Emmanuel, God is with us! We rejoice with fellow Christians around the world that our God has chosen to become one of us; the beautiful miraculous gift of the Incarnation. God taken on human flesh never happened before and has not happened since in any other world religion. We truly believe in a miracle.

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I suppose many of us are finding some respite from political campaign ads, conversations and phone calls duringthis post-election time. Meanwhile, we continue to hear about the latest decisions about our president-elect andthe media commentary which accompanies those decisions. Furthermore, in the midst of politics, we continue tofind ourselves immersed in the activities which surround this time of year, secularly known as “the Holidays.” So, aquestion, are you making a good Advent? After all, Advent 2016 is almost the longest it can ever be and you stillhave time to immerse yourself in the graces of the season.

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Here is a thought from a contemporary author, found on the internet on a site called The Federalist. Her article iscalled, “Why Santa Claus Without Jesus Is Cultural Appropriation At Its Stupidest”:

It’s high time to stop searching for ways to be religious and inspire belief in the magical without actually havingGod in your life. Wanting the celebrations, the joy, and especially the presents without the faith misses thewhole point. Christmas isn’t about deals and the joy of giving and receiving gifts, it’s about God humblinghimself to be born as a baby for the benefit of all people. Saint Nick didn’t help the poor in his communitybecause he had some random desire to, he did it because of his faith in Christ. Santa, and his presents, are areminder of the love we show others because God loves us, and no amount of erasure will turn him into asecular figure. Holly Scheer is a writer and editor.

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We have the honor of honoring the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary each year on December eighth, this year it's on Thursday. Some of you are aware of the Novena for Our Nation which is underway; more details will follow my portion of this article. Some of you are aware that 2017 will be the 100 Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima, who encouraged the pilgrim children to pray the Rosary daily. In the spirit of these Marian realities, consider renewing your love and devotion to Our Lady, who always leads us to Jesus.

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