Happy New Year! I know, it’s not January 1st yet. But in the Church, we begin the new liturgical year on this first week of Advent. In today's readings and the gospel, we find a common theme. Did you catch it? "Stay awake!" This is a good reminder as we begin the new liturgical year. It's time to get up, shake off the spiritual sleepiness, and embrace a fresh start.

Happy Thanksgiving week! Remember to give thanks to God this Thanksgiving Day for all the blessings in your life. Gratitude and thanksgiving are remedies for sadness and hopelessness. They keep us grounded firmly in the truth of God's love for us and His grace abiding with us through all life's circumstances. As I like to say, you can't grumble if you're grateful! So be grateful and give thanks to God at all times.

As we come to the second-to-last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, our readings take on a more serious, reflective tone. Next Sunday, we will celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King, which closes the liturgical year and leads us into a new beginning with Advent, the season of waiting and hope for the coming of Christ.

We celebrate the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome this Sunday. If we consider that every Diocese has a Cathedral, and that the Lateran Basilica is the Cathedral of Rome, then we can see that the Lateran Basilica is the "Mother Church" of the whole Catholic Church. It is the spiritual home for all Catholics throughout the world, and the place where the Pope has proclaimed the infallible doctrines of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of Mary. We are grateful for the gift of the Lateran Basilica where God's truth is proclaimed which unites us as one Body in Christ.