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In the Gospel today, Jesus reveals His divine nature to Peter, James, and John as he is transfigured on a mountain flanked by Moses and Elijah. Peter asks to build three tents so that they can stay on the mountain and be with Moses, Jesus, and Elijah forever. However, they cannot stay. They must listen to Jesus as he leads them back down the mountain to a different hill - to Calvary. We all want to experience a "Hallmark Channel" Christianity where we get to stay with Jesus on the mountain forever where everything is perfect, there are no real dangers, and all suffering is forgotten. We desire a Christianity where there is no cross and no sacrifice. But Jesus, if He is going to save us, and the Church, if she is going to save us, has to come down the mountain and be wounded in order to heal the world. Jesus knows that this world is harsh. We need the occasional mystical experience, the occasional spiritual consolation, to keep pressing on. However, feeling good is not the goal of our faith. The goal of our faith is true friendship with Jesus. This means we have to listen, embrace our cross, and follow him. Eventually, we desire our friendship with Christ to deepen to the point where we can say it is also good that we are here at the foot of the cross with Him - because true friends stay with each other in good times and bad. Jesus offers us far more than an escape from this world. He offers us friendship with God. And friends share each other's sufferings, as well as their joys, out of love.   God bless, Fr. Scott

The readings today are all about someone who does not get enough credit for the state of our world: Satan.

The Gospel ends with the encouragement from Jesus to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect. Perfection in the spiritual life can seem like an intimidating prospect. However, perfection in the spiritual life is simple. We simply need to love as our Father in Heaven loves. It is a love that we participate in - not a love we accomplish on our own.

This weekend, we have our Annual Appeal where we pledge some of our wealth to help fund some of the crucial ministries in our Archdiocese. Giving, or the sacrificing of a portion of our wealth, not only benefits those to whom we give; it also benefits the giver.

Dearest St. Ed’s Congregation,   My life has followed a rather circular path. As a youth, I sang in the choir at this loving church and found my voice, and confidence, as a cantor. I went off to college and I returned to St. Edward the Confessor as your Music Director. Much Love,   Megan Weeks

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord or Candlemas. It is a time when we bless our candles because, at the Presentation of Jesus at the temple, Simeon foretold that Jesus would be a "light for revelation to the Gentiles."

In the Gospel today, Jesus calls His apostles by telling them to put down their nets and follow Him. It is the beginning of a new kind of life for those Jesus has called.

St. John the Baptist in the Gospel today gives us a word of hope. He says Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit? What does that mean?

It is wonderful that we begin Ordinary Time with the last two lines of the Gospel this Sunday being: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."              

Whenever I hear of the Magi following the star to Bethlehem, I think of our astronomers today who look up to the stars to learn the answers to the great questions we have like: "Where do we come from? How did we get here? And what is the fate of all creation?"

Throughout the Advent season, we pay a lot of attention to Mary. Today, we pay attention to the role that Joseph has to play. His role is very similar to ours.

It is with a very heavy heart that I write this bulletin article. Sadly, at the end of academic year, we will be losing three spectacular employees here at St. Edward’s: Tim Curtis, our facilities maintenance supervisor, Maureen Curtis, our Director of Religious Education, and Megan Weeks, our Director of Music.

Several weekends ago, we had our Christmas Market. It was a tremendous success both as a community building event and as a fundraiser.

Advent begins with a command to be watchful - to be alert. What does it mean to be an alert person?

Today's feast is known as Christ the King. If Jesus truly is King, why doesn't he make His authority felt? In the midst of the suffering and chaos of this world, when we carry our own crosses, we can doubt that Jesus is still in control. We can wonder, "Is the Christian Universe really the best depiction of reality?"

The Gospel today speaks of a prediction that Jesus makes about the destruction of the temple. It was if someone was able to predict the destruction of the twin towers all the way back in 1971. When the destruction of the temple did occur approximately forty years after Jesus' death, it was yet another sign of His authenticity.

As the leaves begin to fall and we draw closer to winter, the readings of the Church remind us of our own mortality. In the Book of Maccabees, written just a few years before the coming of Jesus, we hear of a new hope dawning in the hearts of the persecuted Jews of that age: resurrection.

In the Gospel this weekend, the sinful tax collector Zaccheaus climbs a tree so that he might be able to see Jesus before Jesus passes by.

Jesus addresses His parable in the Gospel today to those who are convinced of their own righteousness and despise everyone else. It is strange how these two things go together.

The title “deacon” comes from the Greek word diakonos, which means servant. Thus, the ministry of the deacon is a ministry of service. Pope Paul VI stated that deacons are meant to be living signs of the servanthood of Christ’s Church.