Dear Friends,
This weekend is the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord. It brings to an end our Christmas season, celebrating the Birth of our Lord. Monday, we begin again Ordinary Time.
January is a full month of events and activities. Let’s begin with the annual March for Life in Washington, DC. We are all invited to witness to the sanctity of life by joining countless others from around our nation on Friday, January 21 at 1 p.m. on the National Mall.
We are also invited to the Philadelphia Pilgrims’ Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at 10 AM. For the actual March, the Philadelphia Pilgrims will meet in front of the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall between 9th and 12th Streets to march behind our seminarians. To plan your trip and to learn more, visit www.phillycatholiclife.org or call 215-587-0500, the Office for Catholic Life and Family.
Another way that we are asked to support the God-given Gift of Life is personally observing the annual special day of prayer for the Dioceses of the USA. On the anniversary of Roe v Wade, January 22, we observe a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion. Make a special effort to come to Mass, say a rosary, or offer other prayers fasting and/or alms for these intentions, especially on January 22. There have been over 60 million abortions in our country since 1973. Our prayers and sacrifices are truly needed.
This month we also observe the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, really an octave of prayer, Tuesday, January 18 through Tuesday, January 25. Christians around the world join in prayer for Christian Unity. January 25 is the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles.
In 2019, Pope Francis established the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time as a day to be devoted to the celebration, study, and dissemination of the Word of God. It is called Sunday of the Word of God and we are invited to deepen our understanding and appreciation of God’s holy Word in the Bible.
One of the most popular apps, in fact the #1 overall app on Apple Podcast is The Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz and special guest Jeff Cavins. It began again on January 1, but you can begin it anytime you want. It is easy, exciting, and filled with wisdom and insight. You will see God’s Word in a deeper and moving way, one day at a time. You will discover God’s plan revealed in His most Sacred Word recorded in the Books of the Bible.
God bless you, God love you,
Monsignor McCulken
