With both Fr. Bill, our senior assistant, and myself hospitalized recently for different reasons, we have had to re-examine our respective schedules and duties to arrive at a more reasonable activity level that will be more conducive to maintain our health and well-being going forward. Thankfully, Fr Bill is able to continue as our Weekend Assistant celebrating Sunday weekend Masses on a rotating basis with me.

Beginning on Christmas Eve, the Catholic Church throughout the world will celebrate a Holy Year, also known as a Jubilee Year. It is one of the great events of the Catholic Church, which is celebrated every 25 years. It calls pilgrims to Rome and invites Catholics everywhere to focus on the beauties of the faith, to strengthen our relationship with the Lord, and to practice more intently the virtues that make us Catholic Christians, especially the virtues of forgiveness, reconciliation, and charity.

Have you ever thought of yourself as a missionary? I don’t mean the kind that goes off to a foreign country. In Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), he writes about the Church’s missionary role and the need for both clergy and laity to make the proclamation of the Gospel a lived reality in all of what we say and do. He calls for each of us to be “Spirit-filled evangelizers” with a “renewed missionary impulse” marked by a “joy ever new, a joy which is shared.”

In this season of Advent, there are many feelings that arise from memories, present circumstances, and the rush of the season. For some, this may not seem to be “the most wonderful time of the year.” It may be because of the loss of a loved one, being out of work, or feeling overwhelmed with all there is to do. For others, it’s getting caught up in the joy of the season, picking out presents that hopefully will be “just right,” the heartwarming visits with friends and loved ones, or delighting in the colorful lights and decorations.

As we begin the season of Advent this weekend, I invite you to reflect upon what the Holy Family experienced in the time leading up to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem and its significance in our present day – using this prayer.

Prayer for the Homeless

O God of endless mercy, in your divine place to save us, your only Son became a person like us in all things but sin.