(Taken from the sermon of St. John Vianney)
O what happiness to grow up in the bosom of a truly Christian family! It requires care, a great deal of care conscientiously to fulfill the obligations of a father or mother.

The parents are a mirror to their children, and the children constantly look into this mirror. Be careful therefore that only the good and what is worthy of imitation is perceptible in you and graven upon your hearts.

What a consolation it is to you if you can say: I am the father, the mother of a pious child, pleasing to God and man.

Watch particularly over your children when they have grown up. Do not allow them to associate with irreligious persons…How many hearts have been poisoned in their youths by obscene writings. Do not permit anything of this kind to be brought into your house. Bring up your children simply, withhold all luxury from them, discourage a too great desire of pleasures, and let them learn only which is good, useful, and practical. See to it that in their childhood, as well as when they are older, they frequent the Sacraments regularly.

Christ must come back into the family!
Christ must remain in the family!

Let this be your motto. Then, with the help of God, a devout, chaste generation will spring up to the joy of the parents and of the church. When the time comes for your children to make their choice for life, the divine blessing will descend upon them, and with unpolluted hearts they can join hands for life. Such good, well brought up children, will at least be the support and consolation of your old age.

Christian Husband! Imitate St. Joseph by beginning your day’s work with God and ending it for Him. Cherish those belonging to you as the holy foster father did Jesus and be their faithful protector.

Christian Wife! Follow in the footsteps of the ideal of all womanhood, the Blessed Mother of God; in joy and sorrow she will be your advocate at the throne of her Son.

And you, dear children, be as pious as the twelve-year-old Jesus and like Him be subject and obedient to your parents, as the Savior was to His parents for thirty long years. Help your parents in their labors as the Redeemer helped his foster father. We will all make our hearts like unto the Heart of Jesus. Let us often say the ejaculatory prayer: “Jesus! Mary! Joseph! Enlighten us, help us, save us!”

Christ must come back into the family! Then God will make you partakers of His blessing; then will true happiness reign amongst you!

With love and prayers,

Fr. Charley

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

Jesus the Son said “Yes” to the Father and humbled himself to become man so that we might have eternal life. Mary, the lowly, young Virgin, full of faith and love of God, said “Yes” to the Father to become the Mother of our Savior and Mother to each of us. Joseph, the humble carpenter, said “Yes” to the Father and, in that act, became the foster-father of the Savior. At Christmas time we are reminded that our salvation was dependent on the “Yes” of Jesus, of Mary, and of Joseph. It is wonderful what happens when we say “Yes” to the Father! This Christmas, may we all find ourselves willing to be as humble and obedient as Joseph, and may our faith and love be as strong and true as Mary’s, and may we all follow Jesus’ example to give ourselves to do the Father’s will no matter how difficult.

May you and your families be full of the joy and wonder of that first Christmas and may the love of the Christ child instill in your heart the desire to say “Yes” to the Father. My own heart is so very grateful for all your love and support—your prayers, your talents, and your financial sacrifices. May the Good Lord bless you in the coming year with good health and many spiritual blessings. Please keep me in your daily prayers and be sure of my prayers for you.

With Love and Prayers,

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Charley

I rejoice with you as we celebrate the great feast of the Birth of Jesus, the birth of our Salvation, our Sanctification, our Redemption! Let us sing with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest, and peace to men of good will!” I hope we can all experience that peace—the peace that we find when we silence ourselves, leaving behind the busyness of our days for a few moments of reflection for our Good Lord to speak to us. Close your eyes as you reflect and let Him take over your mind and heart, and soul. Blessed Mother Teresa, of whom you know I am fond, gave us a good lesson on how to do this:

“To make possible true inner silence, practice:

Silence of the eyes, by seeking always the beauty and goodness of God everywhere, and closing them to the faults of others and to all that is sinful and disturbing to the soul.

Silence of the ears, by listening always to the voice of God and to the cry of the poor and the needy, and closing them to all other voices that come from fallen human nature, such as gossip, tale bearing, and uncharitable words.

Silence of the tongue, by praising God and speaking the life-giving Word of God that is the truth, that enlightens and inspires, brings peace, hope, and joy; and by refraining from self-defense and every word that causes darkness, turmoil, pain, and death.

Silence of the mind, by opening it to the truth and knowledge of God in prayer and contemplation, like Mary who pondered the marvels of the Lord in her heart, and by closing it to all untruths, distractions, destructive thoughts, rash judgments, false suspicions of others, vengeful thoughts, and desires.

Silence of the heart, by loving God with our heart, soul, mind, and strength; loving one another as God loves; and avoiding all selfishness, hatred, envy, jealousy, and greed.”*

Thank you all for your many prayers and sacrifices this year. Thank you for the encouragement you offer me, the pain you share with me, and your support of our parish and parish family. May the New Year bring you many blessings and may you find that peace within that our Blessed Savior so longs for us all to enjoy. Have a Good and Joyful Christmas and a very prosperous New Year!

With love and prayers,

Fr. Charley

*Mother Teresa, In the Heart of the Word: thoughts, stories, and prayers, New World Library, 14.

On this third Sunday of Advent, our readings clearly tell us that it is the time to rejoice; the Light is near to
us; He is already at the door. The prophet Isaiah writes to the people returning from the darkness of the
Babylonian captivity. He tells them it is a new day; it is the time to rejoice. God will bring justice; He will
bring liberty to the captives and give release to prisoners. God will heal the broken hearted, so today we also
rejoice in Christ Jesus who is the Light who is nearby. We hear in today’s gospel that the Light is near and
make straight the path for the coming of Jesus. Yes, it is the time to rejoice. It is the time to give up all the
bad activities, activities of the darkness, and put on the armor of light. Jesus Christ is the Light who can dis-
pel the darkness in our life. So therefore, we shall come out of the shadows where we are hiding. We shall
stand in front of him plainly; let him see us. Then it will be easy for him to save us. We shall give up all our
hiding places and things which block us from being seen.

Paul writes: “In all circumstances, give thanks”! No matter what the situation, in good times and in bad, we
need to thank God for what we have, for all that we’ve received, even the life that we have. St. Paul was
thanking God for all that he received, even the pains and sufferings he received for the sake of Christ. So,
we too must be able to thank Him from our hearts for all that we are now. When we’re truly grateful for all
that we have, the list of things we think we need can often quickly shorten. As it is with our joys, so it is with
our gratitude. I may not be joyful today and I might be in need today, but we all have a history of God’s
goodness to us and for which we have reason to give thanks and praise.

Rejoice always! Pray without ceasing! In all circumstances, give thanks!

Let’s stop for a moment and close our eyes…and remember something joyful in our lives, something we’re
grateful for…and in prayer, let’s thank God for that joy…and hold that joy in our hearts for a moment. By
thanking God for all his blessings and waiting joyfully for his coming to us, we shall welcome him with a
heart full of love and gratitude. Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice!

Love and prayers,
Fr. Charley

Who is John the Baptist and what is the significance of his message for our lives? Scripture tells us that John was filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb by Christ himself, whom Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit. When Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth, John leaped in her womb as he was filled with the Holy Spirit. The fire of the Spirit dwelt in John and made him the forerunner of the coming Messiah. John was led by the Spirit into the wilderness prior to his ministry where he grew in the word of God and was tested in preparation for his prophetic mission.

John broke the prophetic silence of the previous centuries when he began to speak the word of God to the people of Israel. His message was similar to the message of the Old Testament prophets who chided the people of God for their unfaithfulness and who tried to awaken true repentance in them. Among a people unconcerned with the things of God, it was his work to awaken their interest, unsettle them from their complacency, and arouse in them enough good will to recognize and receive Christ when he came. He must have been eager to hear God’s word and to be changed by it through the power of the Holy Spirit.

John’s baptism was encouraging the people to repentance – turning away from sin and taking on a new way of life according to God’s word. Our baptism in Jesus Christ by water and the Spirit results in a new birth and entry into God’s kingdom as his beloved sons and daughters. The Lord Jesus comes to baptize each one of us in his Holy Spirit so that we may walk in his truth and holiness and radiate the joy of the Gospel to all we meet in our daily lives. God’s word has power to change and transform our lives so that we may be lights that point others to Jesus Christ. Like John the Baptist, we too are called to give testimony to the light and truth of Christ. Do we point others to Jesus Christ in the way we live, speak, and treat others?

Let us think about ourselves. Are we trying to recognize Christ in our lives and encouraging others to hear the word of God in their lives? Do we become an instrument in the lives of others showing them Christ in their daily lives? Are we grateful for all the talents we received from God and make use of them in spreading the Gospel? Are we trying to make use in our daily lives of the Spirit we received in Baptism by being good examples to others? We are today playing the role of John the Baptist – pointing out Christ to others and then vanishing behind the curtain. All that we do, we do for the greater glory of God in making others recognize Christ in their lives and then stepping back. May the Christ Jesus help us to be True and Humble disciples for him.

Love and prayers,
Fr. Charley

Today’s first reading from Isaiah presents us with a beautiful image. Isaiah says that God is our father and we are the clay. God is the potter and we are all the work of God’s hands. The image, of course, is that of a potter molding clay on a potter’s wheel, shaping and reshaping the clay to achieve what the potter desires. He first lays the base, then builds up the walls, then turns the lip. Isaiah’s image tells us that just as that potter molds the clay, God is molding us. God is forming us by the work of His hands. Now notice Isaiah does not say that God is the potter and we are the pot. The pot is the finished project. We are not the pot; we are the clay. We are the work in progress, the work that is shaped and reshaped by God’s love. None of us is finished.

When you take this image of the potter and place it with the beginning of a new year, the meaning is obvious. We are now beginning a year in which God will change us; he will reshape us. Now some of us here have been on the potter’s wheel for a long time. But none of us is finished. A new year means a new opportunity in which God will continue to form us. And who knows what changes God will make this year.

A new year is a new beginning and God is still at work shaping and reshaping us. We not only believe that God can change us; we believe that God is changing us. Because God is father, the changes that God is making are based on love. So, we do not need to fear the year ahead.

We are also on watch. Watch for what? What are the circumstances in which Jesus is likely to arrive? The gospel presents us with three possibilities. And it does so by mentioning three times of the day: evening, midnight and cockcrow, and morning. These times should be understood in terms of the events of the paschal mystery. Evening is the time that Jesus shared a meal with his disciples on the night before he died, and washed their feet. Evening then is a time for service. Midnight and cockcrow are when Peter denied Jesus and all the disciples abandoned him. Midnight and cockcrow then are times that demand forgiveness. Morning is when the women found the empty tomb. So, morning is a time of joy and thankfulness for God’s goodness. What the gospel is telling us is that we should watch for opportunities of service, forgiveness, and joy, because it is in such moments that we are most likely to meet Jesus.

Therefore, we shall be shaped by the way God wants us. Let Him be the potter and we shall always be the clay. We shall always be on the watch. We do not know the time He will come. So be ready at every moment of our lives. We shall always be at His service and be happy and forgiving to one another. Don’t worry about the TIME. BE READY ALWAYS.

Love and prayers,
Fr. Charley