Merry Christmas! I hope that you have had – and are yet still having – many wonderful celebrations of the Nativity of the Lord. Speaking for myself, the marathon of Christmas Masses was both delightful and exhausting (I slept for a solid six hours after the last Mass on Christmas day!). There are many delights to recount from the Masses, but a couple especially stand out. I always enjoy the blessing of the Christmas tree(s) before Mass and the blessing of the manger after the homily. Though the blessing of the trees went just fine, we had a moment at one of our churches (you know who you are! ;-)) when we realized we had forgotten to actually put the baby Jesus in his manger! Happily, one of our sacristans was at hand to retrieve the Lord and place Him safely with Mary & Joseph.
I was also pleasantly surprised at how well-attended the midnight Mass ended up being. This is the first time in a long time that we have had a true midnight Mass and, if I’m being super honest, I wasn’t sure if there would be a crowd or just a small group of the faith present. You can imagine my surprise when we had over 300 folks in attendance!
Combined with the celebration of the Holy Family this Sunday, we’ve had plenty of time to reflect on the mystery of God so intimately uniting Himself to our human family and the invitation to be united to the divine family of the Trinity. I don’t think it is possible to overstate the profundity of God’s humility in joining Himself to our human nature – all so that we might (might!) accept Him into our hearts and allow Him to take us into His hands. He takes His place among us so that we might take our place with Him in heaven.
I’m certain that I’m not alone in having a few New Year’s resolutions. Though there the obligatory (and, sadly, much-needed!) diet & exercise-focused ones, it seems to me that the most important of resolutions have to do with exploring and deepening my relationship with Jesus. What areas of my life do I have yet to turn over to Him – where are the places in my heart that I still keep guarded, even against His tender care? Uncomfortable questions, but ones that I find myself more and more prepared to consider as I spend time with the Lord.
May 2025 be a year of new fruitfulness for us all. Though we will undoubtedly face challenges, sacrifices, and suffering, we know too that God has many graces & gifts in store for us. And above all, He is with us as savior and friend, not leaving us alone but accompanying us each step of the way not just towards Calvary, but the Calvary’s goal: eternal life together with Him and all the saints. Let us make this coming year one where we hold fast to Him throughout!
December 29 – Today is the feast of Saint Thomas Becket. Archbishop of Canterbury during the 12th century, he was martyred for opposing the overreaching policies of King Henry II against the Church. Four knights – spurred by the infamous words of the king (“won’t someone rid me of this troublesome priest”) – entered the saint’s own cathedral and killed him within it on December 29, 1170. After his death he quickly came to be venerated as a martyr and was canonized in 1173. King Henry himself came to the tomb of Saint Thomas Becket and made public penance. Read more about Saint Thomas Becket at Word on Fire.
January 1 – Happy New Year! And what better way to kick off the beginning of 2025 than with the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. Re-established by Pope Paul VI in 1974, this celebration invites us to consider Mary’s ‘yes’ to the will of God and the role with which she was entrusted in the life of Christ and His Church. To both the Lord and to us, she offers maternal care – may we (re)dedicate ourselves to following her example and asking her intercession. Read more about this celebration at the Vatican News website.
January 2 – Today we celebrate the memorial of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen. The two were ardent defenders of the faith, particularly against the heresy of Arianism (which rejected the Trinity and denied the divinity of Jesus, claiming that He was a creature and not one with God). Though their own friendship was severely tested over their lifetimes, they both persevered in service to the Church and were each declared Doctors of the Church. Read more about Saint Gregory Nazianzen at the website of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception and about Saint Basil at Franciscan Media.
January 3 – The Most Holy Name of Jesus is one that we are called to venerate in everyday life, but today’s memorial helps emphasize our devotion to the name of our Lord. In fact, during the celebration of Mass every Catholic is to bow their heads at the name of Jesus (as well as when the three Divine Persons are named together, at the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in whose honor Mass is being celebrated – see GIRM 275). Inspired by the words of Saint Paul (Philippians 2:9-11) we bow our heads to reverence of and gratitude to Jesus. Read more about this tradition at Aleteia.
January 4 – We conclude this week celebrating Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first person born in the United States to be canonized. Born in New York, she was married at a fairly young age. Together with her husband William, they had five children before he died of tuberculosis in Italy. It was there that she found the Catholic faith – she joined the Church a couple years after his death. Saint Elizabeth eventually moved to Maryland where she founded the Sisters of Charity of Saint Joseph – the first community for religious women established in the US. She was canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI. Learn more about her life at the National Shrine of Elizabeth Ann Seton.
Priests celebrating their anniversaries this week
- No anniversaries this week – pray for vocations!
Remembering our deceased priests
- Fr. Dennis A. McGrath (December 29, 1922)
- Fr. James L. Boyle (December 30, 2011)
- Fr. Sean P. Fox (December 30, 2021)
- Fr. Jan R. Larson (December 30, 2021)
- Fr. William Lee (January 4, 1943)
- Fr. Joseph E. Orpen (January 4, 1965)
- Fr. Patrick B. Godley (January 4, 2024)
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