I’m writing to you on Monday afternoon and mere feet from my desk, snow is collecting on cacti. Just when you thought the year couldn’t get any more bizarre.

I know we were hit with that freak snowstorm not that long ago, but really? This never ceases to amaze me.

I’m not even going to attempt to recount everything our community has been through in the past twelve months, but what a twelve months it has been! (For perspective, it feels like Fr. Michael Gaitley visited our parish about four years ago. It was less than a year ago.) April 30th was my tenth wedding anniversary and I was going to shock Maryrose. I’d bought cheap tickets to fly into and out of San Diego that day—complete with dinner overlooking the ocean. That didn’t happen. And it looks like our 11th won’t have many more options at the rate we are going.

Catholics occasionally get grief for praying prayers that aren’t spontaneous. There is the Our Father—a prayer that Jesus said was the best way to pray. There is the Hail Mary that is taken from Scripture. Finally, the St. Michael Prayer, which is a direct stance against the instigator of the worst insurrection in eternity. (You know—the one in Heaven.)

A prayer written 800 years ago has recently risen to the top of my thoughts. It was written while the Catholic Church was in a season of struggle and suffering. It was written by a man born under the name Giovanni who was doing his best to live Catholicism as it was meant to be lived despite the climate of the day. It was written by St. Francis of Assisi.

I’d like to try a little experiment this week. I want to run a test and see how many of the people reading this little column I’d be willing to have a cup of coffee or a pastry with. Please answer the following ten questions:

1. What religion are you?
2. What political party are you registered under?
3. Should mask-wearing be universally mandated or is it bowing down before an anti-religious cabal?
4. Do you drive at or below the speed limit in the left hand lane?
5. Are you an Apple or a PC household?
Continue

In this week’s Gospel, we once again read about the Baptism of Jesus.

“It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John.”

Here is what Benedict XVI has to say about it in Jesus of Nazareth:

“Looking at the events in the light of the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realized what happened: Jesus loaded the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon his shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. He inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners. His inaugural gesture is an anticipation of the Cross… The Baptism is an acceptance of death for the sins of humanity, and the voice that calls out “This is my beloved Son” over the baptismal water is an anticipatory reference to the Resurrection. This explains why, in his own discourses, Jesus uses the word baptism to refer to his death.”

As someone who writes novels in my free time, I pay particular to attention to the smallest nuances in songs, novels, shows, and movies. It happened again when I read this weekend’s readings.

Buried in the inspired words of the second readings, are the four words: “stewardship of God’s grace.”

What a beautiful phase!

Stewardship refers to the roll of taking care of something.

God refers to the creator and father of the universe and everything in it.

December 27th is the Feast of the Holy Family and it has me reflecting on our parish.

Why? Well, the parish is—in many ways—the local family of the worldwide Church.

Our Lady of Joy has exemplified that reality this year. Maybe you haven’t witnessed it, so let me share a bit of it with you.

I’ve been told of parishioners who prayed for all the staff members who were knocked down with sickness over the summer.

In turn, the staff went above and beyond to try and call every single parishioner—to make sure they were alright. (A special shout out to Sr. Margery!)

I’ve gotten notes of support, while the parish continued to receive truly sacrificial donations so that our staff could continue to serve this amazing community.

In this week’s Gospel, the angel Gabriel unveils God’s plan to Mary (answering that old Christmas hymn “Mary Did You Know?” once and for all.

She knew this plan would be full of scandal, heartbreak, and pain. But she didn’t let it make her angry, bitter, or fearful. She was grateful to do what God desired of her.

“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.”

This coming Christmas, I beg you to live in gratitude for whatever God’s plan is in your life.

To help, here is a gratitude examination of conscience:

Are you still healthy enough to take care of yourself?

Saturday, December 12th, is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It commemorates a poor villager by the name of Cuauhtlatohauc. He was baptized and given the name Juan Diego. On December 9, 1531, he was headed to Mass to honor the Blessed Mother. Well, she decided to visit him first. Much of what happened next seems fantastical to our skeptical minds.

In fact, Mary has appeared several times throughout the world. But a word of caution: please be careful to understand which apparitions have been approved by the Church. This doesn’t mean you can’t potentially take good and faith-building messages from other apparitions that haven’t been condemned. It just means you need to discern critically when hearing any of their “messages.” Put simply: proceed with caution.

We find ourselves already in the second week of Advent and we are in the midst of an epidemic.

I can hear you saying, “No David! Covid 19 has been declared a pandemic!” I’m not talking about Covid 19. That has gotten plenty of press.

I’m talking about anger. And I’m not talking about righteous anger. I’m talking about the attitudes that seem to be most prevalent in our current culture.

“I can’t believe that everyone doesn’t see the world as I do!”

Well. We made it. Thanksgiving has come and gone. This long year of 2020 has been quite the experience, hasn’t it?

But I keep hearing people saying, “2021 can’t come soon enough!” Be careful what you wish for. There is no guarantee 2021 won’t bring even greater challenges.

This counsel can sound pessimistic. It isn’t my intention. Allow me to back up a moment...

A great formula for prayer is ACTS. Adoration (Telling God how truly great He is). Contrition (Repenting for all the ways you’ve fallen short of God’s perfect will for your life). Thanksgiving (Gratitude for all God has given us). Supplication (Petitions for ourselves and Intercession for others).

It’s that time of year again. Many of us are beginning to rack our brains in an effort to come up with good gift ideas for our loved ones. We hope the gifts effectively communicate our love. We hope that the gifts are instantly cherished. We hope they are put to use.

As the father of a little toddler, I can tell when she loves a gift because she immediately starts using it—be it playing with a toy, coloring in a book, or putting on a dress. And when it is put to use, it honors me, the giver of the gift.

Many of us have been richly blessed with many gifts. And I used this analogy years ago, but it is worth repeating now that I have a three year old…

When Georgiana is playing with a friend, I’ve noticed her obvious joy when she is sharing her toys freely. There are giggles and smiles all over the place. But when she is in rough patch (usually due to exhaustion or hunger) and she is trying to hoard everything, her beautiful disposition is masked under a scowl.

It was election day and I was driving home. Like a moth to a flame, I was listening to talk radio. Then, the local traffic guy came on and said there was a freeway closure because of a fatal accident.

These happen more often than non-commuters realize, but this one stuck with me.

I immediately reflected upon all the burdens the deceased was probably carrying that day. Is my candidate going to win the election? How long is Covid - and our reaction to it - going to dominate our nation? Is my job as secure as I hope it is? Not to mention all the concerns and worries a typical human carries without these added pressures.

I’m writing this on the eve of the election and there are people all over the radio, the internet, and television working feverishly to get as many clicks or views as possible. And as always, the number one motivator is fear. (They don’t change what works.)

Let’s be clear: most of these people don’t care who you voted for. In fact, many people in the industry get BETTER ratings when their “opposition” is in power. Why? It goes back to fear. You can’t scare someone who is in power, except every four years when they might lose it again. My point is, as people in the industry know, ratings improve when you have four straight years of fear instead of just one or two.

These talking heads just want to keep you frightened. They do not care about you. They just want you to keep tuning in.

Listen, I hope you made an informed vote. But now, I hope you remember the words repeated often in Scripture: DO NOT FEAR.

If the first ten months of this year has reminded us of anything, it is that a familiar tomorrow is never promised.

God has tried to teach me that lesson several times and in societal and individual ways. The day the Challenger exploded. The day my parents moved our family from Wisconsin to Arizona when I was 15. The day my first engagement came crashing down. The day terrorists made four airplanes fall out of the sky. The day I accompanied my dad to his doctor’s appointment and he was notified he had less than a year.

And yet, this year, every month seems to carry with it—and excuse the description a friend recently used— a new fresh hell. Anxiety over some distant virus. Worries over a potentially Biblical plague. The sudden arrival of Covid. Runs on grocery stores. Church shutdowns. Anger and angst over what could and should be done. Discord even within households over the proper level of precaution. Questions over what sources to trust. Masks becoming a visible sign of who each individual actually trusts. Political division. Televised tragedies. Arguments over race relations and law enforcement. Protests and riots. Political tensions somehow rising even higher.