Twice a week I hopped out of a taxicab between the Coptic Christian church and the blue-domed mosque in a neighborhood called al-Abdali. From there, I walked...
Advent
In a season filled with red Santa suits and green Christmas trees, the purple and pink candles of the Advent wreath can seem incongruous with many Catholic...
A Christmas tree can spruce up our preparation for the holiday. Christmas trees are a big deal in my family. To avenge her parents’ annual store-bought tree of...
Have yourself a merry little Christmas–but don’t let Advent pass you by. Advent is here, and the countdown to Christmas is on. But don’t get...
I’ve never liked Norman Rockwell. It is not because of his artistic abilities that I do not like him, but because of his subject matter. I am particularly...
The easy answer to that question is, we, the church, did. The feasts and seasons of the liturgical year all developed from the church’s desire to remember...
In the pre-Christmas rush, take time for Advent. Jamie and Carol and their four children, ages 9 to 15, try to avoid looking at any Christmas decorations...
Presents are a dime a dozen this time of year. But presence—that’s another matter entirely. The ability of family members to be truly present to one...
Along with oceans flooding over Himalayan peaks, the aircraft carrier U.S.S. John F. Kennedy crashing into the White House, and the statue of Christ the...
I don’t have pictures of myself sitting terrified on Santa’s lap. Despite his slow but certain infiltration into the traditional Spanish Christmas...
