A "New Reality" at the Center of Human Life

It's interesting to read from old journals I kept intermittently over the years. I have some reflections I wrote in a notebook thirty-five years ago, on December 28, 1990, marking the Feast of the Holy Innocents. The little children killed by Herod in his ruthless attempt to destroy the 'newborn King' in Bethlehem are each and all honored as martyrs and saints in the Church.

Life changes, technologies change, aspirations and disappointments change, nations and governments change. I have certainly changed in so many ways.

Still, my faith remains the same. What I referred to as "the new reality in our midst" in 1990 remains "new" now, at the end of the year 2025. Jesus Christ uniting Himself with us and redeeming us places Him always "at the center of human life."

When we celebrate these feasts each year, we remember and experience afresh the "new reality" of Christ who has come to dwell with us and who renews all things.

From December 28, 1990:

"These martyrs did not preach. Unlike Stephen two days ago they did not see visions. They were simply there. They were victims to man's hatred and fear of God's coming. But God has come, and man's indiscriminate rage against Him cannot conquer Him: rather, in some mysterious way even it becomes the 'stuff' - the material - for something new. God's victorious coming is made manifest by the fact that these unconscious victims of slaughter are real witnesses. The event of their deaths occurs for the sake of the new reality in our midst, and shares in that reality and in the glory it establishes at the center of human life."

Jesus Comes to Save Sinners

Mercy is an incredible thing.

During Christmas we remember Jesus coming among us. He comes for the poor, and for the Gentiles, and for Israel - for the whole world. He comes to seek out and save what is lost. He comes for sinners.

Jesus loves those whom we would regard as the worst sinners, the people we would consider disgusting. He has not given up on them. He loves them, He goes out in search of them, He gives Himself completely for them.

He wants sinners. He wants the most awful people, the disgraceful people, the people we don't want anything to do with. He wants to change their hearts by His grace, to bring them to repentance and conversion, to heal them, to forgive them, and to enable them to love Him. He wants them to be with Him forever. His heart burns with love for them: the ones we think of as gross, horrible people; the ones we would consider irretrievably lost.

He seeks them - indeed, He seeks each and every one of us - with a love beyond anything we could imagine or measure.

This should be a cause for great hope. For who among us looks in the mirror and sees a face with no cause for shame? We are all sinners. But the hope of the world is our hope. Jesus wants to awaken in us and draw forth from our hearts a true sorrow for our sins, and He wants to fill our hearts with His love and transform us and make us beautiful.

On the Cross, in the Church, in the sacraments, and in these beautiful days of Christmas that we celebrate, He shows how He has given Himself to us, and how He longs for us.

He wants us to pray and to open our hearts to Him in trust. We must pray, "Lord, make me the person You will me to be. Shape me, change me, lead me. I believe in Your love for me. I trust in You."

Merry Christmas 2025

Merry Christmas to everyone, from all of us! All the "kids" (and grandkids) are here today. [This picture is a clearer version of the family photo I previously shared on my blog from Catie's baptism in October.]🎄⭐☺️

Christ is born! Come let us adore Him! ⭐ #MerryChristmas #ChristmasDayOne

Janaro Girls are Having Fun! (and some "news")

Presenting the Janaro Girls, the next generation!

Eileen "arranged" the three granddaughters on our couch and took a bunch of pictures while attempting to get all of them to smile at the same time. It was an impossible task, but they did their best.

Catie, of course, doesn't know what's going on. At three months old, she can be put in a sitting position and "leaned" next to four-year-old Maria. When she's not crying or sleeping, Catie pretty much has this face. Actually, she will smile in more personal interactions. She has little dimples and is positively "snuggly." Maria is "composed" and knows her role, although sometimes she looks a little restless and distracted, as if she just wants to get this photo session done. Anna, who just turned two, is the "wild card" here. She is happy to "ham things up" (as the pictures show).

These kiddos just brighten up the whole house whenever they come over. It's wonderful! Otherwise, things are pretty quiet, but sometimes I appreciate that too. My mind feels like it needs "more rest" these days. Quiet is good.

I recall that when I began this blog almost 15 years ago this house was a very noisy house. Five kids living at home with us in this little place. Jojo was the same age as Maria back then. She and her siblings were the "stars of the blog" in those days.

We are looking forward to everyone coming over for Christmas dinner this year (it's gonna be a crowded table🙂). But, of course, the "kids" are all grown up! Jojo is still at home and finishing high school. The others are living their grown-up lives, so I think I should let them tell their own stories. Still, we're a close family and we see them often, and certain events must be noted (portions of this blog serve as a kind of "family chronicle"). Grandchildren continue to move our story into the future, while our (former) kids still have important milestones like graduations, engagements, marriages... engagements...

Remember Teresa Janaro? Of course. The girl I used to say was "only-the-size-of-an-extra-large-pizza"? You have heard much about her over the years. She's 23 years old now, and this past Thanksgiving she got engaged! Will, her fiance, has already appeared in our more recent family pictures, so this is not exactly a surprise. He's a great guy, and I'm looking forward to having another son-in-law. The wedding will be in June 2026. I'll get to be "father of the bride" once again, which is a happy task. You can be sure there will be stories and pictures.

"Let the Earth Be Opened"

Fourth Sunday of Advent.

The days are full of signs. We have struggled through this long night. We have crept along our ways, blind, hoping for some small light, never dreaming that there might be a sun that even now is lifting the darkness from the edge of the sky. A slow brightening, wherein things begin to take shape and faces begin to appear.

The light is coming, the unimagined Dawn.

"The Radiance of Your Glory"

Collect for December 19th. This prayer is very beautiful.

Christmas is almost here!

We Are Not Alone

Pope Leo encourages us to hope for "beautiful and joyful" events to happen to us in the approaching Christmas season, because we are not alone. Jesus walks with us, and his Spirit is at work in us and among us.

"We know that even in the face of the greatest challenges, we are not alone: the Lord is near, he walks with us, and with him at our side, something beautiful and joyful will always happen" (Pope Leo XIV).

Rejoice! And Trust in the Lord.

#GaudeteSunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, is here already. Today we cry out, “Rejoice! The Lord is near.” 

Rejoice! Even if you don't "feel" it. There is a joy "deep-down" within us — greater than our sorrows and pain — that sustains us when we adhere to Jesus Christ. He accompanies us with His love, which is transforming our lives and giving meaning and value to everything in them. 

Every frustration, every pain, every sadness, every suffering, loneliness, weakness, or limitation is "already" being changed into a path to joy by Christ who renews all things. 

Trust in the Lord!

The Virgin of Guadalupe "in Her Own Words"

On this great Feast Day, I want to present two excerpts from the original account of the events of December 9-12, 1531, as dictated by Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin in the language of the Nahua peoples and recorded by an indigenous Mexican, Antonio Valeriano. These are Mary's words to Saint Juan Diego and to all of us, and they are an important complement to the singular icon that accompanies them.

The translation is by Father Martinus Cawley, O.C.S.O., a lifelong scholar of Nahuatl and native Mexican texts, above all the critical edition of Antonio Valeriano's original account, known as the Nican Mopohua. Father Cawley endeavored to render into English the poetic cadence of the text, which corresponds to the rich aesthetic quality of the image.

To communicate herself and her Son, Mary entered a particular place, time, and culture. In the same way, she desires to dwell in a particular way with each one of us, in our families, our homes, and our communities.

In her company, we always find her Son and our Brother, Jesus. And through her we learn how much Jesus wants to stay with us.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The words of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Saint Juan Diego

(as presented in the Nican Mopohua):

"Do know this, do be assured of it in your heart,

My Littlest One,

that I Myself, I am the Entirely and Ever Virgin, Saint Mary,

Mother of the True Divinity, of God Himself.

Because of Him, Life goes on, Creation goes on;

His are all things afar, His are all things near at hand,

things above in the Heavens, things here below on the Earth.

"How truly I wish it, how greatly I desire it,

that here they should erect Me My Temple!

Here would I show forth, here would I lift up to view,

here would I make a gift

of all My Fondness for My Dear Ones,

all My Regard for My Needy Ones,

My Willingness to Aid them,

My Readiness to Protect them.

"For truly I Myself,

I am your Compassionate Mother,

yours, for you yourself,

for everybody here in the Land,

for each and all together,

for all others too, for all Folk of every kind,

who do but cherish Me,

who do but raise their voices to Me,

who do but seek Me,

who do but raise their trust to Me.

"For here I shall listen to their groanings, to their saddenings;

here shall I make well and heal up

their each and every kind of disappointment,

of exhausting pangs, of bitter aching pain."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Do listen,

do be assured of it in your heart, My Littlest One, 

that nothing at all should alarm you, should trouble you, 

nor in any way disturb your countenance, your heart.

"And do not be afraid of this Pestilence,

nor of any other pestilence, 

or any rasping hardship.

"For am I not here, I, Your Mother? 

Are you not in the Cool of My Shadow?

in the Breeziness of My Shade? 

Is it not I that am your Source of Contentment?

Are you not cradled in My Mantle?

cuddled in the Crossing of My Arms? 

Is there anything else for you to need?

"Nothing else, though, should trouble you,

should disquiet you."

Juan Diego, Mother Mary, and God’s Merciful Love

Today is the Feast of Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, patron of indigenous peoples, instrument and messenger of the Mother of God, the merciful Mother of every human person and all peoples. Here Mary shows and offers her love (which draws its strength entirely from the redeeming grace of her Son Jesus) to the whole world at the dawn of the first global epoch. It was a time full of sorrows and wars and terrible injustices, but also of new opportunities for witness to the Gospel and for mutual service in fraternal love and communion. 

And, in a special way, this great and enduring sign — given in Mexico City in 1531, before there were any borders — also remains among us who dwell in “this land,” as an “icon” of God’s merciful love for all the peoples of “America,” North, Central, and South. 

#OurLadyOfGuadalupe #SaintJuanDiego

Mary, Conceived Without Sin

Happy Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception … and the beginning of the beautiful “Days of Mary” that light up every Advent Season. Here are Saints Joachim and Anna, parents of Mary according to ancient Christian tradition, who were “there” (and did their part) in the events that led up to Mary’s being conceived without original sin. The Byzantine icon represents the Eastern churches’ celebration (tomorrow) of “The Conception [of Mary, in the womb of] Saint Anne.” The miracle was Mary’s being preserved from the “inheritance” of the sin of Adam and Eve (which otherwise marks every human being from the moment they are generated with a “fallen human nature”) by virtue of God’s foreknowledge of the redeeming merits of her Son. Thus, the grace of salvation “begins” with Jesus’s mother, like the first light in the morning sky before the dawn. 

Tomorrow (in the Western Church) is the feast of the humble man who was entrusted 1500 years later with an utterly unique “sign” of Mary’s unconditional maternal love for every human being - the poor indigenous Mexica peasant who I believe to be among the greatest of all the saints: Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. His tilma still bears today the astonishing, scientifically inexplicable image of “Our Lady of Guadalupe.” Friday, December 12 is the celebration of Nuestra Señora who gave us her image on that day in 1531, and who remains “present” in her “house,” the basilica on Tepeyac hill in Mexico City (virtually the center of the “American continent”). She heals the wounds of all her sons and daughters. She is a sign of unity, solidarity, and hope.

Happy Saint Nicholas Day!

Happy Saint Nicholas Day! 

“O Father and Pontiff [Bishop] Nicholas, the holiness of your life was set before your flock as a rule of faith, and example of meekness and a teaching of temperance; wherefore you acquired greatness through humility and spiritual wealth through poverty. Pray to Christ God that He may save our souls” (Troparion of the Feast of Saint Nicholas, Byzantine Liturgy).

The Commitment to Peace

Pope Leo speaks about the strength that comes from a genuine commitment to PEACE. 

He is not naive. He knows that true peace is difficult, and that authentic dialogue requires patience and the persistent search for lines of communication where mutual trust can be fostered. He knows that self-defense against aggression may be legitimate and necessary, but that it is also fraught with physical and moral perils and the danger of uncontrolled escalation. Legitimate self-defense only underscores the need to bring about a just and lasting peace.

We are called to be peacemakers, to work and pray for peace, to continue to hope for peace.

"The commitment and love for peace know no fear in the face of apparent defeat, are not daunted by disappointment, but look ahead, welcoming and embracing all situations with hope" (Pope Leo XIV).

Saint Francis Xavier, East Asia, and the "Catholicity" of Christ

December 3: The incredible SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER, missionary to East Asia. To his intercession (among others) I entrust my ongoing and increasingly difficult work of studying and "listening to" the great historic civilization of China and the drama and difficulty of its recent past and present reality. Today's Saint began to build a "Great Bridge" to facilitate an encounter with the peoples beyond the "Great Wall", and his confreres - Ruggieri, Ricci, Trigault, Valignano, et. al. along with their Chinese collaborators Li Zhizao, Xu Guangqi, Yang Tingjun, Candida Xu, and many others - continued a remarkable, profoundly human, mutually enriching dialogue of cultures within the missionaries' witness to Christ and the free response of Chinese converts. This permitted the Gospel to take root and flourish in an "organic" Chinese inculturation wherein all that was true and beautiful in China's great wisdom tradition opened itself to the West and showed new facets of the "Catholicity" of Christ's Church. Tragically, misunderstandings and, eventually, the greedy abuses of colonial domination by Western nations obscured this evangelical and cultural work (though not entirely — the Catholic faith remained through the centuries and has endured many trials).

But Francis Xavier was no seeker of earthly power or riches; he was a man on fire with the love of God, with a passion to witness to Jesus through all the world. He preached in India, was the first Catholic missionary in Japan, and longed to reach China - where he finally died of an illness (having reached the limits of human endurance) on an island seven miles from the coast of the southern province of Guangdong. The ardor of his missionary heart brought a great many people to Christ, shined the light of the Gospel explicitly in nations where it had never shone before, and planted seeds - many of which have yet to grow, blossom, and bear fruit. But they will…

Welcome to Advent 2025

This Advent, let us remember that Jesus is with us, that He loves us, and that He is the Lord of history.

The 1700-Year-Old Legacy of the First Council of Nicaea

Pope Leo XIV, Bartholomew (Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople), and other leaders of Catholic and other ancient churches met together in Turkiye in recent days to mark the 1700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.

The Council was — a remains today — a great source and hope for the unity of all Christians. In the Creed that clarifies the truth revealed by Christ and handed on by the Scriptures and the Apostolic Tradition, we profess our common faith in the Person of Jesus Christ, consubstantial with the Father in His Divinity, who assumed our humanity and entered history for our salvation.