We have entered into a new liturgical year and also into the season of Advent. In the busyness and distractions of getting ready for Christmas and all of the holiday celebrations, it can become very easy for us to lose sight of the importance of the Advent season and the spiritual preparation that the Church is calling us to before Christmas.   

As we approach the end of November, we are nearing the end of our liturgical year and prepare to start a new year in Christ with the season of Advent. We end the liturgical year with the great Solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe which reveals much about our times and the mission Jesus our King is entrusting to us. 

October is Respect Life month, and it is a reminder that we are called to respect all human life from the moment of conception to natural death. 

In a recent address at an interreligious meeting with young people in Singapore, Pope Francis was quoted as saying, “All religions are paths to God.”  This remark has caused quite a bit of confusion and concern regarding what the Church teaches about Jesus Christ, the Church, and the path to salvation.
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On Sept. 14, we celebrated the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. This great feast day helps us to remember all that the Cross reveals about God’s merciful love for us and how Jesus’ death on the Cross not only reconciles us to God but restores our deep and intimate communion with him.