Why 2017 Will Be a Very Important Year - A Homily for The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God Msgr. Charles Pope • December 31, 2016 • Last week at Christmas we celebrated an event that was both pivotal and hidden. The conception and birth of Jesus Christ were events that changed human history. It was a daring, hidden raid by the Kingdom of Light into the kingdom of darkness, an incursion behind enemy lines, into enemy territory. Only some shepherds in Bethlehem and a few magi from distant lands were witnesses to this event, one which began the...