Again, a reminder about the Year of Mercy from Pope Francis himself, taken from the Bull of indiction of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, April 11, 2015:

I have proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy as a special time for the Church, a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective.... How much I desire that the year [8 December 2015 – 20 November 2016] to come will be steeped in mercy, so that we can go out to every man and woman, and bring the goodness and tenderness of God! May the balm of mercy reach everyone, both believers and those far away, as a sign that the Kingdom of God is already present in our midst!

Isn’t it funny how we get used to things?

We should never get used to Christmas. Today we celebrate the mind-boggling truth that God became man. When was the last time you really thought about that?

Why would the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity,do that? Why enter into a life of human limitation, fatigue and hunger? Why subject Himself to being misunderstood,hated and ultimately put to death? He could have comedown to earth as a glorious King and struck dead everyone who opposed Him with a wave of His hand.

You have heard or read from me over the years about my hope that we discipline ourselves to participate, not anticipate. That being said, Catholics and people around the world are gearing up for a declared Holy Year of Mercy by our Pope Francis which begins this week. Before I comment on the upcoming months, it’s necessary to make comment on the Year of Consecrated Life which we just concluded. Perhaps the conclusion of the Year of Consecrated Life is a dim memory, or, maybe even these words being your first awareness of the past year. Whatever your reaction, know that, in summary, we have been taking time to recognize consecrated life. The particular vocation in the Church we recognize as men and women who embrace a new family of brothers, sisters, nuns or priests and live in community. Those communities typically pray often together, perform their apostolic work together and share their vocation together. We are continually inspired by their contemporary example coupled with countless saints of the Church who dedicated their lives to Christ and His people in the consecrated life.