"Holiday" means "holy day", a concept that has its roots in communities where people have lived their lives according to a religious calendar. The Christian Church moves to a different rhythm than does much of society around it. That is what Advent, Christmas and Epiphany, Lent, Easter and Pentecost--all the seasons of the Church year--are about. Following the seasons of the Church year, and celebrating the high holy days, is a way we remember who we are and to whom we belong. We are reminded that this world is God's world, despite the way things often look.
Of course, Christians know that all days and seasons are holy, even those the Church calls Ordinary Time. At times through the year, the Church's high holy days converge with days that in some ways the culture around us remembers, and in some sense marks as holy. Continually, there are events in our society and the world that demand a faithful word from the pulpit. These sermons follow much of the Christian year, seeking to speak to the ways Jesus and the Scriptures challenge and guide our living of these days.