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There is one thing we all have in common. Regardless of our race or place of natural origin; regardless of our religion or absence of it; regardless of our age or status or station in life: God gave us the gift of life which our mothers carried until the day of our birth. We were allowed to live!

Since the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and the restructuring of the Liturgy of the Word within Mass, lectors and readers have concluded their Scripture Readings at Mass with the phrase “This is the Word of the Lord,” more recently shortened to simply “The Word of the Lord.” Once that statement is made, the congregation responds “Thanks be to God!” In the case of the Gospel, the deacon or priest proclaims “The Gospel of the Lord” to which the faithful respond “Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!”

Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., has shared the following statement of Archbishop José Gómez, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in observance of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which is being observed this year Jan. 20.

All of us who are familiar with the New Testament know the story of Jesus’ Baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. It is reported in all four Gospels: Matthew 3:1-17, Mark 1:1-11, Luke 3:21-22 and John 1:30-34, although John’s account is less descriptive. The details in the Gospels are quite similar.

For much of contemporary secular society, Christmas is over for another year. For Catholics and Christians, however, there is “still more to come.” This weekend, January 4-5, the Roman Catholic Church anticipates the Christmas feast of the “Epiphany of the Lord,” traditionally celebrated throughout the Western Christian world on January 6. Known by many other names in a number of different cultures – “Little Christmas,” “Three Kings’ Day,” the “Twelfth Day of Christmas,” “Twelfth Night,” etc. – this feast extends the Christmas season by commemorating the visit of the “magi” or “wise men” to the Christ Child. What is the Feast of the Epiphany all about in the Church?

For nearly a half century, the Catholic Church in the United States has celebrated National Migration Week, which is an opportunity for the Church community to reflect on the circumstances confronting migrants, including immigrants, refugees, children and victims and survivors of human trafficking.

Happy New Year! I am at the age now when New Year’s Eve finds me at home on the recliner, snacking on Hickory Farms cheese and summer sausage with a Coke Zero chaser waiting for the “ball to drop” in Times Square on TV at midnight so that I can go to bed! This year was no exception, although an added feature was my iPhone in hand, furiously sending and receiving New Year’s greetings through the miracle of text messaging.

Sometimes, when we’re all alone, we hear things differently, more clearly than when we’re surrounded by others in a crowded room, in a class, or in an office where the phone keeps ringing and people file in and out. Things sound different when on a busy street, a crowded train or bus, or maybe sitting in traffic that doesn’t seem to move. Sometimes an empty church may be the place where things sound different than they do when preachers preach and choirs sing.

I don’t know how you feel but preparations for Christmas seem to be coming earlier and earlier every year. The leaves haven’t even begun to change color and fall from the trees when evergreens and Christmas lights find their way into malls and department stores.

On Friday, December 13, our Holy Father Pope Francis celebrates his Fiftieth Anniversary of Ordination to the Priesthood. Anniversaries are milestones in all of our lives and certainly worthy of our notice. Because Pope Francis, as Vicar of Christ and Successor of St. Peter, is the Father and Shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world, we should celebrate this wonderful milestone with him in prayer.

The Catholic Church does not seek to dominate, control or convert the United States of America as a whole or any individual state within it, including New Jersey. It merely wants its members to be allowed to live and practice their faith in the freedom that was envisioned, encouraged and enjoyed by American citizens from the very beginning of our country, without governmental interference. That is all.

I confess, I’m guilty. Once Thanksgiving is over my thoughts turn to Christmas. I put up my tree and decorate the house for that “most wonderful time of the year.” I pull out my Christmas CDs and watch all those great Christmas specials and movies on TV. All these preparations —-admitted secular —- put me in a happy frame of mind and give me a good feeling to welcome my favorite holiday. I don’t want to miss a minute!

I love holidays and all the traditions that make them special and different from other days in the calendar. One of my favorites is Thanksgiving! Three things single out the last Thursday in November for me: FAITH, FAMILY AND FOOD!

In his 2019 message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations, our Holy Father Pope Francis wrote: The Lord’s call is not an intrusion of God in our freedom; it is not a “cage” or a burden to be borne. On the contrary, it is the loving initiative whereby God encounters us and invites us to be part of a great undertaking. He opens before our eyes the horizon of a greater sea and an abundant catch. … We are called to be bold and decisive in seeking God’s plan for our lives. Gazing out at the vast “ocean” of vocation, we cannot remain content to repair our nets on the boat that gives us security, but must trust instead in the Lord’s promise.

This year, October 20th marks a very special World Mission Sunday, our annual, worldwide Eucharistic celebration of our shared call to mission. It takes place during an Extraordinary Missionary Month, called for by Pope Francis in honor of the 100th anniversary of Pope Benedict XV’s Apostolic Letter Maximum Illud, which emphasized the missionary call to proclaim the Gospel.

Observing the Lord Jesus turning so often to prayer in his ministry, the disciples asked him to teach them to pray. Without missing a beat, he offered them the words we have repeated so often throughout our lives and have come to know as “The Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1-4; Matthew 6:5-15).”

With every passing year, the public assault on human life from conception to natural death seems bolder and more blatant. Although research studies indicate that there has actually been a decline in surgical abortions since 2014, the alternative choice of medical abortions in which the mother takes a drug to cause a miscarriage has risen dramatically, by 75 percent in the last 10 years according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Whether surgically performed or medically induced, abortion is abortion. If we truly believe that life begins at conception, then neither “choice” is morally acceptable.

This year, the theme and accompanying logo for Catechetical Sunday seem to be especially poignant in the context of where we are as Church, and civilization overall. The 2019 theme is “Stay With Us,” and is depicted by an image of Christ walking arm-in-arm with two young followers as they engage with people in all walks of life. This call to stay with Christ and be part of his mission of salvation speaks to us at a time when each day brings new reports of despicable assaults on innocent human life, when too many profess belief in Christ, yet reject the Gospel mandate to care for the least among us, and when more young people than ever have disengaged from the faith.

This month, we are marking a milestone in our diocesan story. Our newspaper, The Monitor, is shutting down its print edition and introducing, in its place, a monthly magazine.

Recently, I contacted the sponsors and co-sponsors of some proposed legislation here in New Jersey to express my concerns about its negative impact upon the Catholic Church and other religious entities. For many decades, the Catholic Church has been a strong advocate for comprehensive health care reform. That advocacy was captured in a letter that the U.S Catholic Bishops sent to members of Congress 10 years ago – in 2009: