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Advent and Christmas Wisdom From Pope Francis John Cleary Liguori Publications $11.99 The commencement of a new liturgical year each Advent always includes an invitation, the Holy Father suggests in this book. The Church invites us to pray “come,” to draw closer to the loving Jesus as we anticipate and...
Out of the Crayons of Babes Christmas approached, a Sunday school teacher asked the children in her class to draw pictures of the Nativity scene. The children eagerly began to draw pictures of the stable, Mary, and Joseph, Baby Jesus, the shepherds, the wise men, and animals. She noticed that...
The September 2015 issue of Liguorian really had me scratching my head. Fr. Bruce Lewandowski’s article “One World, Two Views” seems to provide a simplistic narrative of a Church pitted against itself—a “pre-Vatican II” evil Church vs. a “post-Vatican II” enlightened Church. What exactly was the point of this article and...
Derek Becher Lights of color beautify the church this holy night; Poinsettias ’round the altar with their petals, soft and bright. Everlasting evergreens adorn the sanctuary, Behind the wooden Joseph and the Blessed Mother, Mary. In front of them is resting the divine Nativity; A simple grotto shelters heaven’s Holy...
The Christmas gathering was their annual attempt to foster family warmth and congeniality that seemed mysteriously elusive. It would be safe to say that when the three Parnsley families gathered for the Christmas season, the result wasn’t likely to generate material for a heartwarming Hallmark Channel special. At least…never mind....
For the George family, there wasn’t supposed to be hope for their newborn son, who was born with a half-functioning heart that was unable to pump blood throughout his tiny body. Today, at 21 years of age, John Paul George lives a full life, defying all odds. JOHN PAUL: Q. ...
The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is a powerful instrument of evangelization. The message of the Gospel can be found in the heritage of the Marian tradition that is reflected in the liturgical life of the Church. The Mass text for the feast of Our Mother of Perpetual...
The Rosary: A Creative Prayer of Love In his apostolic letter On the Most Holy Rosary, Pope John Paul II writes: “With the rosary, the Christian people sit at the school of Mary and are led to contemplate…the depths of [Christ’s] love.” Unfortunately, a complaint people have about praying the...
December might be the craziest, most hectic month of the year. But it’s also a prime time to talk about Jesus! Tapping into the penitential season of Advent without crossing over into the joy of Christmas is nearly impossible. And really, the excitement is part of the fun. How can...
My doctor smiled as she entered the examination room and delivered the news I hoped to hear: “You’re good to go!” It had been two years since I learned that I had breast cancer, two years since I had had a mastectomy. Now, two years later, a mammogram confirmed what...
A winter storm of the dreaded type had descended on our town in the deep South. Ice was glossing tree limbs, power lines, and anything else above ground while sleet pelted roads and driveways. I was hoping to get through it all without losing electricity. As usual, I came down with...
The challenges posed today by migrants and refugees will be the focus of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees in 2016, according to Pope Francis. On September 12, the Holy Father wrote from the Vatican, “In our time, migration is growing worldwide. Refugees and people fleeing from their homes...
Waiting is a pain in the neck. Throughout history, humanity has steadily progressed toward ways to make our lives faster and easier. We now can access information instantaneously in virtual worlds of this and that and have virtually forgotten that patience is still a virtue. Also falling by the wayside are the...
According to a parable by St. Gregory of Nyssa, two people had been living in the dark. When one was given a glimpse of light, the two were no longer in darkness in the same way because the one who saw the fleeting light now knew there was a difference...
It’s December and almost Christmas. It’s also time (sigh) to hear about the “War on Christmas.” You probably have heard about this so-called war. Certain writers, commentators, and politicians assert that corporate America and the government are waging a war to remove “Christ” from Christmas. The story goes that only...
Advent invites us to clear the decks, become vulnerable, befriend our pain, dream great dreams, and gaze upon God’s great unveiling. Does Advent seem like a blur, a frenzied dash to prepare for Christmas? While that experience may be typical, there’s more to the season than that. In fact, Advent...