From the Pastor's Desk - December 21, 2025

Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,

One of the questions that priests often get from children is, “Who created God?” We answer somewhere along the lines of, “Nobody created God. God exists from all eternity.” Usually the children respond with an amusing blank stare. It is a struggle for us not to think of God as somewhat like his creation. We tend to think of him as the greatest being in the universe, but that doesn’t get it right. God is infinitely transcendent to his creation. He is not the greatest being, but the source of everything that exists. The three Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity and Islam—affirm this truth: God is infinitely superior to his creation.

Yet Christianity doesn’t stop there. We believe the incredible paradox that the God who infinitely transcends us also became a part of his creation. The name Emmanuel appears twice in this Sunday’s readings, a name which means “God is with us.” God is with us, but that means much more than he is alongside us or watches over us; God is with us, not just through a divinely promulgated law or through nature. No, the truth of his being with us is much more intimate than that. St. Augustine wrote after his dramatic conversion, “You were more inward to me than my most inward part and higher than my highest.” Expressed another way: God is closer to us than we are to ourselves. We can scarcely begin to comprehend the implications of the angel’s words to Joseph in this Sunday’s gospel: “For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” He is Emmanuel or Jesus, God-become-man who has bridged the infinite divide between Creator and creation. May the reality of God’s uniting himself to us in the most marvelous way fill your hearts with wonder and joy as approach the celebration of Christmas.

In this last week of Advent, I invite you to our French community’s Christmas concert on Tuesday, December 23 at 7:00pm in the church. This concert caught me by surprise last year, and I hope many of you are able to enjoy the talent and joy in this group’s performance. Food and drink will be available in the parish hall afterwards. Lastly, please see the bulletin and website for the schedule of Masses for Christmas and the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God.

In Christ,

Fr. Dave