Attention. Joseph was paying attention. The message from God was unusual. That is why an angel brought the message. The medium of the message and message were perfectly coordinated. After the angel said, “don’t be afraid,” the angel then said, “Mary is pregnant because God has chosen her to be the mother of Jesus. She…

Here we are at the 4th Sunday of Advent, anticipating the first great Holy Day in our new liturgical year. The year itself marks our life in relationship to God, the life into which we were sealed in Baptism. The lessons for today are full of wonderful things to say — not so much about…