By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

"Advent has been packed with them, this prophetic sense of someone is coming into this world who would make the difference," Father Perry tells us for the 13th and final episode of our Advent podcast. "How many people everyday think of Jesus? How many people single day turn to Jesus and acknowledge him as Lord, God, and savior? And that's 2,000 years later. That is what has been given to us, and that's what we will celebrate in a very visual way, the foundation of the center and source of our faith."

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

"God wants to see a change. God, your ways are the right ways. We are being called once again so clearly in humility to recgognise that the ways of the Lord are the ways," Father Perry tells us for the 12th episode of our Advent podcast. "The ways are going to get us to live how we should live, and to know his peace and justice in our lives. And that's what we're being asked, to trust a little baby that came into the world, and a little baby that grew up and ended up on the cross; and even after that, he shows us the way. His resurrection and ascension show us how to get there to be with God and to live with God forever."

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

"I wonder if the truth is that we also sometimes are struck dumb, because we doubt, because we don't believe in ourselves and all the grace that fills our lives, the goodness that we are, and the goodness that we have," Father Perry tells us for the 11th episode of our Advent podcast. "Don't you think it is so, that God wants to use you and me? We're all anointed in that chrism. We've all been given the Holy Spirit of God — God dwells in us!"

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

"For the next nine days, counting today, the emphasis is on the birth of Jesus the Christ, and what that means for us," Father Perry tells us for the 10th episode of our Advent podcast. "That's the great mystery to which we are invited, into which we are being invited to share; and because of it, we are redeemed, and all is made new. And that is what we celebrate in a most special way these nine days leading up to, finally, Christmas."

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

"What we're getting here is a little piece of darkness. Here we're past the third week ... and we're tasting a little bit of the darkness which is exactly what Jesus came to destroy," Father Perry tells us for the ninth episode of our Advent podcast. "And it comes to the highest climactic in that cross. Right there in that cross is where Jesus also gives the most light-filled, hope-filled, loving response he would give to the world, and which I think the incarnation comes to its climax, because he took on human flesh; then Jesus restored human flesh and humanity to goodness, and forgiveness, and love."

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

"She is that woman filled with grace and blessing, covered in sun, moon, and stars. The heavens," Father Perry tells us for the seventh episode of our Advent podcast, and our celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. "Is this so odd, or so special, or should we think in these terms: That God truly means to visit us. I think daily. Not just at this hour of prayer, but in a very angelic and mysterious and mystical way that God wants to dwell within us, dwell among us, visit us, call us, grace us, and bless us, and fill us every single day."

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

"You know, when we do the commandments of the Lord, it isn't that I don't think it is to please God; it's because God knows it's good for us!" Father Perry tells us or the eighth episode of our Advent podcast. "And that's why we try to do what God commands us to do. But there really is just one commandment. It's love! Love God. Love your neighbour; and if you do that, you will be filled with peace, you will be happy."

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

"Maybe more than forgiveness from God: forgiveness for ourselves; I don't think anybody can be harder on us than our own selves," Father Perry tells us for the sixth episode of our Advent podcast. "When we get lost, God finds us. When we get lost, he searches us out. Is that not what Divine Mercy of God is all about? This mercy of God that he never lets us go; he never lets us remain lost."

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

"The beauty of this feast is that God took this woman, Mary, chose her, and said 'I will make you free from original sin; no stain of sin will touch you,'" Father Perry tells us for the fifth episode of our Advent podcast, and our celebration of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. "'So that you could become this perfect vessel; because I want to bring my Son, God, empty him of his godliness,' so that he could enter into our humanity become a human being, share our humanity, and he could heal it. He could touch it with divinity. He could bring his divine nature into our humanity, and do this healing, and give us new life."

By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor

"The joy of that birth far outweighs the pain, and makes it all worthwhile, and changes he ," Father Perry tells us for the fourth episode of our Advent podcast. "Although we're looking at the birth of Jesus 2,000 years and his coming again — whenever that might be. But, really, we're looking at his coming into our presence right now, or his already being in our presence, and loving us right now. Maybe that's why our readings are so rich and joy-filled."