MERRY CHRISTMAS and FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY
On this most holy day, allow me to wish all of you a very blessed Christmas! I hope all of your preparations have been successful and you will be able to take a moment to sit back and reflect on the meaning of this great Feast – the birth of God’s only son for our salvation! All around you – even in the secular Christmas decorations and events around you – you can find symbols of this pivotal moment in Salvation History. Take, for example the Christmas tree. It is [...]
ADVENT COMES TO AN END
All of this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” (Mt 1:22-23) On this, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we all realize that Christmas is just a few days away! As we hear proclaimed in both our first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and our gospel from Matthew, Jesus, the son of Mary, is also truly God: Emmanuel - that is [...]
THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT
You will notice that the two Christmas trees that had been filled with almost 300 tags for women’s and children’s gifts at Mercy Hospice are gone – so are all the tags! Over the past few weeks, so many of you have so generously taken the tags and returned with gifts for these needy women and children whom you will probably never meet; in their name, I want to thank you! Let me also thank those of you who filled the school cafeteria last Saturday with gifts and food baskets [...]
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
This Thursday we will join with the universal Church in celebrating the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is under this title that Mary is Principal Patroness of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia as well as the Patroness of the United States of America, Spain, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is a holy day of obligation and we will celebrate Mass at 6:00pm on Wednesday evening as well as at 6:30, 8:00am, 12:10 and 7:00pm. What does this title given to Mary [...]
SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT (Year A)
Isaiah 11:1 - 10 This Sunday, we will hear, once again, from the Book of the prophet Isaiah; last week, it was from chapter 2, this week, it will be from chapter 11. The passage we will hear on Sunday is, perhaps, one of the best known prophecies of the coming of Jesus. Since it is in the early part of the Book of Isaiah, we know that it is part of the prophecy of Isaiah himself, who prophesied 742 – 685BC. Chapters 1 – 12 probably address the time [...]
THE SEASON OF ADVENT
“Be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come” (Mt 24:44). With these words, our Lord helps to prepare us for his coming. As we begin a new liturgical year today, the First Sunday of Advent, allow me to reflect on the season of Advent and the Gospel of Matthew (from which we will hear extensively during this liturgical year). We human beings cannot live without hope. Unlike the rest of the animals in this world, we are blessed with the ability to [...]