Holy Christmas to everyone. As we celebrate the birthday of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I am reminded of the good things that are happening in a world filled with sadness and hurt. It is the times when God's angels perform the daily miracles that many people do not seem to notice. On a day like today, when so many folks return home to visit family there are also folks who have spent the day alone. For everyone who posted their Santa booty on their Facebook page, there are just as many that have no computer and received no presents. Just as people strive to have the perfect holly, jolly Christmas others struggle to survive. So as we celebrate the birth of Jesus during the Christmas season, let us put our action behind what we learned in the scriptures. We need to be doers and not just hearers of the word. St. James epistle is quite clear on this point. Just as Moses heard, he also acted. Just as Mary said yes, she also acted. The list is endless with people like Noah, Peter, Elizabeth Ann Seton, Dorothy Day, John Paul II, Mother Teresa, and hopefully you. If we all do one thing for someone in need, the world will begin to change. Instead of hearing the word and checking it off our list, let's put those ideas into action. Don't just light your candle but go light your world.
The twelve apostles chosen by Jesus formed the bedrock of the early Church , and their Catholic identity is deeply rooted in their direct relationship with Christ and the mission He entrusted to them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights this foundational role, stating that Jesus "instituted the Twelve as 'the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy'" ( CCC 860 ). These men were not simply followers; they were handpicked by Jesus, lived intimately with Him, witnessed His miracles and teachings firsthand, and were specifically commissioned to preach the Gospel to all nations ( Matthew 28:19-20 ). Their unique position as eyewitnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and their reception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, established them as the authoritative leaders of the nascent Church, a reality echoed in the writings of early Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch, who emphasized the apostles' authority as repre...