For people of faith the crib is the center of our Christmas celebration. Many families put up the crib early in Advent, but it is empty. Gradually they add the figures: first Mary and Joseph, then the shepherds, then the animals, and last of all on Christmas Eve night they reverently place the baby Jesus in the manger.

The Book of Samuel tells us that Ark of the Covenant was housed in a tent. The Ark contained the original set of the 10 Commandments, and like the tabernacle in our church, was the focal point of God’s special presence among his people. As a transient people, this kind of dwelling place for the Presence of God was appropriate for their way of life.

Who are you? This question, addressed to John the Baptist in today’s Gospel reading, is a question all of us need to answer. It is a question posed to us individually, but also a question addressed to us as a community. When asked, “Who are you?”, our usual response is to offer our name: “I am …” But today’s question to John the Baptist and us is asking for more. It is asking for the essence of who we are. It asks to reveal the foundation of our identity. It can be an uncomfortable question.

Today we enter into the season of Advent. The essence of the meaning of our Advent preparation -- the essence of the Gospel Message -- is that only by acknowledging dependence on the Light of Christ for our way of life can we begin to realize our full potential as human beings made in God’s image. Fulfillment comes not in isolation, but in community; not to the self-satisfied, but to the self-giving; not to the self-centered, but to the other-centered.

The message of Our Lady of Guadalupe: “Do not let nothing disturb you. Am I not here, I, who am your mother?”

“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” What is the basis for this separation? Have we cared for those in need? Have we entered into the work of rescuing the weak, the weary or the wounded? Have we shown concern…love…to those that we encounter on our path as we walk through life?

We are a blessed people…a very gifted people. All of our gifts come from a loving God, freely given, undeserved and unmerited. But what are we to do with our gifts? Our gospel today makes it clear that we are expected to give back.

When we look at the Gospels and the messages conveyed, they contain many parables that Jesus used to teach his disciples and those who followed his teachings. The Gospel of Luke contains twenty-four parables with eighteen being unique, the Gospel of Matthew contains twenty-three parables with eleven being unique, the Gospel of Mark contains eight parables with two being unique. The Gospel of John contains no parables.

Following the 6:00 pm Mass parishioners walked down the lit pathway from our sanctuary steps to the columbarium. Together we prayed the trilingual Rosary in memory of those we have lost to cancer, to embrace those who are currently battling cancer, and to honor those who have fought cancer and won. All luminary and torch donations will benefit the Ribbons of Hope Ministry.

Our Church is one, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. We have one faith and one Lord. We express this unity in many aspects of our faith in the diversity of our community life. Our parish has been working on several initiatives since June 2017 which aim at promoting this integration. Please take part in one of these initiatives; all are welcome. Many of them are BILINGUAL in English and Spanish.

In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees sent their disciples to trap Jesus by questioning, “Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (Mt 22:18) Jesus saw through their duplicity and said to them, “Show me the coin that pays the census tax. Whose portrait and inscription are on it?” (Mt 22:18) They replied, “Caesar’s.” Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.”

Two years before Martin Luther hammered his declarations on the church door in Wittenburg on Old Hallow’s Eve, Teresa was born in Avila in Spain. The Church would respond to the turbulence of the reformation with its own Counter-Reformation that would begin with the Council of Trent and that would last until the Second Vatican Council.

The seeds we sow now, the plantings of our earthly life, are of the utmost eternal significance. Our Christian hope is that, ultimately, in God’s own time, they will bear good fruit and yield a rich harvest -- to the honor and glory of God!

Over the last several weeks parishioners have asked if St. Teresa’s Parish has any outreach ministries to help feed the less fortunate in our community. Our Parish Life & Christian Service Ministry contains many of these programs. What follows is a brief description of how our parishioners are meeting the challenge of this corporal work of mercy.

The first will be last and the last will be first. It is the great paradox of being a disciple of Jesus…that those who aim at earning a reward lose it…and those who do not look for a reward will find it.

Our readings today focus on forgiveness; not just our forgiveness by God but our forgiveness of one another.

Today’s readings share a common thread, love and respect for one another. God makes Ezekiel watchman over the house of Israel in exile. He must be the guiding light for his people while they tolerate their existence under foreign domination. Paul reminds his listeners about the commandments that fall under the second greatest commandment, love thy neighbor. “Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.”