The Advent Season calls us to continue “waiting in joyful hope” for all that God intends to do for us, and the Christmas Season urges us to be filled with Joy as we celebrate Jesus’ Birth, God with us forever. Even in the face of the tremendous disappointment that many of us experienced in the recent mid-term elections when the prolife agenda seemed to be overtaken by a more radical pro-abortion mentality, we must heed St. Paul’s advice: “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, and persevere in prayer.” (Rom.12:12) As we approach the joyous celebration of Christmas, when Jesus came into the world as we all did, we need to keep in mind that throughout his earthly ministry Jesus said, “Do not be afraid!” Jesus has won the ultimate battle over sin and death. Jesus has defeated the binding power of the Evil One. Jesus has promised us that He has “built His Church upon Rock, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it” (Mt 16:18) That is the reason why we can rejoice in hope. As followers of Christ, we know the end of the story — God’s ways will ultimately prevail, and so we endure in these current afflictions. Jesus has shown us the power of prayer in His own life, and He has urged us to pray always; therefore, even now, we must persevere in prayer.

It was a covert operation. Outfitted in our black hats and hoodies, my then-eight-year-old son and I took off on our mission: to deliver a Christmas tree to our friend Sharon. She had decided to forgo having a Christmas tree that year since she’d be away visiting out-of-state family. When Jay overheard us talking and she mentioned she didn’t have a tree, he was horrified, indignant even, in the starry-eyed, Christmas-waiting way that eight-year-olds can be. “But Sharon must have a tree! It’s just not right!”

A time as exciting as the holiday season growing nearer every year (it seems), and yet there is a certain melancholy in the air because we will be celebrating with one less member in the family this time.” These words were shared by a dear family friend who had recently lost his spouse of more than 50 years. What do you say to someone who loses a spouse, a child, a friend, a family member, just before the holidays? How can we find consolation as many still grieve a recent loss and find participating in the merriment of the holidays challenging? For answers we can first look to our faith.

‘My mom paid to have a Mass said for my dad on his birthday — what does that even mean?’

Liz Ryan is one of those people who lights up a room with her ever-present smile and endless positivity. So much so that her exuberance makes some people suspicious. “What is it that you do that makes you happy all the time,” is a question Liz says she gets asked a lot. Her response? “It’s God. Not a big secret — knowing his joy is my joy.”

The Catholic faith has been an important aspect of the life of southwest Michigan for a long time — from Chief Pokagon walking to Detroit to beg for the spiritual needs of the region and requesting a priest to be stationed here, to Msgr. O’Brien establishing Borgess Hospital and bringing the Sisters of St. Joseph to the region. Every day and age has had its own challenges and needs. The Church consistently desires to meet those needs. Today is no different.

Just eight years ago, Deacon Don Bouchard, D.O., and his late wife, Theresa, created Holy Family Healthcare as a mobile unit. Their mission was to serve the migrant and local communities with Catholic-based family healthcare, treating the whole person. Now, thanks to the generosity of donors and a matching grant from Catholic Extension, the organization is operating from its new 4,000-square-foot offices in downtown Hartford, increasing its capacity to serve surrounding communities.

Hundreds of households in our nine-county diocesan area face difficult decisions between having heat and paying for other necessities like food or medicine each winter. From its inception in the early 1980s until now, the Home Heating Assistance Program has given more than $2.2 million and aided more than 13,000 families in our diocese to make that decision a little easier.