This week we hear about Jesus as he is in the desert and fasts for forty days and is tempted by the devil. Jesus stays faithful and He chooses what is right. This is a reminder that Lent is a time to turn away from sin and follow Jesus more closely. Try to picture what the world would be like if Adam and Eve did not give in when Eve was tempted in the Garden of Eden. Man brought about sin, but another man, Jesus, brings us life. Through Jesus we are made right with God again and gives us hope. Lent is a season for change, to say no to things that pull us away from God. We need to trust, to pray and to begin again during Lent.

We have now crossed the threshold of Lent. Each year marked in the boldness of ashes upon our forehead; we are marked in the cross of Christ. This is a pivotal crossroads for us, because it is here that we must decide how well invested into the process of Lent that we are. Lent is a penitential season primarily designed for us to be led into a deeper conversion. The first order of business is that all the faithful are called to admit their faults, take a long look into the mirror of our soul, and determine what must change about us.

This week we are asked to think about our choices. God gives us the freedom to choose between good and evil. He doesn't force us. God gave us the commandments, not to burden us, but to guide us to make the right choices. We hear this Sunday, that Jesus didn't come to get rid of the law for the Jews but instead to have the people learn its full meaning. Jesus tells us that it is not just by our actions that we gain the entrance to heaven, but that we need to be honest, to be pure, to let go of anger, and to speak with truth. Anger can be just as harmful as violence, and impure thoughts can lead a person away from God. We need to live with self-control and be guided toward holiness with love as its center. We are reminded by Saint Paul that God has good things planned for those who love Him.

Dear Parish Family,

We find ourselves at the brink of entering the season of Lent. This is a time for change. It's not so much being concerned with how others change, but how such change begins with us. In this jubilee year of St. Francis his prayer rings true to let peace begin with me. You want change than be the change, you want more fervor than practice it! Don't try to transfer your sense of piety on others, if anything, you should be a good example of humility and let that be contagious. After all, we can only change ourselves. We are also called to bloom where we are planted, to pick-up our cross, not run from it or move away from it.

Our faith is not something we should keep hidden. This week we hear Jesus say that we should be like salt and light. These are simple items, but they help us understand what it means to be followers of Christ. This Sunday we read that we should help others, we should care for the poor, we should be kind and trust in God. We need to point ourselves to Jesus and live in a way that points others to God. Our faith must show in our actions not just in our words. By serving and helping others we reflect God's love.

Dear Parish Family,

Something wonderful occurs as the minutes of light grow in number during the month of February. Our days become a little longer, brighter, and in Arizona a little warmer with the return of the sun. It's a bit of a miracle really to begin witnessing nature awakening from her deep winter slumber. Arizona is privy to literally front row seats, as the deserts will soon burst into color as the sun calls the wildflowers to bloom. It's supposed to be a great spectacle this year with the winter rain that fell. One thing we learn from nature is if we do not have light, we die.

Dear Parish Family,

Our scripture readings today sheds some light upon the human aspects of our struggle in faith. We learn that such faith is made real and is visible during our moments of heartache and difficulty. The Christian does not run from the cross, nor says may I have an easier one to carry. We obey the Lord and pick up our cross and follow him. Our call to discipleship is our willingness to accept the cross, and to give our lives to Christ. Our struggle is the source of our motive to seek God, and to better align ourselves with Christ.

Have you looked through your high school yearbook lately? Did you look at the fashions such as haircuts, clothes, jewelry that were the coolest thing in their time? They might seem a little silly today, but everyone thought they were the things to wear or have. If you wanted to be cool and fit in, you wore whatever was the rage like big hair, or bowl cuts, from leisure suits to poodle skirts because the reality is, when we were young, one of our greatest desires was just to fit in.

This week we are reminded that God brings light into darkness that He does not leave us alone but is near even in hard times. Isaiah tells us about a people who once lived in gloom but now see light. Jesus begins preaching and calling his first followers and He brings light to Galilee, a place people often forgot about. Jesus tells them to turn their lives around and follow him and His message is simple but clear: the kingdom of heaven is close. Saint Paul tells us to stop fighting and focus on Jesus because we belong to Christ and not to any group or leader.

Dear Parish Family,

In this season of celebrating the coming of the Light of God to all nations, we realize the message from Sacred Scripture is not just for the people in the days of Jesus, but for today as well.

The news of the death of John the Baptist saddened Jesus, but prompted him to retreat, and see that the prophecy from Isaiah be fulfilled. John the Baptist was martyred for the sake of the Light, God Himself. Jesus like John was drawn to the mission of God, the very reason He who is God came into the world.

This Sunday we hear that God calls people for a purpose. Isaiah, a servant, and a faithful person listens and obeys God. We also hear how John the Baptist points to Jesus while calling Him the Lamb of God. Each person has a part in God's plan. John the Baptist sees the Spirit come down on Jesus. He tells everyone that Jesus is the Son of God. This moment shows us who Jesus is and why he came. God chose him, and now he is ready to bring light and life to others. Paul also reminds the people in Corinth that they are holy and called and this message is for us too.

Dear Parish Family,

Though we are back to Ordinary Time for just a few short weeks, we are still reflective of where we've been recently. We also concern ourselves with Quo Vadis, in Latin where are you going? Well for us collectively we are headed to Lent, but in the meantime, we are called to relish in the presence of Jesus among us as one of us.

The Baptism of the Lord reminds us of who Jesus is and what He came to do. He walks into the Jordan River, not because He needs to, but to show us the way. This moment tells us that Jesus is ready to serve. He stands with us, not above us. As He comes out of the water, something amazing happens. The Holy Spirit comes down like a dove. God speaks from heaven and calls Jesus His beloved Son. This is the first clear sign that Jesus is sent by God to bring peace and healing.

Today marks the end of the Christmas Season, but it does not mean what we celebrated has ended. We have become renewed in the hope of the Incarnation, and the profound reality that God loved us so much He became one of us by taking on human form. The spirit of Epiphany lives on in the reality of His manifestation in the world, and our awakening to His presence.

Today we celebrate The Epiphany of Our Lord, and it is a feast that celebrates Jesus being made known to the world. It remembers the visit of the magi, also called wise men, who traveled from far away to find the newborn King. They followed a star that led them to Jesus. This story reminds us that Jesus came for all people. The magi were not Jewish, but they were still welcomed. They brought gifts and knelt before Jesus. This shows that anyone who seeks the truth can come to Him.

Epiphany is here and marks the twelfth day of Christmas. The feast day traditionally falls on January 6th but had been moved to the nearest Sunday. This was an attempt to have more people attend Mass. Today marks the visitation of the Three Magi and is most significant because we witness that the message of salvation causes us to be awakened and responsive to the voice of God. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zacharias, and the shepherds in the field all encountered the voice of God via an angel or in a dream.