Our Lady of Hope Blog

My Dear Friends,

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, which also ends the Christmas season. Jesus was baptized by St. John in the Jordan. By being baptized, Jesus blesses all water and makes it holy. Besides sacraments, our Catholic faith also has rich tradition of sacramentals. A sacramental is something blessed and is meant to lead us deeper into our faith and prepare us for the sacraments. Holy water is one such sacramental.

My Dear Friends,

Continuing with last week's bulletin letter, we are still in the Christmas season. The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, on January 1st was the end of the Christmas octave. The Christmas season has two more weeks, normally, after the New Year. The Solemnity of the Epiphany is celebrated in many countries on January 6th, the 12th day of Christmas, and for many cultures and for many centuries is a more important feast day than Christmas.

My Dear Friends,

The celebration of our Lord's nativity is over, but the Christmas season has just begun. On the 26th of December we celebrate the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen. On the 27th we celebrate St. John the Evangelist. The 28th we celebrate the Holy Innocents. On the 29th we celebrate St. Thomas Becket. And on the 31st we celebrate Pope St. Sylvester.

My Dear Friends,

In a few days we will be celebrating the birthday of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Birthdays of loved ones are always an occasion of joy, but when it comes to our Lord's birth, the joy is incomparable. God became man and entered into his creation as a little baby. The vulnerability of a baby does something to people. New born babies are helpless and in need of protection and care. There is no way a baby can survive outside the womb unless the baby has someone who will feed him or her and protect him or her from the surrounding environment.

My Dear Friends,

On this third Sunday of Advent, I bring you some of my favorite Christmas songs and artists. No one sings "The Christmas Song" better than Nat King Cole. And no one sings "White Christmas" better than Bing Crosby. These two should be obvious to all. I also like Bing Crosby's versions of "O Come All Ye Faithful" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman." In fact the Christmas albums (I'm dating myself with the word album) of Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby are nearly perfect. Frank Sinatra sings a beautiful "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," but in the movie, The Godfather, it is Al Martino who sings the song as Michael and Kay are shopping in New York City.

My Dear Friends,

This Second Sunday of Advent we are introduced to St. John the Baptist and his fiery preaching. Talk about hellfire and damnation !! Brood of vipers !! Bad fruit being cut down !! Chaff will burn in unquenchable fire !! The coming wrath !! And his first words of this gospel, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" Advent is about preparation, and St. John the Baptist prepares the way of the Lord.