The main purpose of these articles in the bulletin is to expose our parishioners to the depth, breadth and wealth of Catholic tradition. Thus far, we have discussed the Sacred Liturgy as the basis and source of Christianity. The liturgy, far from being a set of stale rituals or archaic practices, is rather the way in which Jesus Christ dynamically sustains and inspires the Church. Specifically, in the holy sacrifice of the Mass, God dwells in our midst through the Eucharist by which He invites us to share in His very self as the “way, the truth and the life” (Jn. 14:6). From the liturgy, we began a series of reflections on the first Christian in history, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Her obedience and faith led to the birth of salvation in the world. Furthermore, Mary’s dauntless courage and devotion to her Son provided the rich soil in which Christ could plant the seed of His Catholic Church with the Blessed Mother as the first and most prominent member. Now, we find ourselves at the point of discussing the brilliance of Catholicism as manifested by particular individuals in the Church whom we identify as “great intellectuals” due to their ability to shed light on the deepest questions of existence. With this in mind, I would like to utilize this space in the bulletin for the next several weeks as a platform by which to publish the writings of different influential Church thinkers and saints. I find this particularly important during this season of Advent when the Church provides so many rich texts for our spiritual growth. Starting next week, the Splendor of our Faith articles will comprise of a series of selected writings by various Church writers from our 2000-year-old Catholic tradition. I strongly encourage each of you to take the time to read these reflections as they are the fruit of holy men and women who truly love the mystery of our faith. Each of these writings are like stained-glass windows, hued in many colors yet imbued by the same light, the same sun…the Son of God.