This year is the Year of St. Joseph. For many years, I have been saying the following daily consecration prayer to St. Joseph. Dearest St. Joseph, I consecrate myself to your service. I give myself to you, that you may always be my father, my protector, and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me a great purity of heart, a fervent love of the interior life, and the spirit of prayer. After your example may I do all my actions for the greater glory of God, in union with the Divine Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. And you, blessed St. Joseph, pray for me, that I may share in the peace and joy of your holy death. Amen.

This weekend, the Church celebrates the First Sunday of Lent. In today's Gospel, Jesus goes into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, showing us that we have yet to enter Heaven and must therefore make sacrifices to conform ourselves to God's grace. During Lent, we traditionally pray, fast, and give alms. Prayer includes meditation, especially on the Passion, and some good prayers are the Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet. Fasting lifts up our thoughts to heavenly subjects and strengthens us to do spiritual works and resist temptation, as well as making reparations for past sins. When we offer up our sufferings to Christ, we grow closer to Him. Some sacrifices are chosen, such as giving up eating candies. But others are not, such as humbly accepting sufferings that God has permitted to happen in our life. Finally, we can help others through almsgiving. If we cannot help through money, action, or verbal encouragement, then we can at least pray for them. This Lent, we ought to diligently pray, fast, and give alms.

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time. Today's Gospel comes from Mark 1:29-39, where we hear what Jesus does in a single day. In the morning, He taught and exorcised demons at the synagogue, in the afternoon He healed Peter's mother-in-law and others at Peter's house, and in the evening, Jesus went off to pray. From this, we can reflect on we arrange time for work and prayer in our daily lives as Jesus had. Although He was extremely busy, He still took the time to pray, showing us how important prayer is. A saint once said, "The one who preserves order will be preserved by order." We need a schedule to order our time, so that we will cherish it and not waste it. We must arrange regular times to work, rest, and pray to yield good fruit and make the glory of God and the salvation of souls the core motivation of our lives. The Virgin Mary once appeared to two children in France, telling them to pray the Lord's Prayer and the Hail Mary once every morning and evening. If they had more time, they ought to pray more. Lately, many of us are unable to receive the Eucharist, but we ought to use this opportunity to know God's Word better. There is an app called iBreviary which provides the morning and evening prayers and daily readings for Lectio Divina. This can help us increase our discipline for prayer and reading. We ought to imitate Christ and set regular times for work and prayer, so that we can improve our communication skills and increase our friendship with God.

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time. Today's Gospel comes from Mark 1:21-28, where Jesus drives out devils to save us from their jealous temptations with the help of His angels. Temptation can come from three spiritual enemies: the flesh, the world, and the devil. If the temptation arrives suddenly and intensely, it could possibly come from a devil. The saints advise three ways to combat temptation. Firstly, we ought to humbly ask God, His angels, and His saints in prayer for supernatural help, especially St. Michael and St. Joseph, of whom the devils are particularly afraid. Secondly, we ought to faithfully receive the Sacraments and use sacramentals, such as the Sign of the Cross, Holy Cards, and Holy Water. Thirdly, we ought to view devils with condescension in order to attack their pride. St. Teresa of Avila once said that devils are just like tied-up dogs. No matter how much they bark, they cannot bite us unless we are lured by fear to approach close enough. St. John Bosco once learned in a dream what devils are most afraid of: the intention of a believer after Confesion and reverence for the Virgin Mary. We ought to follow the good advice of the saints and combat the temptations of the devil.

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time. Today's Gospel comes from Mark 1:14-20, where Jesus announces the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven and calls for repentance and belief in the Gospel. The Apostles quickly gave up everything to follow Jesus, like Peter and Andrew who gave up their fishing nets, James and John who left their father. Perhaps the things we leave may differ but what is important is that we abandon those obstacles on our way to follow God's will, and use them instead to serve Him. January 18 to 25 is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, while January 24 is the Feast of St. Francis de Sales. This saint's mission was simple: to bring those Catholics who had left the Church back home. He laboured in a French village for three years without producing a single convert. Nonetheless, he laboured on and, thinking that the villagers might not have heard his preaching, decided to slip in his pamphlets under their doors. He used his warmth and generosity to win souls. If the adults were unwilling to listen, he would play with their children. Once their parents saw how loving he was up close, their prejudices would disappear. After he left the village, forty thousand people converted to the Catholic faith. During this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we ought to pray for non-Catholic Christians to strengthen our mutual understanding and spread Christian values across the world. If we imitate St. Francis, we must use both words and actions to open people's hearts.

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Second Sunday of Ordinary Time. Today's Gospel comes from John 1:35-42, where Jesus calls the first disciples. Originally, John and Andrew were disciples of John the Baptist but they followed Jesus after the Baptist told them to. On approaching Jesus, He asked them, "What are you looking for?" Some approach Jesus out of habit, curiosity, or family tradition, but the proper reason is this: only He can give us true love and eternal life. St. Augustine lived a life of debauchery in his youth but later realized that our hearts are made for God, and unless they rest in Him, they cannot find rest. The disciples asked Jesus where He lived, only to be told to follow Him. Perhaps they had other plans that day but they decided to stay with Jesus until sunset. If we want to truly follow Jesus, we mustn't force Him into our schedules but must break them to give Him control over our time and lives. Before we follow Jesus, our lives are like sitting in the driver's seat but once we follow Him, we must switch places and let Him decide where to go. Although Andrew had yet to learn that Jesus was the Son of God, he still shared what had happened with his brother Peter. When we share the Gospel, we do not need a theology degree. Oftentimes, people are converted not by theological arguments, but by the good example and words of their friends and family. We ought to ask ourselves whether we are following Jesus for the right reasons and taking the time to grow closer to God in prayer every day.

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which is commemorated as the first of the Luminous Mysteries added to the Rosary by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Jesus was baptized with sinners in the River Jordan, representing how He would take on the consequences of our sins. Just as Christmas commemorates the birth of Christ, the Feast of His Baptism which ends the Christmas season commemorates our spiritual birth. When Christ was baptized, three things happened, which give our own baptisms much spiritual significance. First, the sky was opened, which calls to mind Moses' parting of the Red Sea to enter the Promised Land--we likewise have a path to enter the Kingdom of God through baptism. Second, the Holy Spirit descended over the waters to above Christ's head in the form of a dove, which calls to mind the dove that Noah sent over the waters, representing new creation--we likewise become new Temples of the Holy Spirit in Baptism. Third, the Father called Jesus "my beloved Son". When we are baptized, the grace of God makes us His sons and daughters, and forgives all our sins. From this, we can see how important baptism is and even during this time of pandemic, we ought to continue baptizing with fewer people in attendance. As Christians, we should be zealous for evangelizing, so that others might experience the grace of baptism and join the big family that is the Church.

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Feast of Epiphany to commemorate Jesus revealing Himself to three groups of people: firstly, to the Gentiles when He accepted the gifts of the Three Magi from the East; secondly, to the Jews when He was baptized by John the Baptist; and thirdly, to His Apostles when He turned water into wine in the wedding at Cana. The first reading from the Book of Isaiah speaks of the glory of God while the second reading from the Letter to the Ephesians teaches that the Gentiles have also been called. The gifts of the three Magi have significance: gold represents Christ's kingship, frankincense represents His divinity, while myrrh represents His humanity. We can also offer up our meritorious works as spiritual gold, our prayers as frankincense, and our mortifications as myrrh. The Church has a tradition of inviting the laity to offer up the bread and wine at the Offertory. The bread can represent all we have in our lives, while the wine can represent the needs of others. The perfect sacrifice of the Mass not only benefits Catholics, but also blesses the entire world, for the fruits of Christ's sacrifice on the Cross are distributed to all lands and times through the Mass. During this pandemic, the faithful will certainly receive the graces of the Mass if they sincerely thirst to receive the Eucharist and unite themselves spiritually to the Mass.

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family, honouring Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and St. Joseph. Pope Francis declared this year to be the Year of St. Joseph, the 150th anniversary of his declaration as the Patron of the Universal Church and also of Workers and the Protector of the Saviour in later years. Pope Francis reminds us that during the pandemic, frontline workers toil behind the scenes like Joseph to offer up their work and sacrifices for the needs of the world. He also suggests that those who have lost their jobs during the pandemic should ask St. Joseph for help in finding work. Joseph is a good example, for not only is he faithful in prayer and work, but also truly loves Jesus and Mary. He does not seek to control them but selflessly seeks their good. He is also deeply needed by our modern society as a model of chastity and fatherhood. In today's Gospel, Joseph and Mary dedicate Jesus in the Temple. This fourth Joyful Mystery shows that Joseph and Mary recognize the sovereignty of God over Jesus. Hence, we should not see other people as goods to be possessed, for all are children of God, entrusted to us in order to help them live good and holy lives. When children are baptized, they are consecrated to God, so they are merely entrusted to their parents, who must constantly discern the will of God for their children.

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Fourth Sunday of Advent and the Gospel reading comes from Luke 1:26-38. Before the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel appeared to announce the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah while he was conducting his priestly duties at the Temple. Meanwhile, Mary--humble and unknown--received the angel at the small village of Nazareth. Mary's circumstances may have been humbler but the foretold reality was far greater. God often chooses the humble to carry out His will in order to show that truly great deeds are only done through His grace. By responding to God's will with obedience, Mary saved us from the disobedience of Eve. A Church Father once taught that while death came through Eve, life came through Mary. God entered humanity through the free choice of Mary, showing how much He values our free choice. Meanwhile, Mary freely accepted the consequences of being the Mother of God, including suffering at the foot of the Cross with her Son. Mary's humility is the good foundation of the spiritual life and we can pray the Angelus and the Hail Mary to imitate her in listening to God's will.

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Third Sunday of Advent and some churches are using rose-coloured vestments to represent the joy of Christmas, since the first half of Advent is already over. Today's Gospel reading comes from John 1 and although John the Baptist was suspected by many to be the Messiah, he did not claim to be so in order to increase his followers. Instead, he openly told people to follow Jesus. Oftentimes, we are tempted to seek the praise of others, perhaps through wealth, appearance, or position in order to affirm ourselves. And people often misunderstand their relationship with Jesus as only with a friend, teacher, or worker of miracles. But John the Baptist proclaimed Him as Lord and did not seek to control Him. If we are to establish an authentic relationship with Christ, every corner of our lives will be transformed, especially our interactions with our coworkers, our friends, family, and even strangers. If we use our possessions, work, position, and friends to measure our self-worth, we are worshipping idols. We can only use our relationship with God to measure our self-worth. Only in understanding our own frailty can we cultivate the humble heart of St. John the Baptist.

This weekend, the Church celebrates the Second Sunday of Advent and the Gospel reading comes from Mark 1:1-8. Mark's Gospel begins with the words "The beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ". In those days, a "Gospel" typically referred to celebrating the victory or birth of an emperor, who claimed to be a son of god. In saying this, Mark pointed out that true peace and victory come not from worldly princes, but from the true Son of God. In today's Gospel, John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus by teaching through words and actions. He was so humble that he said he was not worthy to untie the sandals of the Messiah, a job deemed too demeaning for even a Jewish slave to perform. When we are baptized, our original sin, personal sin, and the temporal punishment of sin are all erased; we also receive an indelible mark which allows us to receive the other Sacraments. Although John's baptism had no actual authority to forgive sins, he used a liturgy to prepare people's hearts to receive Jesus. The Sacrament of Reconciliation has much greater spiritual graces than John's confessions, and form the pillars of salvation with Baptism. We ought to sincerely repent this Advent, in order to welcome Jesus' coming.

This weekend, the Church celebrates the First Sunday of Advent and the Gospel reading comes from Mark 13:33-37. Advent is the season to anticipate the coming of Christ and commemorates both His first coming on Christmas Day and His second coming at the Final Judgment. Jesus tells us today to be vigilant and awake because no one knows when He will return nor when they will die. Hence, God does not want us to calculate the time but for us to be constantly vigilant. A saint once said that those who constantly meditate on death find it easy to overcome disorderly thoughts, but those who think they will live long lives will be enslaved by worldly pleasures. For us who await Christ's coming, we ought to fulfill our responsibilities, respond to God's will, and dutifully keep the faith.