As we come to the end of the Christmas Season, we hear Jesus burst onto the world stage.  After being born in Bethlehem and spending some time as a refugee with his family in Egypt, his childhood has been hidden away in the little town of Nazareth while Jesus grew “in wisdom and age and favor before God and man,” as we hear in Luke’s Gospel.  But now, he begins his public ministry. It all starts with his baptism; all four of the gospels relate this incident.  Only Matthew’s Gospel, […]

EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

“We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”  As I ride through the neighborhood, I already see Christmas trees at the curb and the Christmas decorations coming down.  For so many, the Christmas season is already over.  Now, it’s on to the next thing – the Eagles are doing well and Valentine’s Day is not far off.  We, the faithful, however, are still in the midst of the Christmas season – it doesn’t end until next Sunday, the Feast of the […]

Let me wish all of you, once again, a very blessed Christmas!  We gather this morning to celebrate the most blessed event of all time: the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the Word of God made flesh, as we hear presented so poetically in today’s gospel.  It is a mystery beyond our full understanding but one that benefits us all.  Speaking of benefiting from great mysterious things, I’ve become a great fan of Siri and ChatGPT.  I can ask them any question and receive a very helpful […]

The “Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God” that we celebrate today is the most ancient feast of Mary in the Roman calendar.  It celebrates Mary’s unique role as the Theotokos, a Greek word that means God-bearer.  Mary was officially given the title of God-bearer, or Mother of God, way back at the Council of Ephesus in 431AD.  This was in response to a great debate that arose in the early Church.  There were those who could not accept the notion that Mary was the mother of […]