Christmas 2016 – Mass During the Night Isaiah 9:1-6 Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 11-12, 13 Titus 2:11-14 Luke 2:1-14 December 25, 2016 We are here to celebrate something very holy. We began with a song familiar to many, O Come All Ye Faithful. It is my favorite Christmas hymn. As we gather with so many people …
4th Sunday in Advent, Year A Isaiah 7:10-14 Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6 (7c, 10b) Romans 1:1-7 Matthew 1:18-24 December 18, 2016 Isaiah offers a sign to King Ahaz but the king refuses. He tries to make his refusal look noble by saying, “I will not ask, I will not tempt the Lord!” but what is really …
I just finished reading two separate books on “Apologetics.” Before going any further I probably should provide a definition of what “apologetics” is. Patrick Madrid in his book How to Do Apologetics: Making the Case for Our Faith (Our Sunday Visitor: Huntington, IN. 2016) writes, “Apologetics is a practical way of using logic and facts …
3rd Sunday in Advent, Year A Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10 Psalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-13 December 11, 2016 “Be patient.” These are the words of James offers to the recipients of his letter. What are they to be patient in waiting for? “The Coming of the Lord.” The Letter of James is writing sometime …
Today we have our Advent Penance Service that includes First Penance for some of our children. Below I share my homily with you to encourage you to think about what the Sacrament of Reconciliation means. You will find a link to further resources at the end. Colossians 1:12-13 Psalm 51 (sung) Luke 15:1-7 December 10, …
2nd Sunday in Advent, Year A Isaiah 11:1-10 Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17 Romans 15:4-9 Matthew 3:1-12 December 4, 2016 Christmas is now just three weeks away. So, our gospel readings shift from the Second Coming to the time just before the birth of Jesus. That puts us right at the peak of the ministry …
I just sent out a letter to all our parishioners at St. Michael’s with our Christmas Mass schedule. In what follows, I share with you the first part of the letter for your reflection as we prepare for Christmas. We are entering into both a very holy time of the year and a very busy …
