Dear Brothers and Sisters of St. Andrew the Apostle,

Please read the bulletin or our parish website for all the St. Andrew's news and events. Here is a glimpse of what is coming up in the coming weeks:

• This Sunday, February 2 (and the February 1 vigil Mass), the Church will celebrate the Presentation of Our Lord. At the start of each Mass, the priest celebrant will bless candles in the rear vestibule. If you have candles you would like blessed for devotional use, please leave them on the tables in the rear vestibule at least five minutes before Mass begins.
• The High School Youth Group will meet in the Padre Pio Room tonight, February 1, after the 5:30 PM Vigil Mass.
• The Knights of Columbus will host a Casino Night tonight at 7:00 PM in Hannan Hall for those who have purchased tickets, and they will have their coffee and donut sale after the 7:30 AM, 9:00 AM, and 10:30 AM Masses on Sunday.
• Monday, February 3, is the Memorial of St. Blase. We will bless throats after the 6:30 AM, 9:00 AM, and 12:00 PM Masses.
• Friday, February 7, is First Friday. We will have an additional Mass at 7:00 PM. Additional Confessions will be after the 6:30 AM and 9:00 AM Masses until the line runs out.
• Next weekend, February 7 and 8, there will be a bake sale to raise money for cassocks and surplices for our altar boys. More information here.

Yesterday, January 31, Bishop Burbidge released "A Pastoral Statement on American Immigration Law and the Catholic Imperative of Upholding Human Dignity and the Common Good." I encourage you to read it. In his apostolic role as our teacher, he comments on the complexities of loving our neighbor the fellow citizen and loving our neighbor the immigrant in the context of immigration law in our country. While reading it, please guard against attributing a partisan political view to his words. Like all of us, Bishop Burbidge's responsibility is to the truths of Jesus Christ and His Catholic Church before any political affiliation.

... The second collection this weekend requires some explaining. Each year, the parishes of the Diocese of Arlington pay the Diocese an assessment based on 80% of our parish families receiving the Arlington Catholic Herald. We pay that amount happily because have one of the best diocesan newspapers in the country, with local, national, and world news about the Catholic Church, great spiritual commentaries, and informative articles. I have enjoyed it since before I entered the seminary. For five years, I wrote a Gospel commentary for the Herald each month (although most of them have been removed after the website was restructured a few years ago). Today, other priests of the Diocese of Arlington write these commentaries and they are one of the first things I read when I pick up the Herald.

The collection we take this weekend is applied to the assessment of St. Andrew's for the Herald. The more we receive, the less the parish will pay this year. If you enjoy reading the Herald, please help us support it. If you are a registered parishioner of St. Andrew's and are not receiving the Herald at your home, please contact our parish office so we can update our database.

... This morning, our second graders in the parish school, religious education classes, and homeschooled children will receive First Confession. Please keep them in your prayers! This is always a good reminder for all of us to embrace the sacrament of Reconciliation as a regular means to cleanse our souls from sin and receive the grace we need for conversion. The precepts of the Church require Confession of grave (mortal) sins once a year, although to live with an unconfessed grave sin puts our soul in danger of eternal death, so it is foolish to wait to go to Confession in that spiritual state. We do not know the day or the hour when we will meet the Lord, so we must remain vigilantly prepared.

I recommend confessing our sins at least every season (every three months) because it requires us to take account of our sinful habits and build up the contrition to change them with God's grace. When we do not examine our consciences regularly, we keep building up the habits of sin (vices) and drift further into lukewarmness at best, and deeper sin at worst. Just as maintaining a fruitful garden requires the regular practice of pulling weeds and adding fertilizer to the soil, having a fruitful soul requires removing our sinful habits and adding graces through prayer and the sacraments. In this new year, let us make an effort to grow in our spiritual life for our eternal benefit, for the good of our families and friends, and for building up the Kingdom of God here at St. Andrew's.

Tying these last two topics together, the only Gospel commentary of mine still on the Herald website is about Confession.

... And with regard to personal spiritual growth, I will be leaving for my yearly silent retreat on Sunday. It is in West Virginia and I will be with a group of priests from the Diocese of Arlington. I return on Friday evening. To focus on prayer and silence during the week, next week's newsletter will be brief since I will have limited time to work on it.

This retreat comes at a perfect time. Since Advent, the schedule has been going at a hectic pace. In addition, recently I have found that I am allowing the crosses in my life to steal my peace, which is a good sign that my heart needs to be re-rooted in Christ. With the funeral Mass for our first-grader Xiomara Suntheimer yesterday and the tragic plane crash at Reagan Airport this week, there is a weight on my heart and a need to step back and reflect.

Jesus tells us, "Be not afraid," and, "Do not worry" When we allow our hearts to be overcome, it is because we are losing our grounding in the One who orders all things, including our hearts, and asks us to place all of our trust in Him, especially when we are faced with turmoil and busy-ness.

Know that I will be praying for all of you and your intentions while on retreat. Please pray that I will be open to allowing the Lord to allow Him to enter fully into my soul where He can help illumine the dark places where I cling to falsehood, reorganize the spiritual clutter I have allowed to accumulate, and remove the sharp shards of vice that lead to my sin.

Okay, maybe that wasn't the greatest analogy. I need some time off...

... In conclusion, some wholesome content: a short video of Orioles outfielder and runner-up 2024 Rookie of the Colton Cowser holding babies on a recent publicity tour. Orioles Pitchers and catchers report for Spring Training on February 13th! The sun is in the sky longer with each passing day. It's the Jubilee Year of Hope. Jesus continues to rule the universe.

There's a lot to be grateful for and happy about.

In Christ,

Fr. Wagner