On this first Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord, which is called the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, the gospel tells of an angel who again appears to Joseph in a dream and warns him to take Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt to escape from King Herod who ordered the baby Jesus killed. Joseph does as the angel warns him, and he and his wife and child flee to Egypt under the cover of darkness, remaining there until the threat of Herod is over due to his death.

I wish to express my thanks to all the decorators of our Christmas cheer here at St. Catherine of Siena. Under the direction of Ale Palomo, Neil Vayda, Ed Caputo, the Palomo family, and Chris Berg made the church, Russell Hall and our outside looked was filled with the beauty of Christmas and the glory of the Christ Child. Thank you!

Our passage today focuses on Joseph, a righteous man, chosen by God to the earthly father of His Son, Jesus, and Joseph's faithful response to God. Mary is found to be with Child through the Holy Spirit, a situation that could have brought shame and scandal. But, Joseph we are told is a just man, and he chose to act with mercy and compassion.

I pray for joy in our lives, peace in our world and in our families around our dinner tables, as well as on the roadways, and that there is healing in our bodies, minds, spirit and in our words spoken to all. It's a big wish list, but always worth the time and effort.

Gaudete Sunday The third Sunday of Advent, known by the name of Gaudete Sunday, which comes to us from the first word of the introit of the Mass that day, Rejoice!, is a call for all Catholics to celebrate this Sunday with a special kind of Joy or Rejoicing—a supernatural type of Joy—that leads us to understand and live-out the happiness that God desires for all His children.

As Catholics we believe Holy Communion to be the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, this stems from our belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the material elements of bread and wine, which comes about through transubstantiation at Mass. With that in mind, I want to remind us and clarify some of the procedures we as Catholics employ during Holy Communion. For some, when we do something over-and-over again, a ritual or action may lose a little of its “specialness” or in case of the Church, the holiness of an action. Due to our belief in the Real Presence of Christ:

Advent is a profound season of preparation, reflection, and anticipation that enrich es the spiritual journey of Catholics as they prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and look for ward to His return. During this Advent, we may also look to other Catholic traditions to grow our faith— from the Advent calendar filled with chocolates to the Jesse Tree decorated with Old Testament items— all of which draws us deeper into Christ, the breath, depth and fullness of our Catholic faith