Dear parishioners, 
Advent is almost over and Christmas will soon be here.  The word advent means “coming.”  In Advent we celebrate the coming of the Lord.  In Christmas we celebrate the birth of the Lord.  In the Epiphany we celebrate the manifestation of the Lord.  The Christmas season continues through to the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which is celebrated January 10 ^th.  When writing a column on such an important feast as Christmas, I find it a challenge to know what exactly to say.  So I will mention two points concerning the feast of Christmas.  The first point is that we are not alone.  All of us at times may feel that we are alone and that is quite natural to feel from time to time.  But I think it’s important to realize that God is with us and is closer to us than we often realize.  God is with us!  That is the meaning of the word Emmanuel a word we hear often during the Advent/Christmas season.
 
The second point that I would like to make is that we need a savior.  We can’t save ourselves.  Jesus is the savior that we need.  He is sent to us from our heavenly Father.  Today people often look in the wrong places to find a savior.  In the feast of Christmas the church’s message to us in the  liturgy is that we can the savior we need when we turn to Christ. How do we come to Christ?  We come to Christ primarily through the sacraments as well as when we hear the scriptures proclaimed to us at Mass.  Christ comes to us when we pray our private prayers.
 
So my message is open your to Christ.  You’ll be glad that you did.  You’ll be the happier for doing so.
 
With the entire staff may you have a happy and holy Christmas!
 
Sincerely in Christ,
Fr. Bob