Dear sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Colossians 3:16-17) The pattern of order for Christian society is built on God’s intended order within a Christian family. We are ordered by God’s Word, ordered toward God in gratitude for the gifts we have received--the gifts we are to each other in God’s love, and ordered to service of each other in the name of the Lord Jesus. When our fami
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5) Amid the darkness and confusion of our wintery world, the light of Christ shines upon us. Jesus’ birth reminds us that God is with us, even in our darkest hours. May the light of Jesus Christ enlighten your hearts throughout this Christmas Season, dispel the darkness of sin and fear, and brin
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, The season of joy is near! We celebrate Gaudete (rejoice) Sunday in the middle of Advent to remind ourselves of the joy which we have in the Lord by the forgiveness of our sins. We are welcomed home from the exile of sin and restored to the promise of our heavenly homeland. We hear the prophet Zephaniah say: “The LORD has removed the judgment against you, has turned away your enemies; the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear.” Joy is the antidote to fear. We are secure in the knowledge that God will conquer our enemies—sin and death. If heaven awaits us, what do we have to fear from death? If we ar
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, “Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever.” The Prophet Baruch encourages us to be changed from mourning into joy. God has rescued us from sin and death by sending us Jesus to be our Redeemer. It is no longer sin that defines us, but our relationship with God. We are to live as Children of God again—by repentance, confession of our sins, and amendment of our lives. This is why we place such an emphasis on the Sacrament of Reconciliation during Advent. Our joy comes from the thanksgiving we feel after being set free from our sins by Jesus. When we hear the priest say, in Christ’s name,
