RETURN TO ORDINARY TIME
As Christmas came to an end with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord – which we celebrated this past Sunday – we begin what the Church calls Ordinary Time. It is called “ordinary” because the weeks are numbered in order – 2nd, 3rd, 4th, etc. It is time – usually 33 weeks – ordered by God’s grace in between the sacred seasons of Advent and Christmas, Lent and Easter. The priest wears green vestments. Our church’s Christmas decorations have come down and we all have returned to a […]
Baptism of the Lord
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, […]
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord and Catholic Relief Services Collection
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
“After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (Mt 3:15-17). On this, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we hear God the Father declare that Jesus, the son of Mary is, indeed, His Son as well. […]
EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
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 […]
CHRISTMAS DAY
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 […]
MARY, MOTHER OF GOD
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 […]
THE HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with some time to enjoy this special season with your families as you shared your gifts, reflecting the great gift that God has given us: his son, Jesus. One of the gifts that so many of you share with our parish is your family life. The love and dedication you demonstrate in your marriage and family are an inspiration to us all. You have generously accepted God’s call to marry and have children so that more of God’s children may come to […]