Excerpt from Vatican News, January 16, 2026, by Fr. Marek Weresa Year of Saint Francis: 'Indulgence is an encounter with God, not a spiritual shortcut' The Regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary comments on the decree published on Friday announcing plenary indulgences during the special Jubilee Year proclaimed by Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of the 800th anniversary of the Saint's death, stressing. "The Year of Saint Francis must not become yet another chapter rich in special spiritual effects, but a silent passage from enthusiasm to deep maturity, from spectacular celebration to imitation in daily life."

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal (GIRM) No. 73 states that "It is praiseworthy for the bread and wine to be presented by the faithful." This means that having members of the worshiping assembly bring forward the gifts of bread and wine is encouraged, though not strictly required.

In line with this sacred practice, representatives from the assembly in many churches—usually a married couple, a family, or a group of individualsbring the bread and wine down the central aisle during the offertory and present them to the priest.

Dearly beloved in Christ;

It is arguably true that most people across the world consider happiness (or wellbeing) as a central goal in life. However, people define it differently. While some persons define happiness as inner peace or contentment, others see it as freedom from pain and suffering. Some others understand it in terms of having meaningful relationships, while for others, happiness consists of having security and dignity. Thus, when people say that they desire happiness, they often seek for it and measure it in terms of wealth, power and success. But for Jesus and the heirs of the kingdom, the path to true happiness consists of poverty of spirit, meekness, gentleness, mercy, righteousness, working for peace and suffering.

In this Sunday’s gospel [Mt 4:12-23], Matthew related how Jesus began His public ministry. In doing so, Matthew offered much insight into the task of spreading the Good News. This insight is important to better understand the spread of the Good News of Jesus Christ, and its obstacles, in our own times. First, some background on their times is needed here for us to get the point Matthew was making.

Dearly beloved in Christ;

We are gradually settling into the ordinary time of the liturgical year after the celebration of Christmastide. In this season of ordinary time, the Church celebrates not a particular aspect of the mystery of Christ, rather it honours the mystery of Christ in all its fullness. It is a time to ponder on the life and teachings of Christ in order to grow in faith and to progress in virtue.

Dear beloved parishioners,

Today's feast, the Baptism of Our Lord, marks the end of the Christmas season for the liturgical year 2026. Following this feast, we will begin to focus on Jesus' public ministry, which will lead us to His Passion, Death, and Resurrection.

Dear Esteemed brothers and sisters in Christ,

This Sunday, we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, one of the four feasts surrounding the nativity of Jesus. The other three are the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth, the Feast of Mary, Mother of God, and the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.