Howdy,

It is almost February and this is usually a rather slow time in a parish...but not this year. Next weekend begins the annual diocesan campaign, the Charity and Development Appeal (CDA). Before Mass there will be a video from Bishop Dolan so please plan to arrive a little early.

Next week we have decided in light of the Eucharistic Revival that the American Bishops have called for, we will begin having Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament starting after the 9:00am Mass and concluding at 6:00pm. There will be sign-up sheets in the vestibule so that we know that Our Lord is never left alone. Our plan is to, at least, continue this through Easter.

Howdy,

I am sure most of you have heard that Bishop Dolan has accepted my offer to resign as pastor. Obviously, I have very mixed feelings about leaving, but it is the best for me and for my health. I am confident that with our great staff and with our wonderful community, the future will be very bright.

Beloved in Christ,

As we welcome the second Sunday in Ordinary time of the Liturgical Year, let us behold Jesus Christ the Lamb of God as the Gospel tells us, with love and humility to draw mercy and strength from Him. The USCCB has encouraged us to continue this year to preach and promote the Eucharistic Revival Campaign in our different parish levels. The focus of the Eucharistic Revival is on the Real Presence. We are called to believe and preach that the Blessed Eucharist is the Body, Soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ (CCC), and our food for eternal life (John 6:54).

A friend of mine is a young priest who teaches high school physics at a Catholic boys’ prep school. Like many today, the boys often think science and religion are enemies. So, he delights in their raised eyebrows when he reminds them his first full-time job as a priest was to be an astrophysicist. He cataloged the size, shape, and matter of distant stars. He tells them, “Science gave me more love for God, not less.”

We hide ourselves and our secrets from God because we are afraid. Even Mary can seem too perfect to approach. The shepherds find the strength to speak to Mary and Joseph at the moment they see the child in the manger. They open their hearts and share what they’ve experienced. Saint Luke writes of the shepherds, “When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.”

Howdy,

Merry Christmas to all! One of the greatest gifts I have received this year is the joy of our parish family gathering again after Covid. This Fall has been busy and there is much more planned for the future. Most of all, it is wonderful to see the joy on so many faces as we gather again.

Christmas is family time, and family means more than simply relations through blood. Yes, those are special and very important, but so are the friends, neighbors, co-workers, and all those who touch our lives in special ways.

A seminary professor of mine once said, “Don’t confuse enthusiasm for a virtue with the virtue itself.” How easy it’s been in my life as a priest to talk about the greatest of virtues — love — and totally fail to live up to its concrete demands!

Fortunately, our religion is not mainly about ideas or virtues but about persons. The angel of the Lord says to Joseph, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Mt.1:20).

I know many of you are asking about the Rectory project, so I want to bring you up to date. Due to the Covid crisis, as I said earlier, we paused our meetings and fund-raising for a while. In September we began to look again at the project and where we stood. We are through the City of Scottsdale and are almost ready to pull permits. We do have one more meeting with the diocese to look at our finances.

Advent is a season where we focus on both John the Baptist and our Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Sunday readings will help us, but, especially for our Blessed Mother, we have two very special celebrations.

First, is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, this coming Thursday. It is a holy day of obligation as we remember God’s preparing the world for the birth of His Son by preparing Mary to be His mother. We will have our regular 9:00am Mass and a Mass at 6:00pm.

This weekend we begin the Holy Season of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation...for what? Santa Claus? Well, maybe.

The name “santa claus” comes from the Dutch name for St. Nicholas, “Sinterklaas”. St. Nicholas was a monk from Eastern Europe who died in the year 343. He was known for his great kindness and generosity, especially for the poor.

I know, I am always asking you to slow down, especially in these busy seasons preparing for something special from our God. Next weekend, we will have our annual “Bethlehem Gift Shop”, as Ayman will again be here with woodcarvings from the Holy Land. Ok, you can do some Christmas shopping!

I am again in Mexico for their annual quinceañera celebration, then I am off to El Salvador for their graduation ( their school schedule is different from ours) and quinceañera. Lots of celebrating!

Next weekend is the Solemnity of Christ the King, which marks the end of our liturgical year. We have walked with Jesus another year and heard him teach us. After that, we begin the season of Advent, preparing ourselves again to receive the gift of God’s Son into our world.

November is a month to focus on Thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for here at St. Bernard’s. Yes, we all have problems and issues, and our elections will bring some anger and disappointment, but we cannot let those things dominate our spirit. In Old Greek, the word “eucharist” means thanksgiving. We are a Eucharistic people, a thanksgiving people.