To be holy does not require being a bishop, a priest or a religious. We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer. That is not the case. We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves.

We have begun the Ordinary Liturgical Season. Ordinary is not being casual or cynical with our spiritual duties during this time; But the Season itself challenges us to live the life of simplicity and purity every day, filled with deeds of repentance, forgiveness, love and charity.

The Word of God challenges every couple to live Life of faithfulness and fidelity.

In the readings for this Sunday, the Lord tells us clearly how he is the one who has chosen his people Israel to manifest his glory. Through Jesus we are given his grace and glory, and through his light he makes us joint heirs of salvation.

We hear John the Baptist announce his baptism with water and also declare that there is someone greater than him, who will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. John recognizes Jesus when he was walking and announces him, "this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" and this is how John bears witness and presents him to those who are there.

Dear friends.

We have started a new year, 2023, one more cycle in our life that is placed in front of us. And at the beginning we are reminded of the beautiful text of Saint Matthew who says: "... in the time of King Herod, some wise men who came from the East appeared in Jerusalem, saying: "Where is the king of the Jews who has been born? For we saw his star in the East and we have come to adore him” (Cf. Matthew 2,1-2). Those men who came from distant lands embark on a journey, in front of them a new horizon opens.

Welcome to 2023. We are often motivated to make changes in our lives when a new calendar year begins. We focus on things such as exercise, healthy eating, and attitude adjustments; and these are all good things. Brothers and sisters, let’s encourage each other to begin anew and strengthen our relationship with the Lord because our spiritual well-being is far more important. Like the magi, let us be intentional about seeking Jesus and hearing His voice. Our Lord often speaks in the quiet of our hearts so it’s important to be silent when we seek Him.

This is my first Christmas in my pastoral role here at St. Stanislaus, and I have been looking forward to it since before Advent began. As we have been hearing over and over again in the readings in Advent, I have been preparing right alongside you in many ways, including for my new little puppy-her name is Lucia. I will introduce her to you in time, but I believe she will be a great gift to me and our community!

Today IV Sunday of Advent the readings invite us to reflect on the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ true God and true Man.

God reveals himself in Jesus Christ to save us and achieve Eternal Life, but God also reveals himself so that we can remove from ourselves the image of a distant God, of a God that cannot be accessed, the image of a God who does not care of us. God manifests himself in the incarnation of his Son Jesus Christ, so that like Moses we have a friendly relationship with Him (Ex.33:11). God wants us to experience his presence, he wants us to understand that he accompanies us in moments of danger, illness, in problems, in the hour of experiencing pain, in death...

Today is the third Sunday of the Advent season, known as Gaudete Sunday, which means Sunday of Joy. Today's readings really speak to us of great joy as we await the coming of the Lord.

“The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers and rejoice with joyful song.” (Is 35:1)

John the Baptist has a powerful message for us this Second Sunday of Advent:

He is inviting us to make our paths straight and prepare the way of the Lord! We are beautifying and doing lots of landscaping work around our churches and making everything look straight and nice. We should also do this with our life during this Advent Season. Making our crooked paths straight and cleaning our hearts for the Messiah to dwell and journey with us until the end of times.

Dear friends.

We are at the dawn of a new liturgical year, it is the time of Joyful Hope. Soon we will be gathered to announce the preparatory time for the commemoration of the Nativity of the Lord, enlightened this year with the joy of knowing that we will be accompanied by Saint Matthew, the evangelist of the Kingdom, of life, of hope.

The preparatory time is called Advent, the Prophets announce Christ in the readings, His coming is prepared with prayers that tell the Lord to come again: "Come, Lord Jesus." The Virgin Mary stands out in this Time, who teaches us to wait with faith for the second coming of the Lord.

Get ready for the Solemnity of the King of the Universe. Christ is the King of the universe and of each one of us.

He is the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. He is in each one of us with his message of love, justice and service. The Kingdom of Christ is eternal and universal. We know that the Kingdom of Christ has already begun, since He became present on earth from his coming to the world more than two thousand years ago, but Christ will reign over all men until he returns to the world with all his Glory at end of time.

The Advent season is quickly approaching and what better way to enter into the Advent season and prepare for Christmas than by spending an evening of prayer and reflection. All parishioners are invited to attend our Advent Mission: Made for More. Made for More is an inspired blend of live music, art and presentation that taps the deepest desires of the human heart revealing their ultimate purpose and goal.

Thank you to all who responded to the call to serve at a ministry of the Mass! I appreciate the many of you who stepped up and said yes! For those who are still undecided, feel free to contact the parish office if you discern you are ready to serve-we can always use more ministers!