Just last month, we, as a diocesan community, said farewell to the active sisters of St. Mother Teresa of Kolkata’s Missionaries of Charity. We are still blessed to have the contemplative Missionary of Charity sisters here in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Personally, their departure was extremely emotional. They lived in the convent of my parish, where I serve as pastor.

In light of today’s Gospel, wherein Jesus calls the disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John to himself to serve his ministry, we Christians remind ourselves that the call to be fishers of men extends to the entire body of the faithful.

Like the cross atop the Wonder Wheel every Christmas, the baptismal font in church signifies more than a bath where a ritual takes place.

By means of our passing through the waters of baptism, we arise, as the light of the world, radiating the glory of the triune God.

Our own seeking of God leads us not to a nebulous construction of an impersonal deity, but to the person of Jesus Christ, in whom we find all for which our souls, minds, and hearts earnestly long.

By prayer and example, may we assist one another in our ministry as Christians and support one another in the desire to know God’s will for us and put it into action.

In the Scriptures, dreams are often seen as communications from the Divine. They play an important part in the story of Joseph, the youngest of Jacob’s 12 sons, in the Book of Genesis, which begins the story of the Jewish people in Egypt.

If the Mightier One speaks this highly of John the Baptist we need to hear him.

As we continue this journey towards Christmas, may we use the opportunities for reconciliation and recommitment it provides.

As we enter into this most sacred time of waiting and preparation, let us pray that our hearts will be filled with the Holy Spirit, giving us the courage to persevere in patient hope.