ABVM PARISH COMMUNITY

Included in today’s bulletin is the statement by Archbishop José Gomez of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles which was released last Wednesday. Speaking as president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), he expresses the desire of the bishops to work with the new administration on issues of justice and peace. He signals areas of mutual agreement and of disagreement but focuses especially on the issue of abortion, since that is officially the “preeminent priority” of the U.S. bishops. Other issues of social justice are important and pressing, and the bishops of the U.S. criticized President Trump on some of them. But nothing can take precedence over the safeguarding of innocent human life, for without the right to life no other right exists. Two American cardinals objected to the statement because of its timing, while other bishops expressed strong support. My initial reaction was surprise that it would be issued on inauguration day, but a...

People are feeling very tense these days. The sources of anxiety have their roots in the prevailing political, racial, and censorial (or woke) ambiance in which we are living. Added to this mix are the everyday restrictions on our liberties and comforts imposed on us in the struggle to limit the spread of Covid-19, not to mention fear of contracting the virus that some people feel. There is a lot of anger, mistrust, second-guessing and concerns about the future of our society. Where do we turn for relief from our stress?  I suggest that we turn to the Book of Psalms, the song book of both Judaism and Christianity. The Psalms were often composed in response to events in the psalmist’s personal life and in the life of Israel. Sometimes they were written to express admiration for God’s works and to praise him for his gifts. At other times they were written as laments for disasters that were seen as punishment for personal or national sins. The poets faced diverse situations an...

People normally act according to their character. No one is surprised when a person of good character does or says a good thing, and a person of bad character does or says a bad thing. It is almost expected of him or her. Character as I am using it is the aggregate of distinctive qualities which a person exhibits in his or her language and choices. It is built up over time; a child is not born with a character, but develops it. The child’s character is shaped in large measure by his or her environment, and especially by the influence of the parents or whoever takes their place in raising them. Education, natural abilities and deficiencies, and experience make a strong impact. However, I believe that the most important element in the shaping of a person’s character is the moral choices that he or she makes. A person does not have a good or bad character because of someone else, but because of his or her moral choices. When everything is considered, we are...

You can actually keep any New Year’s resolution you make. You really can! The proviso is that it has to be inspired by God. Something you know that God wants you to do, here and now. If he wants you to do it, by that fact you know that it will be possible. “For nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37). God will never ask you to do something which you cannot do. He will never ask you to fly to the moon or to swim across the ocean. He will not ask you to feed all the hungry of the world or to end the scourge of war. There are things that God will ask – some big, some small, some difficult, some easier – and he will ask with confidence, because he knows that with his help you can do it.  Years ago, I would have told you that I could never become Catholic. But then one day I found myself saying, while sitting in my care outside of the office where I worked, “I have to become Catholic.” This was a big step for a WASP* like me, with strong evangelical leanin...

The evangelist Matthew indicates that “magi from the east” travelled to Jerusalem and from there were directed to seek the “newborn King of the Jews” in Bethlehem. The magi were stargazers and likely of a priestly class in Persia, well-educated, clearly having a knowledge of other cultures and religion, and because of their learning and position of prominence are referred to as “Wise Men” in some English translations of the Gospel. They were the first among the Gentiles to offer homage to the Savior of the world. The occasion of the Solemnity of the Epiphany, which celebrates their visit, made me think about the Christians of the Middle East who live today in decidedly non-Christian environments, which are often hostile to the practice of their faith. As you know, the birthplace of Christianity is the Middle East. The beginning of the Church was initiated by God through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles gathered in the “Upper Room” in Jerusalem, on the Jewish fea...

Pope Francis issued a decree on December 8, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, dedicating the year following, until the same date in 2021, as a “Year of St. Joseph” in observance of the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as the Universal Patron of the Church by Blessed Pope Pius IX. The Holy Father remarks in the Apostolic Letter announcing the occasion, Patris Corde (“With a Loving Heart”), that after our Blessed Mother Mary, no saint is mentioned more frequently in the papal magisterium than St. Joseph. Pope Francis gives the reason for deciding to dedicate the year to St. Joseph: “My desire to do so increased during these months of pandemic, when we experienced, amid the crisis, how ‘our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked. People who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in these very days are surely shaping the decisive events of our history. Doctors, nurses...

Thanks be to God that we will be able to celebrate Christmas Masses in person. Christmas is one of the two highest ranked solemnities of the liturgical year, with only Easter preceding it in rank and in history. I look forward to it with great anticipation. At the same time, I know that it is important for everyone to consider carefully how they will celebrate this great feast. For most of you, Christmas Mass is an essential component of your festivities. This is as it should be, for Christmas is the celebration of the Word made flesh, the birth of the Son of God to a human mother for humanity’s salvation. There is something essential missing in any celebration of Christmas which omits Christ and his blessed Mother. Christmas exists so that we might be saved from our sins. The Son of God became the Son of a woman so that he could offer himself in sacrifice on the Cross, and through his Church give us his Body to eat and Blood to drink in a mystical feast. He said, ...