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 […]

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 […]

Every time we gather to celebrate the Eucharist, we recall the new and eternal covenant that Jesus established, the covenant that establishes us as God’s family of faith and anticipates our reunion with God in heaven.  And, at every Eucharistic Celebration, shortly after the bread and wine are transformed into the Body and Blood of Christ – the sign of that new and eternal covenant that Jesus established – the celebrant mentions Mary, Joseph, the apostles and martyrs and all the saints whom we wish to join in the glory […]

“Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”  We tend to think that Jesus endured a trial only at the end of his life before the Sanhedrin and the Roman leaders.  But, if we read the Gospels more carefully, we see that Jesus was on trial for the entirety of his public ministry, from friend and foe alike.  Every time he did or said something – healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sins, asserted that he was one with God – we hear […]

SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT

“John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  Notice where John is preaching: not in downtown Jerusalem but in the desert.  That’s a place where God often is found to form his people.  Remember, God called Abraham from his ancestral lands where he was a prosperous farmer and merchant, to dwell in the Negev, a desert region on the shores of the Dead Sea.  God called the people Israel to leave Egypt, […]

As you probably know, our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, is in the middle of his first apostolic journey abroad since his election in May.  He began his journey with a visit to Turkey to celebrate the 1,700^th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.  This celebration marked a very important moment in Church history when the Nicene Creed was written; we will recite it together in just a few moments.  He has now gone on to Lebanon where, as he had already been doing in Turkey, he has been meeting […]

THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

We’re fast coming to the end of yet another liturgical year.  Next Sunday, the Solemnity of Christ the King, is the last Sunday of this liturgical year; the following Sunday is already the first Sunday of Advent!  And, as you know, each liturgical year features one of the three synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark or Luke.  This year, we’ve heard from the Gospel according to Luke.  As we have heard so clearly in this gospel, Jesus is the hope of the world.  No matter what, no matter […]