Today’s Gospel urges Christians to remain true to their nature to love even when the people around them remain adamant in their nature to hate.

In the First Reading, Saul loved David like a Son, but Saul began to be jealous of David’s popularity. Saul began to pursue David to kill him in order to remove this threat. It would be expected, given the opportunity that David would in turn take Saul’s life in order to “get even.” But when Saul and his men fall asleep and David had a good chance of hitting Saul, he did not “take advantage” of him. David respected Saul as anointed by God.

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

This month of February is a month filled with special joyful celebrations that contribute toward this Jubilee Year of Hope.

We began the month with the annual acknowledgment of the World Day of the Sick with Mass and the Sacrament of the Sick on February 2.

Many of our youth and young adults, as they attend the Sunday Mass regularly, eventually may ask if God may be calling them to the priesthood or religious life. For boys and young men who have served at the altar, in particular, look to their priests as potential role models in serving the Church. Girls and young women too look to serving Holy Mother Church in religious life as sisters, nuns, and brides of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For those who do not know, the Church has just embarked upon a Jubilee year. This year is called “Pilgrims of Hope." Every twenty-five years, the Pope proclaims a special year of "Jubilee."

In 2025, Pope Francis invites us to be renewed in hope: This Jubilee will thus be a Holy Year marked by the hope that does not fade, our hope in God. May it help us to recover the confident trust that we require, in the Church and in society, in our interpersonal relationships, in international relations, and in our task of promoting the dignity of all persons and respect for God’s gift of creation

Reflecting on the first reading from the Book of Nehemiah, we can see how this community, about 450 years before Christ, gathered to listen the Word of God: the book was brought before the community, which consisted of men, women, and children, it was opened before everyone from a high place, every one stood up, it was proclaimed from a wooden platform, they all responded “Amen, Amen”, and there was an interpretation of what was read.

Dear Friends, Due to the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area, we are asking parishioners to donate directly to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ wildfire relief efforts at https://lacatholics.org/california-fires/ as soon as possible.

Today we celebrate the baptism of the Lord as we can hear in the first reading how God the Father presents us with his beloved Son in whom he is pleased, but he also reminds us that it is through Jesus that salvation will come to all of us, yes, through baptism Jesus helps his chosen people by sharing that baptism to reincorporate us to God the Father. Later, Peter shows us how Jesus shares this salvation without distinction to all nations, whoever they may be, since we are all children of God.

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, the revelation of God to all peoples and as we already know that the wise men represent precisely the nations of the world, they had the privilege of knowing how to distinguish a star different from the others that would guide them to God born in a manger.

The Feast of the Holy Family highlights the profound mystery of family life as exemplified by Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. This occasion invites reflection on the sanctity and importance of familial relationships, encouraging us to model our own families after their example of love, respect, and unity. As we gather in worship, we are reminded to cherish our families, nurture our bonds, and recognize the blessings and challenges that come with family life. This feast serves not only as a celebration of the Holy Family but also as a call to enrich our own families with faith, compassion, and understanding, fostering environments where love can thrive.

Happy Advent! This season of waiting and preparation is just what we need in order to joyfully welcome the Lord at Christmas. In Holy Scripture we hear of - “a just shoot” - a tender shoot sprouting, rising, promising new life. Jesus is the true “just shoot.” In the midst of all the busyness, we are invited to embrace a sense of peaceful waiting and joyful expectation during the season of Advent. We are called to “prepare the way of the Lord” deep within our hearts.

This weekend is Gaudete Sunday; meaning Joy! The prophet Zephaniah of the 7th Century B.C. exhorts Israel to rejoice, to be glad for her King is with her to defend her from misfortune and fear. The hardships Israel endured was the consequence of her own waywardness by having strayed from ‘communion’ with the Lord. She was beaten down by rival nations and exiled from their homeland. Israel’s king is the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Joseph.

In the year 1995, in the seventeenth year of my life, when Fife Symington was governor of Arizona, Bill Clinton was president of the United States, Chuck Keiffer was pastor of St. Theresa parish in Phoenix, Arizona, and Ron and Mary were my parents, the word of God came to my youth minister Eric and through him I started to see the salvation of God. Soon, Christ came into my life never to leave. I’m thankful beyond words.

Today, is the First Sunday of Advent, which is also the first Sunday of the new liturgical year. The Advent season includes the four Sundays that precede Christmas. Advent is a time of preparation for the coming of the Lord. In this season, we recall two central elements of our faith: the final coming of the Lord in glory and the incarnation of the Lord in the birth of Jesus. The key themes of the Advent season are watchful waiting, preparation, and justice.

With modern technology that is all around us, everything becomes automatic and instant. I noticed that people nowadays can easily become impatient with little things. They cannot simply wait. This is what Advent teaches us – the value of waiting!