Christmas is coming, and I hope you are excited! May God bless you wherever your Christmas celebration leads you. In our parishes, Masses are at 4pm Christmas Eve at SJB; 5pm Christmas Eve at SSP; 10pm Christmas Eve at IHM; 8am Christmas Day at SJB; 10am Christmas Day at SSP. On Thursday December 26, we’ll celebrate St. Stephen, our parish namesake, with a party starting with Mass at 8 am and then going till noon. 
      
       Our readings today reminded me of the weekend when I asked everyone to vote no on Amendment 3. The story of John the Baptist leaping in Elizabeth’s womb because he recognized the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb shows us so clearly that each child in the womb is already a human being, a person like us, though smaller. Mary and Elizabeth knew that their children were already beloved by God, with lives that mattered for the world around them. The same is true of every human child, whether we easily see that child or not, whether that child looks like us or not. The sad fact that Amendment 3 passed calls us as a parish to renew our commitment to the welfare of children in the womb, and their mothers. I don’t know what that means in practice yet, but I hope God will make it clear to us in the days to come.