Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Often times you will hear me refer to the Sacred Scriptures in my homilies. The Sacred Scriptures are also the known as the Bible. I wonder if most people know that the Bible IS the Word of God? Most of what we know about Our Lord Jesus comes from Sacred Scripture. Of course we also have historical writings and the Sacred Tradition of our Church as well. This mountain of information hopefully leads us to a deeper relationship with Jesus. As we are formed in the Faith, we come to know Our Lord Jesus. We not only learn about Him but we learn to love Him.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Having your child baptized is what Catholic parents do for their child. Nurturing and raising your baptized child in the faith is also vital to the spiritual life of the child. The rite of baptism makes this important connection during the celebration of the sacrament when the parents of those being baptized are reminded that THEY assume the commitment to "training them in the practice of the faith". The parents and godparents are also reminded in part of the celebration with the words addressed to them: "on your part, you must make it your constant care to bring them up in the practice of the faith. See that the divine life which God gives them is kept safe from the poison of sin, to grow always stronger in their hearts. If your faith makes you ready to accept this responsibility... profess your faith in Christ Jesus. This is the faith of the Church. This is the faith in which these children are about to be baptized".

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

One of the many blessings I have as a priest includes administering the sacrament of Baptism to newborn babies whose parents are presenting them to the Church. So I thought that as we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus, it would be good to address the importance of baptism.

Today, on the banks of the Jordan, Jesus reveals Himself to John and to the people of Israel. This dramatic scene of Our Lord's baptism is the first time that He enters the public scene as an adult, after leaving Nazareth. Upon reaching the Jordan River, Our Lord is among the crowd that is listening to John the Baptist. He lines up like everyone else, waiting to be baptized by John. John the Baptist sees Our Lord approaching and realizes that there is something unique about this man. John recognizes that Jesus the One for whom he has been waiting for his whole life. John understands Jesus is the One who is greater than he and that he was not even worthy to untie His sandals.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

One of the great Christmas traditions of the Church is to bless one's house to start a new year. "Chalking the door" is a centuries-old custom in which Christians gather on the feast of the Epiphany to ask God's blessing on their home. A traditional way of doing this is to take a piece of blessed chalk and inscribe above the entrance door to the home the following: 20 + C + M + B + 19. The "20" and "19" refer to the actual date. The "+" between the letters symbolize the cross of Christ. The "C M B " initials have two meanings: 1) The initials of the three magi: Caspar, Melchoir and Balthazar, the three wise kings or Magi who visited the Christ Child. 2) This is the abbreviated Latin phrase, Christus mansion benedicat, which translates as "May Christ bless the house."

In an effort to strengthen families and revitalize our parish, I would like to invite each family in our parish to consecrate themselves to the Holy Family and to devote themselves to the ideal model of familial love set by Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

To help families live out the joy of Christ, Supreme Chaplain Archbishop William E. Lori has composed a prayer through which families are able come together to consecrate themselves under the protection of the Holy Family. In this prayer, families ask for the aid or intercession of the perfect Son Jesus Christ, Mary our perfect mother, and Joseph who is a model for every father. The Knights of Columbus offer this consecration to help families to grow in holiness and draw closer to the Holy Family.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Today is the 4th Sunday of Advent. Because so many of us will be traveling over Christmas, I want to take this opportunity, on behalf of our parish staff, to wish all of you a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

Over the next few days, we will be wrapping up our Christmas preparations—decorating, buying and wrapping presents, sending cards, and baking. Of course we must remember the most important preparation of all… spiritual ones.

One thing we could all pray for are the visitors coming to our parish. Each Christmas, our churches are filled with visitors who come to pray before the Manger, go to confession, and experience the beauty of the Catholic liturgy.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!

This Sunday is the Third Sunday of Advent. It is also known as Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath. Gaudete means to rejoice. It's as if the lightening of the color from purple to the lighter rose should be reflected in our attitudes. Our Lord is inviting us to rejoice! What are we rejoicing about? For God so loved the world that He sent His Only Begotten Son... He is Emmanuel, God with us, and Savior of all people, who has come and set us free... so rejoice!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Since circles have no beginning and no end, the circular shape of the Advent Wreath is used to symbolize God the Father and eternal life. The wreath holds four candles which are lit over the four weeks of Advent. The light of the flame is a visual reminder that Christ is "The Light of the World" (John 8:12). There are three violet (purple) candles and one rose candle, each representing 1,000 years. Added together, the four candles symbolize the 4,000 years that humanity waited for the Savior.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Welcome to Advent! As a faithful Catholic, you may be asked what is Advent? Simple answer: Advent is the four weeks leading to Christmas that are meant to prepare us for the birth of Christ. As the Catechism reminds us: Only when Christ is formed in us will the mystery of Christmas be fulfilled in us. Christmas is the mystery of this "marvelous exchange": O marvelous exchange! Man's Creator has become man, born of the Virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share our humanity (CCC 526).

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today we celebrate the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the Solemnity of Christ the King. Today we find ourselves standing at the foot of the Cross. Jesus has been crucified and is dying. Our Lord Jesus, who never sinned, is being executed as a common criminal for a crime He did not commit. He was beaten, crowned with thorns, and forced to carry a cross up a hill where He is crucified. He has endured abuse, was jeered at, mocked by soldiers and taunted by the crowds and also by a common criminal who hangs at His side.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I really enjoy this time of the year in Phoenix and in our parish. The weather is beautiful, our programs are in full swing, and people just seem to be more pleasant. It is a great time to stop, rest, and focus on our gratitude! Thanksgiving Day is all about giving thanks to God for His countless blessings in our life.

I have so many reasons to be thankful to God for the wonderful people of St. Joan of Arc. In recent months, our parish has made significant strides in our understanding of stewardship. People continue to register as parishioners and new parishioners are becoming more active members of our parish. More and more folks are realizing that we are all stewards of God's many gifts. Many of you have come together to provide the fixings for Thanksgiving dinner to many families through our St. Vincent de Paul pantry. It is so inspiring to see. Your generosity and thoughtfulness will make a beautiful difference to so many families this Thursday.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Pope Francis, quoting Pope Benedict XVI once wrote: "If indeed 'the just ordering of society and of the state is a central responsibility of politics,' the Church 'cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice.'"

As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops remind us, "Our nation faces many political challenges that demand well informed moral choices: The ongoing destruction of a million innocent human lives each year by: