We have just about reached the astronomical mid-point of winter. Tuesday, February 2nd might be famous around these parts as Groundhog Day, but here we will celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. This is the traditional end of the Christmas Season, forty days after Christmas. Read more.
I hope this finds everyone well. Yes, there is still much around us to be disconcerting, but grounded in our life of faith and the certainty that such a wonderful gift bestows upon us, we all walk in hope. No matter our feelings about the happenings in our country and throughout the world, we respond always first in prayer and gratitude. As we maintain attitudes of gratitude for the many blessings which have been bestowed upon us our eyes are opened to see the positive and not the negative, hope not despair, love not hate. Read more.
As we celebrate this weekend the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, we also observe the relatively new “Sunday of the Word of God”. By an initiative of Pope Francis two years ago, this day reminds us that we are indeed a “People of the Book” – that our history, our tradition, and the core of our faith is grounded in and through the Bible – the eternal Word of the Father. As a sure sign of hope in the midst of the uncertainty of the world around us, it was reported this past week that: ”a Catholic podcast featuring a priest reading and analyzing the Bible has been at the top of the Apple Podcast charts since January 2nd, ahead of secular podcasts produced by such organizations as The New York Times, NBC News, and NPR. ‘The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz),’ produced by Ascension Catholic Faith Formation, part of Ascension Press, features episodes containing two to three scriptural readings, a reflection on those readings by Fr. Mike Schmitz, and a prayer. Each episode is about 15 to 25 minutes long, and a new episode is set to be released each day of 2021.” Read more.
Fr. Mike Schmitz is joined by renowned Catholic Bible scholar Jeff Cavins to talk about The Great Adventure Bible Timeline, their personal experiences with the Bible, and what it means to live life through the lens of Scripture.
Today, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, marks the end of the Christmas Season on our liturgical calendar. Now begins the short, yet important preparation for the coming Lenten Season, which begins on Ash Wednesday (February 17th). Given the pandemic restrictions we do not yet know what Ash Wednesday will look like, but I am sure that it will be much different than times past. Read more.
Hopefully, we all had a safe, healthy, and reasonably enjoyable Holy/holiday season. It was surreal in many ways, for sure. I am sure it’s not a stretch to say that I hope and pray that 2021 will be a much better year for all of us. With the hope and promise of a vaccine being available for most of us by this spring, the end seems around the corner. I hope that the letter in the bulletin a few weeks ago outlining the moral implications of the vaccine will have allayed any fears or doubts about receiving the vaccine. I am sure by the time that I am eligible to get it I will be in line. I cannot say that I don’t get a bit concerned each time that either Father JM or I have to go to the hospital, a long-term health care facility, or even a parishioner’s home. Read more.