Category Archives: Column

Rested and Ready. I’m just back from 7 days in Orlando, playing golf with 2 other priests. Having grown up in South Texas, where winter lasts about a month, it was great to go from 24 degrees in Virginia to 80 degrees in Florida. My months-long cold even cleared up. I love being a priest and your pastor, and I even enjoy the change of seasons of Virginia, but I do miss the warmer months of the deep South. So, I thank the Lord for the opportunities He gives me, for such refreshing vacations, and for my priest-friend’s parents who … Continue reading

Parish Volunteers. Last Saturday night, on the Feast of St. Raymond, we held our annual Volunteer Dinner, honoring about 150 of our parish’s most dedicated volunteers and their spouses. It was a great night for many reasons, but especially to see all these people who are so committed to supporting and serving our parish family  having this opportunity to share in such warm and fraternal fellowship. I’ve always said that one of the best ways to grow in your Catholic faith is to become active in some parish group or committee. It may not be as essential as receiving the … Continue reading

Epiphany and the End of the Christmas Season. Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, commemorating the visit and adoration of the Magi to the Baby Jesus in Bethlehem. The Orthodox Church and many of the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches also effectively celebrate the Epiphany as the commemoration of the birth of Our Lord, i.e., Christmas. Epiphany has historically been celebrated on January 6th since at least the 3rd century, but the U.S. Bishops long ago moved the celebration to the Sunday falling between January 2nd and January 8th (inclusive), in order that more Catholics would be able to … Continue reading

Anno Domini 2017. In recent times, we have been encouraged to use the designation “CE,” short for “Current Era” or “Common Era,” to count the years, i.e., 2017 CE, rather than traditional “AD,” short for “Anno Domini,” meaning, “Year of the Lord.” To me, this is nothing but political correctness run amuck, since the Current/Common Era is still counted by reference to the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ in the year 1. So, I refuse to yield to the tyranny of political correctness and will continue to use the traditional and rational “AD,” and encourage you to do so, … Continue reading

Dear sons and daughters in Christ: ​I pray that this Christmas will be a time of true holiness and joy for you and your families. That you will rediscover the pure, innocent love of God made flesh in the face of the tiny Baby Jesus. May He shower you and yours with his love, and “every grace and heavenly blessing.” And may His Holy Mother hold you in her loving arms, as she once so tenderly held Him. For those who are traveling, may He send His holy angels to protect you on your way, and lead you safely home … Continue reading

4th SUNDAY OF ADVENT. You may not have noticed, but this year is the longest season of Advent possible, 4 full weeks, 28 days. That’s because this year Christmas falls a full week, 7 days, after the 4th Sunday of Advent, on a Sunday instead of on a Saturday or weekday. Some years, for example, Christmas falls on the Monday after the 4th Sunday of Advent, so that Advent would only be 3 weeks and 1 day long, 22 days. I like this extended Advent, and pray and hope all of you have made good use of this extra time … Continue reading

Habemus Espiscopum—We Have a Bishop! On Tuesday of last week (December 6) the Most Reverend Michael Francis Burbidge was installed as the 4th Bishop of Arlington. The Installation Mass at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More was a joyous occasion, with over 200 priests, 30 bishops and 3 cardinals attending, along with a standing room only congregation. It was an interesting sign to us that Bishop Burbidge took his cathedra (the Bishop’s chair at the Cathedral) on the Feast of St. Nicholas: not only is St. Nicholas famous for his current Christmas role as the gift-giving “Santa Claus,” but during … Continue reading

Advent and Confession. Advent is a time to prepare for Christmas, not simply by buying presents or decorating the house, but by “preparing the way of the Lord” into our hearts and lives. We begin by reflecting on the words St. Matthew uses in today’s Gospel to summarize the entire message of St. John the Baptist: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Of course, this repentance begins with the Sacrament of Baptism, which is both the sign of personal repentance and the conferral of the Divine grace of forgiveness of sins. But after Baptism we eventually find … Continue reading

Advent. Today we begin the Season of Advent, 4 weeks preparing for the celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas. Sadly, the culture around us has turned the days from Thanksgiving to December 25 into a time of nonstop sales, shopping, television specials, radio carols, and, of course, “Christmas parties.” All this can tend to turn the Advent season of preparation into a pre-mature and secularized Christmas celebration, virtually making superfluous the actual season of Christmas that begins on December 25 and runs for 3 weeks after that. We have to be careful of getting caught up in … Continue reading

Offertory Commitment Sunday.  Last Sunday I preached on the importance of parishioners giving to our offertory collection—the source of almost all our funding in running the parish. In many ways it was a hard homily to give and to hear. Thank you all for listening so intently and patiently. During my homily I talked about the need to recognize the many gifts God has given each of us, and our need both to be grateful and to use those gifts for the good purposes God intends for them. And I asked you to spend time praying and discerning about how … Continue reading