Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I find today’s Gospel passage to be incredibly powerful. Today we hear of Mary and Joseph fleeing with Jesus to Egypt. They are fighting to stay alive because an unhinged king is seeking the death of newborn boys. There are so many emotions as they are forced to flee from their home and all that is familiar. One can imagine the Holy Family struggling with the reality of loss, disappointment, frustration, confusion, just to name a few. Perhaps it is easy to see that they were not so unlike many other families.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

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, many of us 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,

As I 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. 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.