I hope that you were able to celebrate the Christmas Season with a sense of peace and Christ’s presence in your life.  The ultimate truth of Christmas is clearly expressed in the famous passage found in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”  Jesus, in his very being, IS the truth.  He is our Emmanuel—God with us!

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) publishes a national map every week in the flu season.  Every state is marked with the seriousness of its flu outbreak as follows: No Activity; Sporadic; Local Activity; Regional; Widespread.  While our national map is much better than last year (EVERY state was Widespread last year), Virginia is currently at the highest level of activity— Widespread.

I raise this to remind us that we are supposed to attend Mass every weekend to share God’s love, not the world’s germs!!!  Please realize that there is no sin in missing Mass if you are sick.