​Beloved in Christ,
 
God is the author of the family. What does the structure of God's family look like? The answer to this question can be derived from the example of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The Holy Family is a perfect one made up of a divine Son, a sinless mother, and a just father. It is a family structure that reflects the familial nature of the relationship among the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. However, the perfect constitution of the Holy Family does not exclude the existence of stress and tension. Even the Holy Family had its share of difficulties in the human family as we all know it. 
 
As St. Luke writes about the family, they kept God's commandments. As a family, they went to Jerusalem to observe the Passover feast. They kept the faith in all its details. Each person plays an assigned role in the family structure established by God. Joseph and Mary have authority over Jesus. They exercise this authority in charity and patience. Jesus, though a divine person, obeyed his parents: "He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them" (Lk 2: 51). Jesus, though superior to Mary and Joseph, respected their authority over him, obeying their instruction to go with them to the feast of Passover and return home to Nazareth. Joseph knew he was not a perfect father to Jesus; he was a foster father, and God was the true Father. Yet, Mary and Jesus accepted his authority over his family- they recognized him as the head of the family.
 
 Despite this perfect family structure established by God, with each playing its God-assigned role regarding love, mutual respect, and order (we see more details of these roles in Col 3: 12-21), tension and stress are found in the family. When Jesus went missing in Jerusalem, Joseph and Mary must have felt a sense of failure and hardship. The three days of searching for Jesus must have constituted a problem for them and tension in the family. 
 
Our contemporary families undergo similar and more significant difficulties. Our families battle with divorce, separation, poor morals, abusive parents, disobedient or rebellious children, children who turn away from the faith their parents raised them in, and many other forms of dysfunction. There is hardly any family that is spared some form of moral failure. The feast of the Holy Family we celebrate this Sunday calls us back to the drawing board and the basics of family structure. Let us practice all the virtues and morals of the family illustrated in the Gospel of Luke 2, St. Paul's Colossians 3, and Sirach 3. Let us, above all, turn to God in prayers to renew and restore our family to what God intended. Let parents pray to God for their families; let them turn especially to Jesus, Mary and Joseph in prayers. Fathers, invoke St. Joseph!
 
Wednesday, January 1, is the Solemnity of Mary, the Holy Mother of God; it is a holy day of obligation this year. The Church, our Mother and teacher, invites us back to a solemn feast in honor of the Mother of our Lord Jesus. It is one of the highlights of the Octave of Christmas. Come to be taught and blessed by this solemn liturgy.
 
Happy Christmas!
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
 

 Beloved in Christ,
 
Mary is the icon of holiness. As the mother of Jesus, Mary is a saint par excellence, beyond an emblematic or symbolic status; she embodies holiness in its fullness. Mary's holiness is the fruit of her faith in Jesus, her savior. Full of grace, Mary opened herself entirely to the will of God: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" (Lk 1: 38). Conceived immaculately, Mary, in her sinless condition conceived, bore and raised her Lord who conquers sin forever. She is the subject of Micah's prophecy in this Sunday's first reading: the one " who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel" (Mi 5:2). Mary fulfills the prophecy of Micah when she gave birth to Jesus in Nazareth. She accomplished her purpose on earth because she was full of grace, and in responding to grace, she believed God's word and did God's will.
 
"Full of grace," Mary is "the most excellent fruit of redemption" (SC 103). We can also consider Mary an image of Christ because she spent her life doing God's will, like her Son and Savior. Christ came to the world to do the will of his Father: when Christ "came into the world he said: behold, I come to do your will, O God" (Heb 10:5, 7). Jesus emphasized his mother's fiat above all things in his response to the woman who said to Jesus, "Blessed is the womb that bore you," by saying, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it" (Lk 11:28).
 
Jesus would want us to learn the art of living for Him from his mother. As we prepare for the coming of Christ, let us ask Mary to teach us how to yield to Jesus. Mary is the first to believe and prepare for the coming of Jesus. Elizabeth recognizes Mary's faith when she says: "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled" (Lk 1: 45). The Blessed Virgin Mary is our mother and teacher. We will grow in faith if we approach and pray for her help. Let us call her blessed as Elizabeth did when we say the Hail Mary. Pray the Hail Mary often, and her intercession will obtain you from her son the grace you need to grow in holiness that befits your state in life.
 
We will begin the Christmas season in a few days. Let us long for the coming of Christ into our hearts and lives. We have masses scheduled for Christmas vigil and Christmas Day; make it a priority to attend with devotion. 
 
Maranatha! Come, Lord Jesus! (Jn 22:20).
 
In Christ,
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
 
 
 
 

​Beloved in Christ,
 
Why am I in a rose-colored vestment today? In Catholic liturgy, the rose color vestments indicate the spirit of joy. Today is Gaudate Sunday- rejoicing Sunday! Why have we suddenly switched from violet to rose during the Advent season? We rejoice because the Lord is near. The one whose coming we have been preparing is close to us, and we must be joyful. St. Paul is emphatic on this call for rejoicing: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!" (Phil 4:4). Paul encourages us to be joyful, and I echo him, be joyful! We can relax the restraints and discipline of Advent for a while and allow the presence of Jesus to fill us with unending and enduring joy- even while we experience sadness and suffering. Our pains and sorrows never overshadow the joy of Christ because the closeness of Jesus empowers us to endure and live through any tragic or unpleasant experiences we may be going through.
 
Advent is a season of happiness and hope. If Jesus is near us, if we draw closer to him, he will fill us with Joy beyond our understanding. The Christian joy is what Paul preached in his epistle to Christians in Philippi in 4:4. We only find ourselves unhappy by choosing to be separated from Jesus. What takes us away from Jesus? Sin and spiritual laziness. The answer to the absence of Jesus' joy in our life is to make immediate recourse to the sacrament of reconciliation once we fall into mortal sin and a vibrant life of prayer. If we remain in a state of grace and keep a vibrant prayer life, ours will be a life of "joyful mysteries." A holy and blameless life before God made possible by a constant prayer relationship with God keeps us joyful. Grace and prayer are signs of the nearness of Jesus to us. When Jesus is close to us, we will be joyful.
 
Mary accepted Jesus into her life and found joy, as expressed in the Magnificat. John the Baptist leaped joyfully in his mother's womb when he felt Jesus's nearness. The angels announced the good news of great joy to the shepherd because of the birth of Jesus. These are examples of finding joy in Jesus's nearness to us. We find joy when we have Jesus; we become unhappy when we lose him. To have Jesus always is to be joyful. With St Paul, I say to you again, rejoice, the Lord is near. 
 
The Advent season is coming close to an end. Let us begin to anticipate the joy of Christmas. The preparation continues in prayers and acts of charity. We hit the peak of our preparation for Christmas at St. Peter with our Advent retreat with the International Irish Tenor, Mark Forest, which will be held tomorrow, Monday, at 7 p.m. Make plans to attend this spirit-filled hour of prayer and praise of Jesus present in the Eucharist. We will find joy in the presence of Jesus. We should not expect to find true happiness if we remain constantly away from Jesus' presence. Come close to Jesus and find joy.
 
With Joy,
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
 

Beloved in Christ,
  
"All flesh shall see the Salvation of God" (Lk 3: 6). Let's continue from where we stopped last Sunday. Vigilance was the keyword last Sunday. The Scripture reminded us of the importance of vigilance or watchfulness for the coming of the Lord. As we watch and prepare for the coming of Jesus, we should ask a pertinent question: what awaits us after a lifetime of prayerful vigilance? The evangelist Luke gives us the answer. It is a divine promise: we shall see the Salvation of God. In the end, the purpose of our preparation for the coming of the Lord is the divine assurance that we shall fully experience God's redemption.
 
​Is vision of the salvation of God enough reason for us to persevere in prayers and devotion in our preparation for the coming of the Lord? It is more than sufficient reason. The salvation of God is the fulfillment of our human aspirations and hunger. We are perpetually in need of God's healing and deliverance of our soul from eternal damnation, which is the consequence of sin. God saves and heals sinful souls. Sin distorts our lives. It creates a deep valley of horror and an unassailable mountain of sadness. Only the visit of God's mercy and love can make things right for our souls. Only by presenting ourselves before the healing grace of God will winding roads be made straight and rough roads made smooth. The necessity and possibility of God's salvation are what John the Baptist represents. He is the voice in the wilderness that Prophet Isaiah spoke about. He is the advent figure announcing "the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins."
 
The vision of God's salvation should be an adequate reason for our contrition for sins and regular visits to the sacrament of penance. We are needy of God's salvation. God's mercy and love are without end. But if we do not acknowledge our need for his saving grace, we risk not beholding God's face. The word of God beckons us to go into the desert, where we see the actual state of our soul and our need for salvation. As we heed the word of God and listen to the voice calling us to a more profound friendship with God, it will be clearly shown to us the importance of striving to show ourselves pure and blameless for the day of Christ (Phi 1: 10). God wants us to approach his healing grace; he wants to purify us and make us worthy to stand ready for the coming of Jesus, and then he will joyfully show all the earth our splendor (Bar. 5:3). May we prepare ourselves constantly, and especially during Advent to behold the salvation of God. God wants to save our souls. How desirous are we for this grace?
 
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our country's patronal feast day, has been transferred to Monday, December 9. Although it will not be observed as a Day of Obligation this year, we should be eager to celebrate and benefit from the graces that accrue from doing so. The Mass of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is at 7 p.m. on Monday. All are highly encouraged to attend. We have two additional Marian feast days this week: Our Loreto (Tuesday) and Our Lady of Guadalupe (Thursday). Make it a priority to implore the help of our Blessed Mother in this triple celebration!
 
In His Hope,
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP