Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

My pastor’s column this weekend is an invitation to teenagers and to junior high students to experience our upcoming retreats on April 9th – 11th. This is also a plea to parents to consider sending your teen and junior high children to these retreats as part of your duty to catechize them as they face the challenges of this world. Because we love them, it is essential to give them the necessary tools to navigate our world that is in turmoil.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“Do to others as you would have them do to you… Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” Today’s Gospel helps us to understand what love looks like. Jesus reminds us that love gives without counting the cost. Love seeks the good of the other without looking for anything in return. This is the kind of love that Jesus invites His disciples to have in our all relationships.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus!

Our Holy Father Pope Francis has invited all the members of Catholic Church to embark on a journey of discovery together with him. Through listening and prayerful thought rooted in the Holy Spirit, the entire People of God are being called to look to the future and contribute to a process by which the Church hopes to deepen the understanding of Her sacred mission given by Christ Himself: that of making disciples of all nations.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus!

Bishop Olmsted invites the faithful of the Diocese of Phoenix to unite for a month of increased spiritual warfare and reception of the sacraments leading up to and during “SatanCon,” which is scheduled to be held in Scottsdale the weekend of February 11-13.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus Christ! You may have heard this argument by advocates of abortion: "You cannot legislate morality or force your religious views on others!" You may wonder how to respond to such a statement.

To say that laws cannot make an immoral person moral is correct. To say that we do not legislate morality is nonsense. Virtually every law is based on an idea of what is right or wrong.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus!

As more rounds of hateful political rhetoric are lobbed back and forth every day, I’m wondering if it all stems from the “culture of death.” Facebook posts, gotcha moments, tweets and sound-off sections on internet websites, some media pundits all seem to stir greater polarization in the human family, not to mention crafty politicians who are quick to demonize the opposing views. It seems a daily occurrence to witness the worst side of our humanity rejoicing over other’s failures and even their mistakes.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus!

I saw a shocking security video last week on a news website. It showed a woman stepping out of a relatively new automobile. She then opened the back door and picked up a baby that was wrapped in a towel and tossed it in a dumpster like she was taking out the trash. She got back in her car and drove off.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

If Jesus is the Savior, then does He need to repent? No. Jesus did not sin nor was He born with original sin on His Soul, like you and I. Baptism washes away original sin from our souls and brings us into God family as His beloved children. Therefore, Jesus has no need to be baptized. And yet, Our Lord shows up by the river Jordan and gets in line anyway. John the Baptist sees Him and objects, but Jesus insists on taking His place right beside those who need Him most.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany. What exactly is an epiphany? One definition is simply a profound realization of something important; a breakthrough; a deep and profound understanding of something once mysterious. The Church uses the term “Epiphany” to describe God as being made manifest in Jesus Christ – Emmanuel – God with us.

As part of the beautification project of our Church, a large acrylic painting has been commissioned for the south wall. It will be a depiction of the Holy Family outside of their home in Nazareth.

To say that Nazareth was a humble, back-water place is an overstatement. It was a small hamlet of about 150 families and was founded by descendants of the royal family of King David. It is located in northern Galilee approximately 20 miles west of the Sea of Galilee.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus!

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 a Merry Christmas! If you are in town for Christmas, I look forward to seeing you TWICE this coming weekend and extending Christmas greetings to you in person!

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus!

Despite many historians' attempts to link the Christmas tree to an ancient pagan practice, it is Christian in origin. As the story goes, St. Boniface and his companions interrupted an event where there was to be the sacrifice of a child. With his bishops’ staff (crozier) in hand, Boniface approached the pagan crowd, who had surrounded the base of the Thunder Oak, saying to his group, “Here is the Thunder Oak, and here the cross of Christ shall break the hammer of the false god, Thor.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus!

The Advent Calendar

The Advent calendar or Adventhaus began in Scandanavia and Germany, especially in the regions of the Palatinate and Hesse. Its purpose is to help children become aware of the expectancy of Advent. Sometimes the Advent calendar is a picture of a house with 23 small windows and 1 large window that are opened to reveal the tiny religious symbols, icons and pictures behind them.