We are at it again, Christmas season. Instead of bringing joy, the complexities of this season can rob us of the joy that God intended it to bring in our lives. Perhaps for you this season has become a time of loneliness and sadness because of the loss of a loved one. Or maybe you dread this Christmas season because for you, it is marked by intense stress-related activities the gifts you have to buy; hosting out of town family members; long trip to visit with loved ones; elaborate meals to cook; reconnecting with family members or inlaws you don’t want to see. If Christmas is bringing you something other than joy, something is amiss.

Hundreds of years before the birth of our Lord, the prophet Zephaniah parted the murky pall that hung over God’s people and saw a day of unbridled joy. Yes, judgment had come upon the nation. Yes, exile had interrupted everyone’s dreams for a better life. Yes, God’s people had lost so much faith in the Onewho parted the Red Sea and established David’s kingdom.

The gospel tells us that the word of the Lord visited JB (John the Baptist) in the wilderness. God can pitch his tent with you, to address you in what seems to be your very ordinary life. The word of the Lord can visit us as it did with JB when our lives are in the wilderness places of life. We usually expect God to show up when everything is polished and prepared, but in fact, the Scripture suggests God, more times than not, comes to us when the garden of life has become a desert when dreams have died and health has waned.

Did you realize that when you awoke this morning, you opened your eyes to a brand!new year? That’s right! When the sun’s light kissed your face and quickened your pulse and drew you into this second day of December, you breathed the air of a new year of worship? Why? Because today is the first day, the first Sunday of a new year of Christian worship. The season of Advent marks the beginning of the Church year. So, I say Happy New year!

What Do Catholics Believe? Every Sunday during Mass, we declare that: “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible…etc.” Have you wondered why we have a creed or how the creed came about?

Do you know why the priest or deacon says at the end of the Mass: "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord?" The dismissal reminds us that the only way to serve the Lord is in peace and love. Our response, “Thanks be to God,” does not mean we are anxious to be finished and on our way. The Mass is not just obligation but power and force for change individually and together. Thanks be to God!

Do you know why we break the bread at Mass? The reason we break the bread at Mass is that through Communion we, though many in number, become one body because we eat the one bread of life, which is Christ.

During the Lamb of God, the priest breaks the body of Christ. This means that as the body of Jesus was broken on the cross to “take away the sins of the world,” so it is broken again to nourish us in our constant effort to rise above sinfulness and to grow in goodness.

Do you know the origin of the Kiss of Peace at Mass and where the tradition came from? Before the Kiss of Peace, we have “The Lord’s Prayer” which is used most appropriately to begin the communion rite. It reminds us that God is our Father and we are God’s children who depend on him for everything.

Do you know what happens during the Consecration? After the Sanctus, the priest now asks God to send the Spirit to transform the gifts of bread and wineinto the Body and Blood of Jesus. The priest then begins the narrative of the Last Supper. He recalls how Jesus took the bread, blessed it, gave thanks,and said, “This is my body.”

Do you know why we sing Holy, Holy, Holy? The Sanctus (Holy), as it is called in Latin is the first praise we the people give to God the Father in the Eucharistic prayer. The whole Church of God unites each time we intone the Sanctus. The faithful here on earth (us), the souls in purgatory, and the saints in heaven are joined in praise of God.

Do you know why we go from Sitting to Standing to Kneeling through Mass? We stand during Mass as a sign of reverence. In the same way that we stand in respect when introduced to an important person, we also stand when meeting Christ in the gospel, when receiving the Eucharist and when we are in an important conversation with God. A time for sitting is usually a time for listening and reflecting. Bowing for blessing was practiced for many years in the Church. It was replaced by kneeling in the Western rite.