The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122325.cfm Christmas does not begin when the stores say it does. It begins with prayer. As Fr. Chris Alar, MIC explains, the Church enters Christmas at Vespers on Christmas Eve, because the mystery we celebrate is not sentimentality but the Incarnation itself — God entering history to heal what humanity could never repair on its own.

All of us have heard the term “woke.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary, woke originally meant “well-informed” or “up to date,” but now chiefly alerts us to racial or social discrimination and injustice. Father Chris Alar, MIC, explores the true meaning of “woke” and whether the Church rejects it or embraces it under the realm of Catholic social teaching. Then hear the story of Joe Kennedy, a high-school football coach who, because of wokeism, was fired for praying with his players. His case ended up going all the way to the U.S.

We all know about receiving palms on Passion Sunday, and we know we read the account of the Crucifixion at Mass, but what else is important about this day? What are the traditions of Christians for centuries that are still in place but have also been lost? Hear Fr. Chris Alar explain