Dear Family!

This Sunday, our Universal Church celebrates the ‘Word of God’ Sunday. Cardinal Sarah wrote of it as Prefect for the Congregation of Divine Worship in 2020, “The Sunday of the Word of God, instituted by Pope Francis and to be held every year on the third Sunday of Ordinary Time, (Motu Proprio Aperuit Illis of Pope Francis, 2019) reminds us, pastors and faithful alike, of the importance and value of Sacred Scripture for the Christian life, as well as the relationship between the word of God and the liturgy:

Dear Family!

Welcome to the Ordinary Season! The readings still resonate the festive mood of the Baptism of the Lord. As the Evangelist John introduces various titles of Jesus throughout the Gospel, one title stands out: Jesus as the Lamb. Why the Lamb? The central feature of the Jewish Passover feast was the lamb which was eaten during the Passover meal. When the angel of God came to destroy all the firstborn, it “passed over” the houses of the Israelites, which had been smeared with the lamb’s blood. This became then a symbol of liberation.

Dear Family!

With today’s liturgy (The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord), we conclude the Season of Christmas. On Monday we begin the Ordinary Time. Jesus’ baptism by John was the acceptance and the beginning of his mission as God’s suffering servant (1st Reading Today). Jesus identifies himself with the sinful humanity and begins his mission to bring salvation to our fallen nature.

Dear Family!

I wish you all a God-filled New Year! As many of you know that Christmas is not just a day but a season, we are filled abundantly by God with graces and blessings in all these days of the season. Our happiness is multiplied by many important feasts days that we celebrate in this season starting with Saint Stephen, the First Martyr (December 26th), Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist (December 27th) and continued our festive mood with the feast of Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (December 28th) last Sunday.