Righteousness or self-righteousness? That is the question! Lots of us  are tempted to believe in our own moral goodness more than the promises of God.

The birth of the Lord draws near. The fulfillment of God's promises approaches. Christmas celebrates God's coming into the world as a fully human being for the renewal of human lives.

JOSEPH HAD A problem, and it wasn’t a small one: The girl about to become his wife was pregnant. He wasn’t the father, so the law was clear: Honor could be restored to both households by stoning.

The parish church of Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago was called Nativity of Our Lord. Why? Because it was built on the site of a former stable.

Joseph was a stand-up guy, a regular Joe, a by-the-book rule follower, a good Jew. But like any faithful person, he let his conscience be his final guide.

When my older brother was in the fifth grade, he came home from school proudly clutching an Advent calendar he had won in a contest. You opened one of the doors or windows every day, and there would be a little picture hidden behind it along with a trinket or a piece of chocolate.

The Angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream. Throughout scripture we find accounts where God spoke to people in  dreams. How does God speak to you and me today?

Sisters and brothers, we turn to our just and merciful Creator.

"The gospel of God . . . ." From these words through verse four of the opening chapter of the Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul gives a brief summation of the Good News, the gospel for which he is "set apart" and proclaims as an apostle.

What emanates from the figure of Saint Joseph is faith . . . . Joseph of Nazareth is a "just man" because he totally "lives by faith." He is holy because his faith is truly heroic.