One of the joyful moments I experience is giving church tours to the first graders in our parish Religious Education Program. They come into the church one or two classes at a time and Fr. Abraham, Fr. Mike, and I give the tours. One of the things I show them is the different colors of the vestments the priest wears and what those colors mean. First I show them the purple vestment and explain that this color indicates we are at a time where we are getting ready for a special celebration. Since we just completed the tours they quickly come to see that we are getting ready for Christmas, getting ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

“My daily prayer is that I can open the doors of my heart to Jesus and His expectations of me.” These are the words of Joseph Cardinal Bernardin in his book “The Gift of Peace” that he wrote a few months before his death on November 14, 1996. His is a very brief, to the point expression of faith, hope, and love. First and foremost we open the doors of our hearts to let the love of God in. We come to see how much He loves us and all people. Seeing that God’s love is so inclusive expands our vision beyond ourselves. As individuals and as the Church we are worth not only God’s time, concern, and attention, each one of us is worth His death on the cross in Jesus. There is no question or doubt about God’s love for me, the only question is, “Do I accept God and His love.” Through the vision of faith we see that God is far more than an acquaintance or someone I know about.

This week we celebrate Our Lord Jesus, Christ, King of the Universe. Ring in this great feast by diving deeper into the mystery of Christ's greatest gift to His Church - The Holy Eucharist.

Over and over again as much as we seek stability and predictability in our lives, change is constant and inevitable. Some changes we look forward to and some we do not. Life begins with change. We leave the security of our mothers’ wombs and immediately experience a wonderful change. We are held, embraced, and fed with so much love and joy. As we begin our formal education in school, we leave the security and familiarity of our homes and begin living and learning with teachers and classmates. Upon the conclusion of our school and college years, we assume more responsibility for supporting ourselves and making a chosen difference with the people we encounter. The gift of marriage is life changing and that change is enriched when husband and wife become mother and father. As time moves on grandchildren often come into the picture and joy that change brings renewed and wonderful joy.

All too often, science is falsely pitted against Faith to disprove the tenants of Christianity. In this infomative talk, Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ - expert in physics, philosophy, and theology - debunks this powerful myth as he discusses the Bing Band and the origin of the universe with sound reason, credible science, and faithful theology. This talk is a must-listen for anyone wrestling with the biggest questions regarding science and Faith.

Dive into the heart and soul of what it means to be Catholic with Chris Stefanick and his guests streaming live every Monday at 7 p.m. ET.

The Chris Stefanick Show is the most recent addition to the Augustine Institute’s robust and innovative programming, which aims to help Catholics understand, live, and share their faith.

This coming Thursday we will celebrate Veterans Day, remembering all living and deceased who have given of themselves for the good of our nation. In the first reading for Mass today (1Kings 17:10-16) we have the account of the prophet Elijah meeting a woman gathering sticks to make a fire to cook the last meal she will be able to make for herself and her son. There was a famine then. Elijah asked her to make him a meal first. Elijah promised that if she did this for him her jar of flour would not go empty and her jug of oil would not go dry. The woman trusted his words and did as he requested. As a result his words to her came true. She and her son were able to eat for a year until the famine was over and her jar of flour never emptied and her jug of oil was never used up.