The Second Station – Jesus takes up His Cross. This is why Jesus came. He was born to die and give us eternal life through His Resurrection. Every moment of His existence was directed to the Cross.

The First Station – Jesus is Condemned to Death by Pontius Pilate. This is Jesus at His most humble. There’s a great difference between position and power. Pilate has the position — he’s governor of Judaea. Jesus doesn’t have the position, but He has immense spiritual power.

It’s the Third Sunday of Ordinary Time also known as the Word of God Sunday, which was introduced last year. The Word of God means the Bible, but it also means Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the eternal Word.

It’s a somber day as we remember January 22, 1973 and the disastrous Supreme Court ruling of Roe v. Wade. It has led to the brutal abortion license here in the country we love. We bishops have designated today a national day of prayer for the legal protection of the unborn.

Today is the feast of Saint Agnes – a young, virgin martyr who has been venerated in the church since the 3rd century. Did you know Agnes is very close to “Agnus” – the Latin word for Lamb?

​We’re still in the month of January. January got its name from Janus, the Roman god of beginnings. Janus​ had two faces. Although he is a pagan god, there is some wisdom we can learn. We too can look back at the past and look forward to the future. ​

​​Today we get back to Ordinary Time. However, we have to remember that in the Christian dispensation, here is no “ordinary” time. Every day is a gift from God – extraordinary in its possibilities.  Our vocation as followers of Jesus is to discover God in the ordinary. 

Yesterday I spoke to you about Elizabeth Ann Seton who founded a wonderful order of nuns. When I think of her, it reminds me to thank God for the gift of our religious sisters. Sisters, we love you and need you here in the Catholic Church of the United States. 

Today is the feast of Elizabeth Seton, the first native-born American citizen to be canonized a saint. She wasn’t a Catholic originally. After her husband died, she entered into the Catholic faith. We can learn from her deep devotion to the Mass and Blessed Sacrament. 

We usually celebrate the feast of Saint John the Evangelist on December 27. He was the youngest of the Apostles, probably a teenager. Young people are the ones filled with excitement and imagination during this season. Like children, we should never lose the magic of Christmas.