Merry Christmas!!! On behalf of the school, PREP, staff, Fr. Mulranen, and our Deacons, we wish you and your family a very Holy and joyful Christmas Season. Our parish family comes together this Christmas with grateful and humble hearts before the newborn savior. We celebrate Christmas every year to remind us of how much our Father loves us - that while we were lost in our sins and the world, our Father sent his Son in the flesh to show us the way to Him.

I pray that you may model your Christmas on that of the shepherds that found the Christ child in a manger more than two thousand years ago. The shepherds who were working in the fields leave their earthly duties to follow the directions of an angel and a star to participate in something of which they couldn’t possibly fathom. These simple shepherds, during this time period, were hard working and dedicated men. They spent their time caring for their flocks and providing for their families. It wasn’t an overly complicated life, rather, it was one of simple fulfillment. Then, in the midst of living a life of simple fulfillment, they were offered an eternal fulfillment of which their hearts must have swollen with great joy. They leave the comfort and safety of what they know and accept this beautiful offer. They go to a humble stable where they see the divine and humanity coming together in such an awesome and beautiful way. No words are needed to be spoken by them in the stable. No conversation or commentary. Just to be there.

It is the simple lives of the shepherds that actually makes their souls prepared for receiving the offer of being present at the birth of our Lord. They have not been consumed by the world. It is this simplicity of life that permits them to follow something their rational minds most certainly could not fully understand. But they go. They are there. They are present.

This Christmas, let us be present at the birth of our Lord. Our Father offers us the unbelievable gift of being able to participate in divine life, yet all too often, the world and the desires of the world and the anxieties of the world consume us at times. Our Father knows this will happen to us at times. He knows of our weakness and sinfulness. He still offers His Son. He still shows us how much He loves us. How great is the Father’s love for His people. So let us pray for simple hearts this Christmas Season and this upcoming new year. And if we find ourselves being lured away from our God by the world, let us pray for the courage to follow His angels and His grace when He calls us to His Son.

May the Lord give you His Peace,

Fr. Bob