This Wednesday, March 25 is the feast of the Annunciation, the day we celebrate the Virgin Mary’s assent to become the mother of the Messiah and when she conceived Jesus in her womb. This is exactly 9 months before the celebration of the birth of Jesus at Christmas. On this day, the Church celebrates two great mysteries: Mary’s “fiat,” her free and total act of trust in God to be the instrument by which God would bring about His plan of salvation for the whole human race; and the moment when the Godhead first took on human flesh and became incarnate within the womb of Mary.

This Thursday, March 19 will be the Feast of St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. Something that many parishioners may not know is that we have a relic containing very small pieces of the Blessed Mother’s veil, St. Joseph’s robe and the crib of the child Jesus. This special relic was donated to Holy Family Parish several years ago by parishioner, Nancy Fitzsimmons, which came from a collection of religious articles of her deceased mother, Mary McLaughlin. Documentation came with the relic to verify its authenticity.

You might recall that in his November 2024 victory speech, then President-elect Trump stated, “I’m not going to start a war. I’m going to stop wars,” and he promised to focus national resources on domestic priorities rather than foreign conflicts.

A week ago, in the midst of diplomatic negotiations with Iran, our president and his administration initiated a massive joint military operation with Israel against Iran, killing its leaders, and he called for a regime change by its citizens.

St. Teresa of Avila once said, “There is more value in a little study of humility and in a single act of it than in all the knowledge in the world.” Since pride is often at the root of many of our faults and sins, which we strive to overcome during Lent, I invite you to make growth in the virtue of humility a particular focus by praying this prayer attributed to Cardinal Rafael Merry del Val (1865-1930). May this prayer and your efforts to grow in humility make a significant difference in your life and in the lives of those around you.

What’s your focus for Lent? Some might say, I’m going to work at avoiding these certain sins. Others might say, I’m going to try to pray more to make God a more important part of my life.

Well, it might help to first, ask yourself this fundamental question: What is my ultimate goal as a Catholic? I often hear people say, “My goal is to get to heaven!” Yes, a worthy goal. But, is that the best reason?

This week we begin the season of Lent with Ash Wednesday, February 18. Have you thought much about what you plan to do for Lent?

Traditionally, we reflect on what Jesus came to do for us. By suffering and dying on the Cross, Jesus has taken upon himself our sins and the sins of the world, which expresses God’s great mercy and forgiveness.

Over the last year or more, I have observed some older Eucharistic Ministers and Lectors, as well as our weekend senior assistant, Fr. Jim Ronan having difficulty going up and down the altar sanctuary stairs without something to hold onto. With the unanimous support of the members of our Parish Pastoral Council and Parish Finance Council, and the approval of Archbishop Henning, we are in the process of having constructed and installed 4 custom made handrails for our rather expansive altar sanctuary.

The reality of evil in the world manifests itself in various ways, both obvious and subtle. Every time we pray the Our Father, we say: “deliver us from evil.” War, genocide, murder, child abuse, domestic violence and satanic involvement are rather obvious examples. Yet, other types, such as animosity followed by hateful and even unkind words, can be more subtle, such as detraction, slander, and gossip, which can destroy one’s reputation and honor.