Christmas and the love of God

Jesus came into this world as a child, vulnerable and dependent.

He made himself little so that we could love him. So that we could pick him up, hold him in our arms and take care of him, just as Mary and Joseph held him on that first Christmas night in Bethlehem.

Mercy is the measure of our love

If people ask us, what does it mean to be a Christian, what do we say? This is another way of asking the question: what are we waiting for in Advent?

Of course, the correct answer is that in Advent we are waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ.

OneLife LA — and a challenge for Advent

Advent is a season of mercy.

The mercy of God is the great theme running through the first stories of Jesus’ coming.

In her Magnificat, Mary sings: “His mercy is from age to age.” Zechariah, father of St. John the Baptist, sings: “The tender mercy of our God … will visit us.”

Archbishop Gomez on immigration and the next America

Many of us have forgotten our immigrant roots. But our Church has always been a Church of immigrants, as our nation has always been a nation of immigrants. In earlier generations, we welcomed newcomers from every nation in Europe. Today, we are still welcoming newcomers — but now they come from Latin America, Asia, Oceania and Africa.

Time for immigration reform

I am writing you this week from Baltimore, where I am taking part in the annual meeting of the Catholic bishops of the United States.

This is an important gathering every year — a time for all of the Church’s bishops to pray and reflect on the challenges and opportunities we face in our pastoral ministries.

In this month of remembrance

Always as we enter the final month of the liturgical year, the Church calls us to remember our loved ones who have gone before us. The Church also calls us to reflect on the last things in our lives and our own final end.

The Church is a people of charity

As we prepare for Election Day next week, the California Catholic Conference has offered reflections and analysis on the important propositions on the ballot this year.

You can find these reflections elsewhere at AngelusNews.com.

The Gospel of the family

It’s amazing that in our sophisticated, secularized world, global attention has focused on a meeting of Catholic bishops with the Pope in Rome these past two weeks.

The Extraordinary Synod on the Family, which concluded on Sunday, was marked by lively debates and differences in pastoral perspective.