Second Sunday in Ordinary Time
JANUARY 18, 2026

GROWING IN FAITH QUESTIONS

Adults: How do I experience the forgiveness of the Lord?

Teens: John the Baptist points others to Jesus, even 
stepping back so Christ can be known. Who has helped 
you grow in your faith, and how might God be inviting you 
to help others encounter Him through your words, 
actions, or example?

Children: When you make a bad choice and do 
something wrong, it’s important to say sorry and ask for 
forgiveness. When you do this, God also forgives you. 
How does it feel when God forgives you?

THIS WEEK'S BULLETIN

THIS WEEKEND'S LAY MINISTERS

Focus
John the Baptist…testified further, saying, "I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him. ...[T]he one who sent me to baptize with water told me, 'On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.'”

One-Minute-Homily
> We understand the importance of rules and we expect people to follow the rules, but we are more impressed--and scared--by people whose spirit empowers them to transcend the rules.  People who do more than they have to do—more than is required by the rules – often challenge and threaten us.
> John the Baptist recognized Jesus as the Lamb of God because of the Spirit.  The Spirit of Jesus revealed someone who, in the words of Scripture, "fulfilled" the law, someone who was in fact more than the law required or expected.
> As Christians we are all challenged to grow in our awareness and our desire to follow the Spirit, to live our lives in ways which transcend the minimal dictates of the law.  That means to care more, to share more, to forgive more than is merely required by simple justice.  We are governed by a Spirit of Mercy.
> The Eucharist should be an encounter with the Spirit of the Living God, which empowers us to live beyond the rules.

For Additional Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: Why do people make rules for children to follow?
> Question for Youth: Young people often experience rules in tension or conflict with a deeper, more important value, a passion to be more and do more than the rules require.  Have you experienced that in your own life?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people who are bound by the rules or people who are living beyond the rules?  Do we encourage and enable others to grow beyond the rules?

Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings here
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings here
• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel here
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective

(compiled by Dave Cushing)

The Baptism of the Lord
JANUARY 11, 2026

GROWING IN FAITH QUESTIONS

Adults: What is my Baptismal call?

Teens: At Jesus’ baptism, God calls Him His beloved Son. At your baptism, God also claimed you as His beloved. How does knowing you are loved by God shape the way you see yourself, your choices, and the way you treat others? 

Children: When you were baptized, you became part of God’s family, the church. How do you show love to your family?

THIS WEEK'S BULLETIN

• Focus

  Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him…. After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

  
  

  One-Minute-Homily

  > OBSERVE. Being named and claimed by someone designates a relationship and imposes a responsibility that limits our freedom to be and do whatever we want to be and do. It’s a challenge to anyone who assumes they are entitled to choose their own relationships and responsibilities, even their identity.

   > LEARN. In this week's Gospel, the Father names and claims Jesus -- "this is my beloved son."  It authorizes but at the same time also imposes on Jesus the responsibility to be and do what the Son of God was expected to be and do.

   > ACT. Baptism reminds us that the Father has named and claimed us, too. The challenge is to grow in our commitment to be and do what is expected of us beloved children.  If we are honest, our choice of relationships, responsibilities and commitments should be compatible with that identity.

   > REMEMBER. The Eucharist names and claims us as the Body of Christ; it imposes on us the challenge of being and acting like the Body of Christ in our world.

  
  

  For Additional Reflection or Journaling

  > Question for Children: Do you know why your parents named you what they did?

  > Question for Youth: Young adulthood is a time when we are busy determining who we are and what we’re going to do with our lives.  Is it reassuring or challenging to think that we are not really free to be anyone or do anything we want to be or do?

  > Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: How well do we, as individuals or faith communities, resolve the tension that arises between what we want to be and do and what we are called to be and do as disciples of the Lord?

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  Learn More

  • Read Sunday's readings here

  • Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings here

   • Explore the cultural context of the Gospel

  • Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel here

  • Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective

(compiled by Dave Cushing)

Solemnity of the Epiphany
JANUARY 4, 2026

GROWING IN FAITH QUESTIONS

Adults: How has the birth of Christ changed your life?  

Teens: The Magi followed a star, not knowing exactly
where it would lead, but trusting it would guide them to something greater. What “stars” or signs has God placed in your life to guide you closer to Him?  What might you need to leave behind in order to follow where God is leading you? 

Children: Baby Jesus was born on Christmas! What is one thing you can do for him as a birthday present?

The Gospel of Matthew describes the Magi without ever stating how many there were.  Western tradition is three from the three stated gifts given.  Some Eastern traditions have a different number, even up to twelve.  No names are mentioned in the Bible either.  Their names also vary and come from traditions.

THIS WEEK'S BULLETIN

Focus
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,…behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem.... And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. ...On entering the house…they prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

One-Minute-Homily
> OBSERVE. People of vision – people of faith and hope -- often lead difficult lives.  Their vision of how things could be or should be seems so contrary to common social, political or religious expectations; they are shunned as impractical dreamers, troublemakers or worse.
> LEARN. The Magi were obviously people of vision.  They followed a star toward a reality few other people could imagine; they were not deterred by the long distance, an alien land, the evil king, or how incredible their vision was.
> ACT. As Christians, we too are challenged to be people of vision -- a vision which St. Paul called “a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.”  We must be people of hope and faith, even in circumstances where our vision seems so incredible, so far out of reach, and so contrary to "the way things are" or “are supposed to be.”
> REMEMBER. The Eucharist embodies the vision; it also nourishes the hope and courage we need to keep living toward the vision.

For Additional Reflection or Discussion
> Question for Children: What do you think about or feel when you look at the stars?
> Question for Youth: Sometimes young people have a vision for their lives that seems to conflict with the expectations of adults or peers.  What can you learn from the example of the Magi?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Are we people of vision and hope, even when it seems so impossible?  How are we coping with the tension between "the way things are" and "the way things could be"?

Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings here
• Read a commentary on Sunday’s readings here
• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel here
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective

(compiled by Dave Cushing)

Feast of the Holy Family
DECEMBER 28, 2025

GROWING IN FAITH QUESTIONS

Adults: Am I welcoming to the immigrant? How? 

 
Teens: Think about a time you were the new person
in a group. What did/would have helped you feel
welcome? How can you provide that same welcome
to others who are new, especially immigrants? 

 
Children: Do you know anyone who is really
different from you? How do you show them 
they are welcome?  

THIS WEEK'S BULLETIN

Celebrate the Christmas Season of the Church each day until January 11th, when we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord!

Fourth Sunday of Advent
DECEMBER 21, 2025

GROWING IN FAITH QUESTIONS

Adults: How deep is my trust in God? 

Teens: Think of something difficult going on in your
life right now that makes it hard to trust God. What
would happen if you gave it to God this week and
stopped worrying about it?  

Children: God is with you and loves you always, even
when something you don’t like happens. What can
you do to trust God during these times?  

THIS WEEK'S BULLETIN

Focus

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child....  Joseph her husband...decided to divorce her quietly...when the angel of the Lord appeared to him...and said, "[D]o not be afraid to take Mary... into your home.  For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

One-Minute-Homily

> No one likes unhappy surprises – a sudden death, an unexpected diagnosis, a financial crisis, an inexplicable betrayal.  Faced with a situation which will bring pain and suffering, we are almost always tempted to find someone to blame.
> For Joseph, Mary’s unexpected pregnancy was not a miracle, it was a disaster; it was sure to bring embarrassment and shame upon them and their families.  Still, empowered by God’s grace and the assurance of the angel, he chose not to abandon her and not to seek blame.
> Joseph's example challenges us to be faithful even to those who embarrass us or make us feel uncomfortable.  It challenges us to accept inexplicable circumstances which bring pain and suffering upon us for no apparent reason and where the only person we can blame is God.
> The Eucharist reminds us that through his death and resurrection Jesus disarmed our embarrassment and shame. He disarmed the finality of human suffering, even though for now its consequences remain.

For Additional Reflection or Discussion 
> Question for Children: Do you avoid other kids because they tease you and try to blame you for things you didn't do?
> Question for Youth: Growing up means taking risks; those risks entail the possibility of rejection, embarrassment, and suffering. What can we learn from Joseph’s example about the risks of growing up?
> Question for Adults, Families and Faith Communities: Who are the people in our lives whom we avoid because their presence is embarrassing or discomforting? Who are the people we blame for the inexplicable suffering in our lives?

Learn More
• Read Sunday's readings here
• Read a reflection on Sunday’s readings here

• Learn more about the cultural context of the Gospel

• Reflect on an image for Sunday's Gospel here
• Hear the Gospel from a Third World perspective

(compiled by Dave Cushing)