Last week I was able to receive the first of two COVID-19 shots. When I told several people this, they asked if it really was all right for Catholics to receive these vaccines. They had seen various postings on social media urging people not to receive them for various reasons. In light of that I thought that I would include today in this column the joint letter the Catholic Bishops of Maryland issued on this subject in December, 2020. I think their comments are well worth reading carefully. ~ Fr. John

On November 11, 2020, Pope Francis released his Lenten message for 2021. He invites us to remember the One who “humbled himself and became obedient unto death, death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8). He encourages us to renew our faith, draw from the “living water” of hope, and receive with new hearts the love of God, who makes us brothers and sisters in Christ. Fasting, prayer, and almsgiving, as preached by Jesus, enable and express our conversion. The path of poverty and self-denial (fasting), concern and loving care for the poor (almsgiving), and child-like dialogue with the Father. These make it possible for us to live lives of sincere faith, living hope, and effective charity.

Today is World Marriage Day. In observance of that occasion, I am offering an article on “Ten Pointers for Prayer” from the National Marriage Initiative, an initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to communicate the meaning and value of marriage life for the Church and for society.

Even though there is much discussion about what is going in the U.S. Congress these days, I want to focus attention not on that legislative body but on the Maryland General Assembly. I have admired the great work that the Maryland Catholic Conference (MCC) does year after year in highlighting priority issues for Catholics statewide. This year the MCC invites us to participate in Catholic Advocacy Day on February 16, 2021. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, this year this event will be virtual. In 2021 the issues that the MCC wants to highlight are: education, life, and human rights.

On January 18, 2021, we celebrated Martin Luther King Day. The Maryland Catholic Conference has posted on their website a statement from the Roman Catholic Bishops of Maryland. I want to share their statement for that occasion with you today.

Today we are celebrating many things. First of all, today is Word of God Sunday, a feast that Pope Francis introduced in 2019 that is to be celebrated on the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today is also Ecumenical Sunday, when we celebrate what God is doing through the many ecumenical agencies—local, regional, national, and international—that make up the modern ecumenical movement. We have been observing the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity since last Monday. The observance for 2021 will conclude tomorrow when we celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul.

Our late and beloved Fr. Ralph Kuehner told me a number of times over dinner how Victory Housing got started. During his time as Pastor of Our Lady of Victory Parish in Washington, DC, an elderly parishioner lived in a nearby apartment building and would walk to church on Sundays and other times during the week. The owners of the apartment building realized that they could make a lot more money from the properties by turning the apartments into condominiums. The elderly widow like so many in the building were being forced out of their apartments without a place to live that was affordable. The stress of the situation caused the women to have a heart attack. She died in the hospital. When he would relate this story and discuss what had happened to this woman, he would shake his head and say, “We can do better than that.”

I am continuing today the reflection that I began last week on Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), the Apostolic Letter that Pope Francis released last month to announce the beginning of a Year Dedicated to Saint Joseph.

On December 8, 1870 Blessed Pius IX declared Saint Joseph to be the Patron of the Universal Church. To mark that anniversary Pope Francis has announced that the Catholic Church would observe a Year in Honor of Saint Joseph, which actually began on December 8, 2020 and will end on December 8, 2021. Pope Francis has explained all this in his new Apostolic Letter entitled Patris Corde (“With a Father’ Heart”). There Pope Francis describes Saint Joseph as a beloved Father, a tender and loving Father, an obedient Father, and father who is creatively courageous, a working father, and a father in the shadows.

On December 1, 2019, Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter entitled Admirabile Signum (“Enchanting Image”) on the meaning and importance of the Nativity Scene. As you read this it is now two days after Christmas. Happily we are still within the Christmas season which will last until January 10 when we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. One of the scenes that Pope Francis recalls in his Apostolic Letter is the origin of the Christmas crèche and the role that St. Francis of Assisi had in its origins. Let’s listen to the Holy Father tell this story:

We have experienced many disappointments during this time of pandemic. One of them was that Saint Nicholas had to cancel his customary visit to our parish on the Sunday, December 6, the Second Sunday of Advent and his actual feast day. Perhaps because Saint Nicholas (known by some by the nickname Santa Claus) had to cancel his travel plans this year, some of the children of the parish might be asking the question that Virginia O’Hanlon asked the editor of a New York newspaper many years ago. In anticipation of Christmas, which we will celebrate on this coming Friday, I want to print what is probably the most reprinted editorial in any newspaper in the English language. In 1897, the New York Sun received a letter to the Editor from Virginia O’Hanlon, who was eight years old and a resident of New York City. Her letter was only a four sentences long:

For many centuries this particular Sunday in Advent has had a special name “Gaudete Sunday.” This comes from today’s opening antiphon which begins with the word Gaudete, which means “rejoice.” Originally Advent was a forty-day period of penance that used to begin on November 12. Because this is one day after the Memorial of Saint Martin of Tours, Advent used to be called “St. Martin’s Lent.” Now Advent begins on the Sunday closest to the feast of St. Andrew (sometime between November 27-December 3). While Advent is primarily penitential in spirit, it also reflects the joy of anticipation. The expectation not only refers to Christ’s first appearance on earth but also reflects his Second Coming. For the people of God who are waiting in between there is a third coming of Christ whereby he is in the hearts of all the faithful by his grace.