Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

May the Grace, Mercy, and Peace of Our Lord be with you and your family during this Christmas season! If you are new to St. Bernadette parish or just visiting, welcome home. If you have been away, welcome back! If you are a parishioner, welcome to one day closer to the Kingdom of God. I pray that during our busy lives, the Christmas celebration may find room for Our Lord in your hearts. Our merciful Lord desires to be with you. Your relationship with Our Lord can bring you joy that only He can give.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today is the 4th Sunday of Advent. Because so many of us will be traveling over Christmas, I want to take this opportunity, on behalf of our parish family, to wish all of you a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

Over the next few days, we will be wrapping up our Christmas preparations—decorating, buying and wrapping presents, sending cards, baking, and hopefully gathering with friends and family. Of course we need remember the most important preparation of all… spiritual ones.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Peace and Joy in Our Lord Jesus!

Maranatha! We hear this word during Advent. It simply means, “Come Lord Jesus!” This simple prayer of the early Christians was offered because they expected the Lord’s return at any moment. As they waited for His coming, they lived like it and they were joyful about it. Today is a reminder that the celebrations of Christ’s coming draws near.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As a child, I can remember counting down the days until Christmas. Mom would put up the felt Advent calendar that had one piece of candy tied to it for each day of Advent. It was a mild form of torture… the waiting for the days to pass seemed like forever. I remember wanting to untie them two at a time, thinking Christmas would somehow arrive sooner. It never did. The Advent season seemed like forever when I was a child.