Dear friends in Christ,
I trust the Spring Break that many of you enjoyed this past week was a good one. It is important to take those periodic breaks to recharge and refresh our bodies and minds. In a way, Lent is kind of a “spring break” for our spiritual souls as well. We “break” from sin (hopefully for good!) and refresh ourselves in God’s mercy and grace. It’s a time to slow down and recognize that there is something bigger going on here than just our own wants and desires. The dying to self and sin results in new life within us. These 40 days will be over before you know it, just like Spring Break. Let’s resolve to use the time wisely so that we might better come to know the Lord in our life.

Dear friends in Christ,
This weekend we celebrate the 4th Sunday of Lent, also known as Laetare Sunday, from the Latin word “rejoice.” It is a day of joy in the midst of the penitential season of Lent, much like Gaudete Sunday is in the third week of Advent. It’s not quite Easter yet (we still have no Gloria or Alleluia at Mass), but it lets us know that our journey is in the homestretch. Keep the faith! It’s also the second scrutiny for our Elect at the 9 a.m. Mass as they make their way to the waters of baptism. Please remember to keep them and our Candidates for full communion in your prayers.

Dear friends in Christ,
Today is the first Sunday of what is shaping up to be a busy month for us at CtR, even with Spring Break on the horizon next week. It’s the 3rd Sunday of Lent, and the 31 days of March will take us all the way to the doorstep of Easter, which falls on April 1 this year. Let us continue to keep the hallmark disciplines of the season – prayer, fasting and almsgiving – foremost in our hearts as we make our way to the glory of the cross.

Dear friends in Christ,
In this second week of Lent we are invited up the mountain with Peter, James and John as we hear the stirring account of the Transfiguration of Jesus in the presence of Moses and Elijah. This is always one of my favorite biblical passages, and you can see it depicted in one of the stained-glass windows in the church. It shows how Jesus is the fulfillment of the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah), yet fear strikes the disciples and they don’t quite grasp what is happening. What fear is keeping us from recognizing the Lord in our own lives? Do we hear God’s voice? What might we need to let go of in this Lenten season to be able to recognize Jesus at work in our lives?

Dear friends in Christ,
Our journey of 40 days is officially underway as we celebrate the first Sunday of Lent this weekend. I pray that this will be a time of spiritual renewal for all of us. Please keep foremost in your prayers our Catechumens and Candidates who are in the “home stretch” for their entrance into full communion with the Church. We will celebrate the Rite of Sending for 20 of these Catechumens at the 9 a.m. Mass this weekend and later tonight they will be received by Cardinal DiNardo at the Rite of Election that we are hosting at CtR (one of five such services around the Archdiocese today). Our 20 from CtR, along with nearly 1,800 others from other parishes, will make up the largest group of Catechumens from any single diocese in the country.

Dear friends in Christ,
This weekend marks our final Sunday of Ordinary Time before we begin our 40-day journey of Lent. Ash Wednesday is this Wednesday, Feb. 14. Recall that Ash Wednesday is not a Holy Day of Obligation but it is an important day for us as we begin Lent with our foreheads “branded” with ashes. It’s a call to conversion and a sign of our mortality – “Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

Dear friends in Christ,
We all know that February is shortest month (and we don’t even get the extra day this year), but we’ve got a lot going on at CtR in these 28 days. Let’s take a look at what lies ahead for us and take advantage of some wonderful opportunities to grow in faith and charity.

Dear friends in Christ,
As I previewed last week, we kick-off Catholic Schools Week today. You’ll see a great number of our school kids at all the Masses this weekend. They’ve got a host of activities planned for the week, not the least of which is the Open House from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. this Thursday, Feb. 1, which is open to everyone. Please spread the word to family and friends who may not be members of CtR but who may be looking for a new school option for their children in grades Pre-K through 8th. Above all I ask you to pray for our school. It is a wonderful gift to our community, and in less than five years CtR Catholic School has truly made an impact on us all.

Christ the Redeemer Catholic Church, in Northwest Houston, will begin the Lenten journey together this year with a Parish Mission, Feb. 19, 20 and 21. The theme of the mission, “Responding to the Spirit: In the Soul, In the Church and In the World” invites parishioners and friends to be led and directed by the Holy Spirit. The three days of spiritual renewal will focus on forming missionary disciples according to Pope Francis’ “Joy of the Gospel” and all are welcome.

Dear friends in Christ,
Now that the weather delays of this past week are behind us, we look forward to more seasonable temperatures and conditions going forward. While I suspect most of us enjoyed the brief reprieve from the usual schedule, being cooped up inside can get old pretty quick. We are creatures of habit, and when our routine is disrupted for more than a day we can easily get frustrated. It’s a good opportunity in moments like that to slow down and reflect where God is in my life. Am I so beholden to my schedule that I lose sight of the big picture? God is in control and we are invited to cooperate His grace at work within us. As we hear in today’s Gospel, when the Lord calls us he expects a response. Let nothing, least of all our schedules and routines, keep us from responding to his invitation.

Dear friends in Christ,
Having celebrated the Solemnity of the Epiphany last weekend we now return to Ordinary Time in the liturgical life of the Church. You will see the familiar green vestments for the next five weeks in this interim period between the end of the season of Christmas and the season of Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 14. Let’s resolve to use this time wise and effectively to grow in our faith.

Dear friends in Christ,
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Just as the wise men from the East long ago journeyed to see the newborn child Jesus, we too are called to do Him homage as well. Where do we see God manifested in our world today? How do others see Christ manifested in us? Let us pray that we see Him in all people in this coming year.

Dear friends in Christ,
Merry Christmas! Yes, it is true. Our Christmas celebration indeed continues today. The birth of our Savior is not a once-and-done proposition but continues up until the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord next weekend. So, let the Christmas spirit reign in your hearts and in your homes a few days longer. Don’t be so quick to put away the decorations (especially the crèche!) and try to hold on to the spirit of Christmas – the celebration of the Word made flesh that dwells among us – throughout this coming year.

Dear friends in Christ,
“And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Dear friends in Christ,
Today is the 3rd Sunday of Advent, and our last full week of this great time of waiting for the Lord. Next week we have the 4th Sunday of Advent on Dec. 24 and then, a few hours later, Christmas will be upon us. Let’s use this week to wait in joyful anticipation. As a people we don’t usually like to wait, whether it be in traffic, the doctor’s office, or in line at the grocery store. But Advent waiting is different and worth the effort. We light the rose-colored candle on our Advent wreath today as a joyful reminder of the two-fold coming of Christ at His birth and at the end of time. Today is traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday from the Latin word meaning “rejoice.”

Dear friends in Christ,
This second week of Advent finds us still waiting and watching for the coming of the Lord, but we get a most welcomed visitor today – John the Baptist. He comes seemingly out of nowhere to prepare the way of the Lord and while he was by all accounts a bit eccentric, his message is as timely today as it was 2,000 years ago. Let us heed his message to repent and as we go about busily preparing our Christmas lists and making plans for the holidays, let us prepare our hearts as well to welcome the coming of the King of Kings.

Dear friends in Christ,
As we begin the four-week season of Advent today we are called to wait joyfully for the Lord. We know Christmas is near. The Thanksgiving holiday is behind us and many of us are probably already in high gear in terms of preparations for Christmas. We know it’s always a stressful time. Why not make a “liturgical new year resolution” to wait patiently? While everyone else is speeding up, try slowing down and listening for the voice crying out in the desert, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” Our Advent wreath is blessed today and the first candle is lit to remind us of the coming of the light of Christ. Let us not allow the darkness of the world to overshadow that light. It has been entrusted to us to be kept burning brightly. Just as we light our trees and homes these days, do not fail to show forth the light of Christ in all you say and do in these coming weeks.

Dear friends in Christ,
Today is the Solemnity of Christ the King, the final Sunday in Ordinary Time of the Church’s liturgical calendar. Next week we begin the great season of holy waiting, Advent. But before then we honor Christ as our King. Not an earthly king of physical and political power and might, however, but a king who lays down His life in service to all.

Dear friends in Christ,
Today is the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time and also the last Sunday before Thanksgiving. In most years that would mean it’s also Christ the King Sunday, but due to the way the calendar falls in 2017, we won’t celebrate that feast until next weekend after Thanksgiving. This is one of the rare years that the liturgical season of Advent will fall entirely in the month of December, beginning on Dec. 3. That may be of interest to only a few of us liturgy nerds, but I for one like those quirky Catholic facts.

Dear friends in Christ,
This Thursday, Nov. 16, we celebrate the ninth anniversary of the dedication of our church. We give thanks to almighty God for the gift of our earthly spiritual home as we wait in joyful anticipation of union with Him in our heavenly home. It’s a day of great rejoicing for us at CtR as we recall the beautiful events of nine years ago and we see God’s manifestation in all the people who make up our parish community. We’ll celebrate our 9 a.m. daily Mass that day in the church itself as a sign of our thanksgiving.