Dear Family of God,

John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the Jews as the “Lamb of God” on the second day (Jn. 1:29). He repeats it on the third day. “Lamb of God” is the most meaningful title given to Jesus in the Bible. It is used 29 times in the book of Revelation. It sums up the love, the sacrifice and the triumph of Christ.

Apple ran a commercial not long ago called “Behind the Mac – Greatness.” It shows artists and creators, such as Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, and Lady Gaga, working behind their MacBooks. The narration says, “There’s a certain kind of person who doesn’t wait for greatness. They make it.” It’s a compelling message. There’s beauty in using our gifts with passion and purpose.

Dear Family of God,

As we celebrate Epiphany or the Manifestation of Jesus as God and our light, I want to continue with the message of Pope Saint Paul II on the vocation of Christian Families.

In matrimony and in the family a complex of interpersonal relationships is set up--married life, fatherhood and motherhood, filiation and fraternity--through which each human person is introduced into the "human family" and into the "family of God," which is the church.

Dear Family of God,

As we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary, I want to share with you an excerpt from an Encyclical by Pope Saint John Paul II, “Familiaris Consortio” in 1981, Paragraph 14.

According to the plan of God, marriage is the foundation of the wider community of the family, since the very institution of marriage and conjugal love is ordained to the procreation and education of children, in whom it finds its crowning.34

Dear Family of God,

The Obedient Faith of Joseph: a Model to Follow

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt. 1:20-21).

Dear Family of God,

Do you need patience? How to be patient?

St. James said from our Second Reading this weekend, “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.” He wants us to imitate the farmer who waits patiently for the fruit of the earth.

Dear Family of God,

What are the messages of Our Lady, St. John the Baptist and St. Paul from our readings today?

St. John is not being vindictive toward the Pharisees by warning them; he is being merciful. He does not want the Messiah to arrive and find them unprepared. His urgent mission is to rescue them before it is too late, to show them how to receive God’s great mercy.