In our second reading today, St. Paul touches on celibacy, one of the core practices in the Catholic Church, that has often been a subject of discussion among Catholics and non-Catholics alike especially in the wake of recent sex scandals involving priests. It is important to understand the historical root of celibacy and why the Church considers it a virtue for Priests and Religious in the Latin Rite.

The story of Jonah in our first reading today is one of the most popular stories in the Bible, especially among children. The first time God called Jonah, he was afraid to follow God’s command to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. As a result, he was punished when a fish swallowed him up for three days. As we hear in the first reading, when God called Jonah a second time, he obeyed and went to Nineveh. Similarly, in the Gospel, Jesus called the disciples and they immediately followed Him, leaving everything behind.

The month of January is generally known as the Pro-Life month, especially among Christians in the United States. Special prayers are offered throughout this month for the protection of human life from conception until natural death. This week, you’re invited to join thousands of Catholics nationwide in prayer for the respect of human life during a special Novena called 9 Days for Life (9daysforlife.com) from January 21-29.

The Christmas Season ends today with this celebration of the Baptism of the Lord. We can now put away all Christmas decorations. We will begin the 1st week in Ordinary Time, Year “B” tomorrow, January 11th. Ordinary Time lasts from this week until Ash Wednesday on February 17th. I thank everyone for their participation in the Christmastide this year. My special thanks to the Art and Environment ministers and the Liturgy Ministry leaders for their effective planning for the Christmas and New Year Liturgies. I also thank those who sent donations for the poinsettias and other gifts to the parish and staff during this time.

The Baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan by St. John the Baptist marks the beginning of His ministry; it was a major turning point in Jesus’s life, especially since we know very little of his life between the ages of 12 and 30. As we heard in the Gospel today, right after his Baptism, the heavens were opened and the Spirit of the Lord descended upon him in the form of a dove. The voice of the Father was heard, “This is my beloved son, listen to him.” God’s voice is heard at the baptism of each one of us reminding us that we are his beloved sons and daughters.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, meaning the revelation of God to the gentiles. Epiphany, commonly known as the story of the “Wise Men,” is one of the most popular stories in the Bible. We are told that the three wise men, also known as the “Magi’’ or “Three Kings of Orient,” traveled a long distance from the Eastern part of the world to Jerusalem, following the guidance of a star in search of the newborn King, Jesus. One question many people ask is, “Why do we call them wise men if they were pagans?” They are generally considered wise men because they were able to search for Jesus using common sense and natural science; they embarked on a journey in search of God as pagans but when they found the Baby Jesus, they worshipped him and then returned as missionaries and believers in God.

This weekend, the Church presents us with the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph as a role model for all Christian families. The scripture readings today give some practical examples of the roles children and parents have and how each can help create a holy family and home. We hear some key words that describe the nature between each relationship within the holy family such as love, respect and obedience. This goes beyond the interrelationships within the family...it also pertains to our relationship with God and others in society. The Gospel reading presents Joseph and Mary as being obedient to the Jewish tradition and God. Ordinarily, Mary has no physical reason to present herself for purification. A lamb is to be offered for the ritual sacrifice of atonement, but in the case of a poor couple, two turtledoves and two pigeons would do. The first child to be born is sacred and presented to the Lord, because that child opened the womb.

On this fourth Sunday of Advent, our scripture readings are focused on the “Temple of God.” Our First Reading today tells us the story of King David who wanted to build a Temple for the Lord in appreciation for God’s favor to him and his nation. We are told that God sent Prophet Nathan to tell David that his plan was rejected. Nathan explained to King David about the implication of his intention and why God rejected his plan. Ordinarily, King David’s plan to build a house for the Lord was a wonderful idea, however the motive behind his intention was that he was trying to reward God for his goodness and blessings towards him, which is a sin of pride. We learned from King David’s mistake that no matter how blessed and how grateful we are, no human being can reward God and God does not bless us in exchange for our loyalty to him or our good behaviors. God generously bestows his blessings upon us, unconditionally.

As we observe Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday this weekend, we may ask ourselves, “What is there to rejoice about in the midst of the pandemic?” In our Second Reading today, St. Paul reminds us to rejoice always in all circumstances. Even in the midst of the pandemic and other challenges, we have many reasons to rejoice this weekend and always. Our reasons to rejoice go beyond the need for physical health or protection from harm. It is the Joy of the Lord, the joy that the world cannot give us. In the First Reading, Prophet Isaiah describes his reasons for rejoicing in the Lord. We too can share with him in rejoicing that the spirit of the Lord is upon us, that the Lord has anointed us, that the Lord has entrusted us with the opportunity to announce the Good News, to heal the broken-hearted and to set the captives free. In the Gospel Reading today, John the Baptist also rejoices that he was given the honor of announcing the arrival of Jesus Christ. He saw the light of Jesus Christ, he testified to the Light, he pointed at the Light and in doing so, directed people to follow Christ.

If we were to give a nickname to the liturgy this weekend, it would be “Announcement Sunday.” This is because the First Reading and the Gospel are quite similar; both Isaiah and John the Baptist announce the need for preparation for the arrival of the Messiah. The First Reading from Prophet Isaiah begins with, “Comfort my people.” What a beautiful message! God gave the Prophet Isaiah the privilege to see the future events that preceded the arrival of the Messiah. He heard the voice of someone crying out in the desert, calling people to repent, preparing them for the coming of the Messiah.

His prophecy was clearly fulfilled more than 700 years later in the person of John the Baptist. As foretold, John the Baptist did not only call people to repentance in preparation for the coming of the Lord, he also had the honor of baptizing the people to wash away their sins in the River Jordan.

Welcome to the new Liturgical year (cycle B) and also the beginning of the Advent season! The season of Advent is a four week period of preparation and hopeful anticipation for the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas day. The scripture readings within Advent generally focus on the Incarnation (Jesus coming as flesh for the world, fully God and fully human) and the second coming of Christ.

Our scripture readings today remind us to stay awake and alert. The parable Jesus gives in the Gospel forewarns us that his second coming will take many people by surprise. Our whole lifetime is given to us to prepare for a journey into eternity. If He comes and finds us ready and actively preparing through service to others and prayer, then we will join Him in the Kingdom of Heaven. However, if He comes and finds us spiritually asleep with the doors of our hearts firmly closed to Him, then we will face the consequence of rejecting Him, which is an eternal separation from God in hell.

This weekend, as we come to the end of the liturgical year, the Church invites us to reflect on the kingship of Jesus Christ. Pope Pius XI established the Feast of Christ the King in 1925 as a declaration of the Christian belief that the reign of Christ must be felt, not only in our private lives of Christians, but also in the public domain. The Feast originated as an objection against the rise of modern secularism right after the First World War (1914 -1919). At that time, there was a rise in the ideology of the power of humanity to rule itself. This led to a cultural superiority and leadership struggle among powerful world leaders with Hitler proposing himself as the dominator of the known world and other leaders striving for dominance over the whole world. The Church introduced the Feast of Christ the King of the Universe to send a message to the world leaders that no individual person can have control over the whole world except Jesus Christ who has ultimate power over the universe.

Our Scripture readings this weekend focus on the theme of “Spiritual investment.” The First Reading from the Book of Proverbs speaks of a virtuous wife that bears fruit in all things. She is very creative, using every opportunity presented to her to make her family a happy home.

In the Gospel, Jesus gives us a parable to illustrate how we can invest our talents spiritually. In this parable, we see that the man who went on a journey represents Jesus, who ascended to heaven after his resurrection. The servants represent you and me. The money symbolizes our God-given talents. In his absence, Jesus expects us to use our talents to build up his kingdom. The emphasis in this story is on the man with the least amount of money, or talents. He made no effort to trade with his talent for fear of losing it. He probably thought that he had so little in comparison to the others that he could be excused.

Over the next three weeks, the readings will focus on “being prepared.” This is because we are approaching the end of the Liturgical Year A. The story of wedding preparation in the Gospel today may not make any sense to us in the Western Culture. However, the point of the story is not so much about the wedding ceremony itself but on the need to be prepared so the Lord will fi nd us ready when he comes.

Today’s second reading contains a reference to an event sometimes called “the rapture.” St. Paul explains that when the trumpet sounds, there will be two groups of Christians: “those who have fallen asleep” and “we who are alive.” St. Paul states that those who are living will have no advantage over those who have died. Jesus will raise the dead and then those who are le[ behind; that is, Christians still alive will be caught up in the air with them. We will meet Christ who will transform us along with those whose bodies now rest in the ground.