Pastor’s Column December 25, 2018 For many Americans, this time of year is only the “holiday” season, the “sparkle” season or the winter solstice. For many, “Christmas” begins after Halloween and ends as soon as the presents are opened and dinner is finished. We seem to be surrounded by “holiday” trees and fewer and fewer Nativity scenes. The canned Christmas music in stores is seldom religious. That’s because they are interested only in selling us things. We must make an effort to find the real meaning of Christmas. For Catholics, the (religious) Christmas season begins on Christmas Eve and extends all the way to the Baptism of the Lord in January. By that time, the stores already ha

Pastor’s Column 3rd Sunday of Advent December 16, 2018 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again: rejoice!” Philippians 4:4 Not only is this Sunday, Gaudate Sunday, actually dedicated to rejoicing, but during the season of Advent many people have the expectation that life is supposed to be more joyful somehow. Many of us do not always feel so joyful and wonder if there is something gone amiss.Let’s face it: Saint Paul’s commandment to rejoice always makes many of us feel guilty. There is a big difference between joy and rejoicing. Rejoicing is a decision of the will and has nothing to do with our feelings. I can decide to rejoice even if I am feeling lousy.Neither rejoicing nor joy depend

Pastor’s Column 2nd Sunday of Advent December 9, 2018 “The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of our God.” Luke 3:6 Jerusalem was a city built on and surrounded by mountains and, once out of the city, is accessed by winding and sometimes rough roads. I remember many years ago I spotted a large white cross up in the mountains (in Los Angeles), and decided to try to drive closer to climb up to it. I began the journey up the mountain which turned out to be a winding, steep, bumpy forest road that went up and up and got narrower and narrower until finally it was only a rough, very narrow dirt path that allowed only one c

Pastor’s Column December 2, 2018 1st Sunday of Advent You should conduct yourselves in a way that is pleasing to God. 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Everyone who works for a living knows that in order to succeed in business, it always helps to know what the “supervisor” wants and to try to carry it out. I had quite a few “bosses” when I worked in the airline industry: some were great and some were not so great, but my goal as an employee was always the same, to try to do the best job possible. It helps to realize that whatever we do (whether we like our task or not), we are actually working for the Lord and not just for a paycheck; the way we carry out our daily obligations is a measure of our love for