Blank calendar squares that suggest a relaxing autumn disappear when the November page is pulled. In December we go from flurries to a full-blown snowstorm of...
Christmas
Discover stories and spiritual wisdom for the Christmas season, from Advent preparation to the joy and mystery of Christ’s birth.
We have all been there; the thoughtful gift, selected with care, presented with pride. And we have absolutely no use for it. Maybe the gift is nice, but not to...
Advent is a season of preparation, prayer, and discernment. For me, it is both my favorite liturgical season and the most challenging. The people of God are...
It is hard for a baby in a manger to compete with eight reindeer and Santa holding a huge pack of gifts. The anticipatory pause of Advent—quiet and dark...
The Christmas story is one of forced travel, of uncertainty, of a search for a safe place to stay in an unfamiliar city. For Joseph and Mary that safe place...
Often, the acting is awkward, the plots shopworn, the wardrobes odd, and the holiday decorations tacky. The scripts are hardly witty and what passes for humor...
You won’t hear Christmas carols in church during the Advent season, but you will hear them everywhere else. How do we keep Advent a time of quiet preparation...
In my opinion, you’re either an Advent person or a Lent person. Me? I’m an Advent person. First, the wait time is much shorter. And for a person who counts...
In the mid-1960s a Roman Catholic cardinal and a priest who was a scripture scholar found themselves seated at the same table at a dinner party. The cardinal...
This feature reflects on several nativity sets from the collection of Claretian Father Richard Todd. You can learn more about Todd and view his entire...
