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This weekend is PLEDGE SUNDAY for the Annual Catholic Appeal throughout the Diocese of Trenton. Each year the Bishop seeks the support of all members of the Diocese to further the work of our ministries.

“Earth lost a beautiful human being today but we gained a prayer warrior in Heaven.” I invite you to pray for Deacon Jim’s family during their time of grief and sorrow. May he rest in peace. Amen.

As we continue through the dark days of February, we long for more days of sunshine and we sit with great anticipation for those shiny rays to trickle in. Our Scriptures keep talking about light, and it really feels like we need it.

Today we celebrate The Feast of The Presentation of The Lord. This feast is known as the Feast of Encounter in the Eastern Church where it began. In 1997, Pope John Paul II instituted a World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life attached to this feast.

What does it mean to be called a disciple of Christ? Does it mean that you have to be more than you think you are capable of being? Can you imagine what the Apostles must have felt when Jesus asked them to leave their families and follow Him and that He would make them fishers of men? The Apostles chose to follow and preach the light of Christ to people who, at times, had divisions amongst themselves.

“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) We hear these words at every Mass as the Host and Chalice are raised for all to see. That verse is so familiar that it doesn’t shock us, but it should.

Today The Church celebrates the Solemnity of The Baptism of Our Lord. This brings to an end the Season of Christmas. The Church recalls Our Lord’s second manifestation or epiphany which occurred on the occasion of His Baptism in the Jordan.

Today, we celebrate The Epiphany of Our Lord. We hear the Gospel words of future hope calling us to see the guiding star of the Spirit in our lives. Let us take time for a well deserved rest, to pray, and to reflect on the spiritual journey that begins in this New Year. Like the Magi, we may need to chart a new path on our quest for deeper spiritual meaning for our lives.

By celebrating the Sunday following Christmas as The Feast of The Holy Family, The Church encourages us to look to the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph for inspiration, example and encouragement. They were a model family in which both parents worked hard, helped each other, understood and accepted each other, and took good care of their Child so that He might grow up not only in human knowledge but also as a Child of God.

Wherever God places us is where we live out our divine call. Advent is a time in which we prepare for the two comings of Christ. We remember at first, as a child; and anticipate His second at the end of time. Today, Joseph is at the center of our Gospel. He was to live out his divine call in this plan of salvation. Today he is a specific recipient of God’s promise, and given consolation and peace in the knowledge of Scripture being fulfilled.

This day has been traditionally called Gaudate Sunday, or Rejoice Sunday, marked by the contrasting rose candle on the Advent wreath and vestments. In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist sends one of his disciples to ask: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”

Behold the Lord will come! John the Baptist knows that God is preparing something very great, something for which He is to be the instrument; and He himself points in the directions that the Holy Spirit shows Him. We know much more now about what it was that God had in mind for humanity. We know about Christ and His Church because we have sacred Scripture and the sacraments. We have hope for the salvation of our souls because the doctrine of salvation has been perfectly marked out for us.

Happy New Year! Those attuned to Church Liturgy know that the First Sunday of Advent marks the beginning of a new Church Liturgical Year.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of The Universe. This marks the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. On this day, we contemplate the Kingship of Jesus, our Redeemer. Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925 to remind Christians that their allegiance was to their spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly supremacy claimed by dictators at that time. In our day, we need this reminder that our first allegiance must be to Christ the King, especially as we face many temptations in life.

The sky is falling! The end is near! In today’s Gospel, people admire the Temple’s magnificence as Jesus looks on. He then predicts: “All that you see here, the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.” By the time Luke records these words from Jesus the event He’s referring to has happened. It would be natural then for Luke’s audience that now the end is near! But Luke wishes to separate the Temple’s destruction from the end times and Christ’s return.

As we reflect on our Gospel, it’s clear that the Sadducees were trying to trip up Jesus when they presented the hypothetical situation of a woman who was married to seven brothers over her lifetime. The Sadducees were an influential group who thought that their strict adherence to the first five books of the Bible (the Law of Moses) left no room for belief in the resurrection of the dead.

Are you willing to go “out on a limb” for your faith? Are you willing to set aside your pride and put Jesus first? Only Luke tells the story of Zacchaeus and his determination to catch a glimpse of Jesus as He passed through Jericho on His way to Jerusalem. Zacchaeus was short and needed to climb the limb of the Sycamore tree to gain a better sight line.

After teaching His disciples on the necessity of praying with persistence (Luke 18:1-8), Jesus told another parable on prayer, which was unique to Luke. In the story, two individuals went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, the other a Tax Collector.

In our responsorial psalm for our Liturgy today, we hear that “Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 112) When we put our trust in God, we are never let down or disappointed, for God is the creator of all things and will be with us until the end. Keep strong in the faith, confident that through hard work and perseverance, justice and love will prevail in the end.”

We see a familiar theme in the readings this week: people are in need of healing, of mercy, of salvation, and the Lord comes to their aid. Our Faith tells us that the Lord responds to those in need. The message focuses on our reaction to His generosity. God appreciates gratitude and as we see throughout these readings wants only the gift of ourselves in return.