The Church is, first of all, about people helping people. We are a community of faith who is there for one another, in good times and in bad. Where can you go when you have lost a child, or a spouse after many years of togetherness? Or your marriage is going through a rocky period? Or you are in a good marriage that could use a little time alone, away from the kids, to further enrich your love for one another? The Archdiocesan Office of Family Life offers marriage preparation and enrichment, ministry to the bereaved, to the divorced and separated, to marriages in crisis, and gives instruction in natural family planning.  It is involved as well in various works promoting pro-life causes such as Project Gabriel (for someone in a crisis pregnancy) and Rachel's Vineyard (for someone grieving loss from an abortion). There are dates already set up for this spring and summer, and retreats / classes are offered in both English and Spanish. Jesus said “I have come that they (the sheep) may have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Don’t be afraid to take the first step, do what needs to be done, and start your new year off with hope and trust in the community that is there for you. New brochures are in the front vestibule of the church. You can also go to: archokc.org/office-of-family-life.  Whatever your need, I pray that this new year will bring to you more abundant life! - - - Fr. Jim

This is from a prayer book by Alice Camille (and shared with me by Bernadette Hardesty). It is very good advice for the coming New Year. - “It would be a tragedy beyond mere death should any of us take the garbage of the old year and dump it into the living space of the new one.  The past deserves to be put in its place, where it belongs, in the sacred files of reconciliation.  So when you turn that new page for 2015, do it like you mean it!  You've got a new page.  Start fresh.  Issue blanket amnesty to all offenders.  Say "I'm sorry."  Say “Thank you.”  Say your prayers.  And in the name of all that is holy, wherever there are differences, by God, let it snow.”  Leave the garbage of the old year behind, whether these be hurt feelings, resentments, or disappointments. And let the snow cover all that divides us and blanket it in the oneness of God’s love and grace. Let it snow! - - - Fr. Jim

Whenever we celebrate the Eucharist, we both celebrate our unity and, at the same time, realize that we are not yet fully united.  As St. Paul writes "Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we partake of the one bread." (1 Cor. 10) Because some Christians cannot join us in this feast, we are not yet fully One Church. Family get-togethers are a little bit like this. We share the rituals of unity at Christmas - a hearty meal, gift exchange, games and laughter, communal prayer, family stories and traditions. But for people with large extended families, there may also be some tension, or disappointments, or alienations. The rituals of Christmas don't deny these aspects, but give us a glimpse of life lived in greater harmony and good cheer. They call us to a deeper unity within family, a unity that is both happening now, but also not yet complete. Perhaps that is one of the greatest gifts of Christmas. - - - Fr. Jim