Dear Parishioners,

I pray that this Christmas season is filled with peace and joy for you and your family. It is important to remember Christmas is not a day—but a season of joy. It is a time we as Christians focus on the gift of a God who became flesh and dwelt among us. He reveals Himself in simplicity and humility. This is how God acts and exposes His Divine Love. It is true, beautiful and good….human hearts are drawn to this mystery in the infant Jesus and the Holy Family.

Dear Parishioners,

This bulletin reflection is for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, that this year is one full day! It has been a beautiful journey to ready ourselves for the coming of Our Lord; to Be Watchful—Be Alert—Listen. As we now prepare in our final day to celebrate Christmas...the Birth of Christ our Savior.

Dear Parishioners,

We continue our Advent journey and once again hear from John the Baptist this weekend. He reminds us that he came to testify to the lights, to Jesus. He was not the light but the one who prepares the way for the light, for others to encounter the deep love and mercy of Jesus.

Dear Parishioners,

It is the second week of our Advent Journey and we continue our efforts to “Be Watchful-Be Alert-Listen”. Trusting that God is speaking to His people through His Son, His Spirit and His Church. The readings from the Prophet Isaiah during Advent are hopeful and comforting. They were written for a people in exile during the Babylonian captivity. These people deeply longed to be saved, to see God’s face and to be set free. It is a message that finds its fulfillment in Jesus, Emmanuel—God with us. The one who shows us the face of God, the one who saves us and sets us free.

Dear Parishioners,

O Come, O Come Emmanuel. This common chant/song helps us to understand a key part of the Advent season, as we recognize that Emmanuel means, “God is with us.” It is an Advent song that we sing with longing for God to be with us, for a deepening of our faith, hope and love. We as a people know and celebrate that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, grew up in Nazareth and suffered, died and rose in Jerusalem and ascended to heaven; but we still wait for Him to perfect all things when He comes again.

Dear Parishioners,

This weekend is the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe or what we have more often called, Christ the King. While Christ has always been King, the Feast was not instated until 1925 by Pope Pius XI in response to the growing secularism and atheism in the world. During this time in Mexico, Russia and other parts of Europe there were militant secularistic regimes that threatened and persecuted the Catholic Church. In Mexico, many faithful Catholics called the “Cristeros” were martyred for the faith and the great cry “Viva Cristo Rey” became their last words. They kept Christ the King as the center of their lives despite anti-Christian governments.

Dear Parishioners,

This coming week we gather with friends and family to celebrate the American holiday—Thanksgiving. It is a beautiful holiday to stop and give thanks—to be grateful in this fast paced world that is often more ready to criticize and complain than give thanks. Of course, we as Catholics give thanks every time we gather for Eucharist...we are truly thanksgiving people.

St Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5, “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This can be hard if we see gratitude or thanksgiving as an emotion rather than a virtue. Christian thanksgiving does not depend on circumstances but on practices and habits we develop by always looking for the good and trusting in God.

Dear Parishioners,

One of my favorite quotes is from Saint Augustine, Bishop in the late 4th and early 5th century.

“Bad times, hard times, this is what people keep saying, but let us live well, and the times shall be good. We are the times, such as we are, such are the times.”

Dear Parishioners,

As you read this I hope the Diamondbacks have clinched the World Series title. A worldly hope, but none the less a hope. What is Christian hope? This week at morning Mass, St. Paul in his letter to the Romans, speaks of hope, “for in hope we were saved.” It also speaks of “creation groaning” in this life, much like we groan when we watch the news these days...hoping for peace, for the respect of human life and care for those most vulnerable. As Christians, we groan as we wait in hope for God’s fulfillment.

Dear Parishioners,

The end of October and first days of November take on a special focus in the Church as we celebrate All Hallows’ Eve on October 31st, All Saints Day on November 1st and All Souls Day on November 2nd. They are days that help us to focus on the Communion of Saints—”the communion of all the faithful of Christ, those who are pilgrims on earth, the dead who are being purified, and the blessed in heaven, all together forming one Church; and we believe that in this communion, the merciful love of God and his saints is always [attentive] to our prayers” (Paul VI, CPG 30).

This weekend we express our gratitude to God for Fr. Simon and his generous service to this parish. I have known Fr. Simon over the years since his arrival in the United States, but have definitely gotten to know him better once he was assigned here at Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and most recently since I arrived as pastor. Living together, sharing a meal, prayer and working side by side with him in ministry has been a joy.

Dear Parishioners,

“Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me…”

This familiar line from the popular hymn is an important one to reflect upon given the recent uprising in Israel and Palestine, the continued war in Ukraine, and the mean spirited division we see in so many areas of the world. Having just been to Israel in April celebrating Holy Week and Easter it was hard to watch the news on Saturday and see what was happening in the country. It is a beautiful land with beautiful people and troubling to see such violence and anger towards fellow human beings. True peace comes only from the Prince of Peace—in justice that is merciful and kind.

Dear Parishioners,

I was filled with joy this past weekend with the presence of so many people participating in the various gatherings here at Saint Bernard. I gave thanks to God over and over for your loving witness as a community.

Presence—physical presence is an important part of the Christian journey. A fundamental teaching of our Church is the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and the deep love of God who desires to be physically present with us in our Sunday gatherings at Mass. Our Sunday obligation or rather “opportunity” is a reminder of His Real Presence and our call to be present to Him and one another.

It is hard to believe it is October already. For us in Arizona it is a promise of cooler weather and the months of desert beauty we love. As Catholics, this month is filled with special feast days, starting with October 1st, the Feast of Saint Therese of Lisieux. Her little way is a model for many to love the Lord in every situation we find ourselves in.

The rest of the month includes many Catholic favorites—the Holy Guardian Angels, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Faustina, Our Lady of the Rosary, St. Denis and Companions, St. John XXIII, St. Margaret Mary Alacouque, St. Luke, St. Paul of the Cross, St. John Paul II, St. John of Capistrano, St. Anthony Mary Claret and Sts. Simon and Jude. Plus many other saints that fill our days and lives.