at least implicit, of the hope in a future open to God’s eternity that is nourished by men and women. God has responded to this human hope, concealing Himself in time as a tiny human being. Saint Augustine wrote: “We might have thought that your Word was far distant from union with man, if this Word had not become flesh and dwelt among us” (Conf. X, 43, 69, cited in Spe Salvi, n. 29).

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This time of year can be extra challenging for people for many reasons. Some people find it difficult to trust that God cares for them when they are facing things like poor health, loneliness, failure, or rejection. Trusting that God has a plan for them, much less even cares for them, can be a challenge. If that is your situation, then read on. If that is not your situation, then read on because someone you know may need to hear from you how to trust that Our Lord is with them.

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. Contrary to much of what we see in the stores and malls, online and on the radio, Christmas doesn’t begin until December 25th.

The four weeks prior to Christmas are not meant to replace the celebration of Christmas. The Advent season is meant to directs our hearts and minds to the birth of Christ as well as Christ’s second coming at the end of time.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of Christ the King of the Universe. This celebration is a significant feast in the Catholic liturgical calendar. This solemnity is always celebrated on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the week before we begin the season of Advent. We celebrate Jesus Christ as the Lord of lords and the King of kings, Alpha and Omega, All Powerful and Almighty One, the Lord of our lives and the universe. But Our Lord is not an ordinary king.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Cor. 2:9) The place prepared for those who love God is Heaven. Every human, born and unborn, was created by love, for love or to say it another way, created by God for God. Understanding why you were made changes the way you see yourself and the world around you.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As we continue to focus our prayers for our beloved deceased brothers and sisters during the month of November, we also reflect on the “the four last things” - death, judgment, heaven, and hell. Growing in awareness of the four last things can lead one to peace, as well as help a person to grow in humility and trust in God’s love and mercy.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Last week’s reflection on the Christian understanding of death invites us to turn our attention to judgment, which is next in the sequence of the Four Last Things. Judgment in general, is a word which is often misused and misunderstood. For example, you have heard someone say: “You can’t judge me.” “God knows my heart” “Only God can judge me!” These sorts of phrases are often used by those who wish a conversation to end because they don’t want to face the facts that their position may be weak or indefensible.