January 25, 2026: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

God speaks His Word, Who is Jesus Christ, and is a light in the midst of darkness.

We are freed from the burdens of the darkness as Christ comes proclaiming the message of repentance, that we might change the course of our lives to be fully devoted to Him.

Bishop Barron noted in his homily this week that there was lots of division among the tribes of Israel.  Ultimately, Christ came to bring back the tribes together and establish the Church that would be One in Him.

Normally, January 25 is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.  We see in him a great example of someone who wholeheartedly devoted his life to Christ after a powerful encounter with Him, and is a pillar of the Church.

St. Paul had to tell the Corinthians to stop thinking in terms of associating with one figure, but to fix themselves on Christ, Who alone makes God known to us, Who has saved us, and has established the Church.

My thoughts also drift back 7 years ago to attending Mass on the 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time in Panama with Pope Francis.  It was a time of rejoicing in how God's Word was present among us and sending us forth as we came together as One Church.

And as we conclude the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we renew ourselves in our relationship with Christ, Who unifies us, so that we can go forth to make the one God known in our world.

On this Word of God Sunday, we continue to be inspired by the Word that became Flesh among us, and continues to speak so that we can live who we're meant to be as One Church.

January 18, 2026: 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Just as we heard St. John the Baptist point toward Jesus in Advent, so we hear him today point to Jesus as the Lamb of God, the Savior Who takes away our sins.

In baptism, we encounter Christ, Who washes away our sins and transforms us into a new Creation.

Indeed, He calls us to a new sense of purpose.  He has given us His Spirit, just as Jesus was anointed, so that we can follow His way as His Servant and bring light to the world.

We enter into the life of Jesus Christ through our own baptism, and then we're summoned to live out our baptism by bringing the light we have encountered to all the world.  Like the reading from Isaiah says, it's not enough to bring God's blessings to His people: We are meant to bless the whole world.

And we strive in the way that St. Paul writes, as he says the Corinthians are sanctified and called to be holy.

Truly, Christ has given us the great gift of salvation and the means to continously encounter Him as we put this great gift into action.

January 11, 2026: Feast of the Baptism of the Lord

God chose His Son to be His Servant, anointed for the purpose of doing good and bringing liberty in the world.

In obedience to the Father, Jesus came to be baptized.  He didn't need to be cleansed of sin.  He showed the importance of being identified as part of God's people.  Furthermore, He transformed the waters of baptism so that we could rise to fullness of Life as one of God's beloved, as was confirmed when the Spirit appeared at His baptism, and the voice of God spoke.

Indeed, God Who came to be with us as a human has made the way possible for us to join in His Divine nature.  Truly, God made Himself known through the birth of Christ, the visit of the Magi, and the baptism of Christ.  We join in Christ's mission to make God known through living out our baptism, which forms our identity as one of God's own.

January 4, 2026: Epiphany of the Lord Sunday

We continue the spirit of Christmas joy as we rejoice with the Magi, who came from outside of Israel, following the star that revealed God's light to all nations.

It is so wondrous that God sent His Son to redeem His people, and that this blessing spread out to all the world.  (This Feast, like Pentecost, reminds me of World Youth Day, and seeing how the presence of God in the Church is real in people throughout the world.)

And it's amazing to see how the Magi saw the signs and responded by seeking the King so they could worship Him.

Furthermore, on this Christmas Season Feast, we celebrate how God went to great lengths to seek us, even to the point of becoming human.  It is so worthwhile to embrace this God.

On this Feast, we are called anew to walk the path the Magi did to seek God where He is present to His people--just like people are seeking God at the FOCUS SEEK conference in the opening days of 2026.  Just as the nations came to bring splendid gifts, as did the Magi and as is described in the reading from Isaiah 60, may we take the next step and offer God the gift of ourselves.  From these encounters with God, may we go forth transformed to continue walking in God's glorious Light.

Indeed, every time we attend Mass, we experience the real Presence of God Who continues to offer Himself to us, and we are sent forth with something to carry into the world so that God may bless the world with His Presence in us.

January 1, 2026: Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Mary has the extraordinary blessing of bearing the Son of God into the world, Who would bring us all salvation.  Indeed, He was named Jesus before His conception, because He would save us, and on the 8th day after His birth, He was marked with that Name and mission.

He entered into time and humanity through Mary, and became our Savior.

When the shepherds received word of what happened, they came to behold the Child, and then spread the Good News.

The text in the Gospel according to St. Luke says that Mary pondered all these great things that had happened.  It must have been amazing for Mary to look at her Baby and marvel that she was holding God.

We, too, are invited to behold this great mystery of the Incarnation, and let God be born in us and in our world.

December 28, 2025: Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

God entered our world and our humanity, including our family relationships.  Christ was born of Mary and raised by her and St. Joseph, so He could model how we can live in our families virtuously. St. Paul writes about virtuous living in the reading from Colossians, both in general ways and specific ways to each of our particular roles in families as husbands, wives, parents, and children.

By seeking to honor and uphold one another, we continue to live out the meaning of Christmas by making God known in our world.  For we first grow in love within our families, and then it spreads beyond us to bless the world.

It's the 28th day of the month, which is a celebratory day that evokes November 28, when my family came to live in Oak Park.  It's also the birthday of Iowa, and I have family connections there.  These two occasions speak to how family has meant so much to me in my lifetime.

And the family unit has so much to offer the world, because in families, we learn how love is a way to grow in holiness, which is why God entered into family life.

December 27, 2025: Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

The glory of God has been revealed to us in Jesus Christ.  The opening of the Gospel according to St. John says He is the Word Made Flesh, and we experience grace in Him.

Indeed, in the Epistle of 1 John, God revealed Himself in Christ in a tangible way so we could have a deeper relationship with God.

We grow in relationship with God as we open ourselves to the signs God offers us, like the state of the Empty Tomb.  We join with the beloved apostle, seeing the sign and professing belief.