Monday, January 12 is the official beginning of the liturgical season of Ordinary Time. It is the first segment of the 2026 Ordinary Time season; the second segment starts after the conclusion of the Easter Season (Pentecost Sunday). Our current phase of Ordinary Time begins on the day after we celebrate Jesus’ Baptism and ends on Tuesday, February 17, the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. Maxwell E. Johnson, in an essay entitled “The Acceptable Year of the Lord”, which is published in the January issue of Give Us This Day: Daily Prayer for Today’s Catholic, reminds us that Christ is present to us in our own time, not just in history. He writes that the entire liturgical year, composed of its numerous seasons, fasts and feasts, “is not a historical re-enactment of past events, but rather the saving encounter with Christ who lives ‘today’ for us and for our salvation…” (p. 90). Ordinary Time, the longest of the church’s liturgical seasons, provides us with the opportunity to experience, in Jesus, God’s call, God’s teachings and God’s actions in our world.

Merry Christmas!

If you are joining us today for the first time, or if you are returning to church for the first time in a while, or you join us every weekend, welcome home. While you are here I hope you experience the joy and peace you’re searching for this Christmas. On behalf of the entire pastoral and support staff of St. Mary’s Parish I wish all of you and your families a Merry and Blessed Christmas.

The Christmas season, while short in length, consists of more than just Christmas Day itself or the Twelve Days of Christmas (December 25 to January 5); it lasts until the Baptism of Jesus which, in 2026, is celebrated on January 11. Looking at the gospel readings for the Christmas vigil and Christmas Day Masses (including what is traditionally known as the Midnight Mass), we see that the three gospels that have relevant passages (Matthew, Luke and John) are featured. The vigil Mass features the account of Jesus’ human ancestry and his birth found in Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 1:1-25). The next two Masses, Mass at Night and Mass at Dawn, give us accounts from the gospel of Luke (Luke 2:1-14 and Luke 2:15-20). The so called “Prologue” of John’s gospel (John 1:1-18) is the gospel for the Masses celebrated during Christmas Day. You will find all of these readings at https://bit.ly/USCCBChristmas.

Mini reflection: Advent is drawing quickly to a close, and Christmas is coming soon. The change is upon us. Do we rise to accept it, or do we fall on our faces in fear?

The First Transfiguration

I imagine Joseph waking up the morning after the dream, blinking in the dim half-light of the dawn.

This year, all four of the first readings on the Sundays of Advent are from the book of the prophet, Isaiah. This book of the Old Testament is quite long (66 chapters) and probably had numerous authors, among them Isaiah himself and some of his disciples. For a great introduction to the book of Isaiah, go to the Bible Project, a Christian organization that provides excellent audio and visual guides to all of the Protestant Bible’s many books as well as numerous biblical themes; here’s the website for the book of Isaiah: https://bit.ly/BibleProjectIsaiah.

The month of November often directs our minds to the end times, as we complete our observance of Ordinary Time and work our way to the Feast of Christ the King and the end of the liturgical year. This year, however, the first two Sundays of November give us different points of focus. On November 2, as we observe All Souls Day, we commemorate all those who have died; we remember that “the souls of the just are in the hand of God” and that, as St. Paul has told us, “hope does not disappoint”. The next Sunday, November 9, we celebrate the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, the Pope’s church; we are told that we are “God’s building” and we see that, as he cleanses the Jerusalem temple of money changers and merchants, Jesus is consumed with zeal for his Father’s house. Neither of these Sundays has the usual focus of the last Sundays of Ordinary Time, which we experience on November 16, the 33^rd Sunday of Ordinary Time. On this day, we are reminded that the day of the Lord is coming; Jesus assures us, however, that by our “perseverance” we will be saved. We begin a new liturgical year with the celebration of the First Sunday of Advent; Year A, the new liturgical year, begins on November 30. You can always prepare for the Sunday readings at https://liturgy.slu.edu/.

Dear Friends,

As the book of Ecclesiastes tells us, there is a time for everything. It also reminds us that there is good news, and God is involved in all of it, the events, the changes and the transitions of life. I’m writing to you this weekend to inform you that our Music Director, Terry Kerr has decided to retire from ministry. His retirement will be effective, at the end of the Christmas Season.

Every year, the Church commemorates the anticipation of, and then the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus through its celebration of the different liturgical seasons, what we call the liturgical year. Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB writes in her book, The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life, that “[e]ach church year moves with measured rhythm in order to knit Jesus’ life and vision into our own personal journeys through time” (p. 210). Throughout this month of October, we continue to celebrate the liturgical season of Ordinary Time, a time, which, according to Sr. Joan, specifically invites us to “grow into” and “grow through” the “meanings and messages” of what we hear and learn throughout the year (p. 211).