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THE ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS SEASONS are a time of traditions: familial, cultural, those in the Church.

The Christian life is at its root a response to God’s work. In the beginning, God created us; He loved us into existence. Born as a helpless infant, in His Incarnation He united His life with ours. In His cross, Jesus abandoned Himself to the worst that humanity could throw at Him, all for the love of us. In His resurrection, He has given us hope of eternal life.

I recently received a note from Sean, who is a student at St. Charles Catholic School in Spokane. Sean painted the cover of the note card with the scene of Jesus walking on the water, which we find in the Gospels. The apostles were caught in a storm and, as they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water, they thought he was a ghost. They were filled with fear and anxiety. Despite their lack of faith, the Lord calmed the storm and restored peace in their hearts.

Así como la Cuaresma es un tiempo de abnegación, la Pascua es un momento para regocijarse. El patrón de ayuno y fiesta se ve a lo largo del calendario litúrgico de la Iglesia. Es apropiado que el día más penitencial del año litúrgico sea justo antes del más feliz, es decir, el Viernes Santo antes de la Pascua.

As Lent is a time of self-denial, Easter is a time for rejoicing. The pattern of fast and feast is seen throughout the Church’s liturgical calendar. It is fitting the most penitential day of the liturgical year comes just before the most joyous — Good Friday before Easter.

The Catholic Bishops of Washington State submitted testimony today in support of Senate Bill 5339, which seeks to repeal the death penalty and require that life imprisonment without the possibility of parole become the sentence for aggravated first-degree murder convictions.

Una de las figuras centrales durante el tiempo de Adviento y de Navidad es, por supuesto, la Santísima Virgen María. Celebramos a María en la Liturgia de la Misa en las fiestas de la Inmaculada Concepción y de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

One of the central figures during the seasons of Advent and Christmas is, of course, the Blessed Virgin Mary. We celebrate Mary in the liturgy with the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Gospel of Luke calls our attention to the visitation of our Blessed Mother to her cousin Elizabeth and the Christmas readings highlight Mary's central role as the mother of our savior.

St. John Paul Il’s trust in our Blessed Mother has often been traced back to the loss of his own mother, Emilia, before he was nine. Those who knew him best believed that Mary provided the late Pope with a maternal influence.