I got my Christmas present early this year. My grandson and his girlfriend came for a visit. It was a blessing, first, because they’re good company. Second, their presence forced me to put up Christmas decorations. I’ve gotten lazy in my old age, and, last year, the only sign of the season at our house […]
Kathleen T. Choi: It’s tempting
We’ve had several burglaries recently in our neighborhood. The neighborhood watch committee has urged residents to keep our doors locked even when we’re home and windows latched whenever we’re away. The committee’s messages have persuaded me that we all have an obligation to make this neighborhood a less tempting target. Perhaps potential thieves will try […]
Father John Catoir: Here’s to the faithful or lucky ones
The lucky ones are people with a vibrant faith. They may not be perfect, but they have been able to overcome many obstacles by the grace of God and find happiness despite their weaknesses. They believe in not being overcome by evil but overcoming evil with good. Sometimes a person is born with a particular […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Second Sunday of Advent
God’s mercy is overwhelming Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11 2 Peter 3:8-14 Mark 1:1-8 The second part of the Book of Isaiah provides the first reading for this Second Sunday of Advent. When this book was written, God’s people were very happy. Their long, dreary exile of four generations in Babylon was about to end. They were […]
Mary Adamski: ‘Assignment: Advent’
Advent always feels a little like the end of the semester, when the deadline for the final term paper is looming and the final exam is ahead and you’ve schluffed off on the required reading and the homework, and you start hyperventilating about what it’s going to mean to your GPA. No matter how many […]
Manaolana | Christina Capecchi: Light the candles, pour the wine
Grace Osterbauer was a 24-year-old bride-to-be when she took her first cake-decorating class, and the impulse compelling the Texas beauty to make that $35 investment remains today, now a 40-year-old mother of eight. “I wanted to make the Catholic events of our lives super special,” she said. Grace and her husband, Paul, are both frugal, […]
Father Kenneth Doyle: ‘What are the functions of a deacon?’
Q: Often, I have been at a Mass where the deacon reads the Gospel, which is fine. But then, sometimes, the deacon goes on to give the homily while the priest watches. This disappoints me and makes me feel that the deacon is overstepping his bounds. Why should a deacon, rather than the priest, comment […]
Father Eugene Hemrick: Paying attention ahead of the Christmas season
For some, the Christmas season is a time of joy, while for others it’s a time of sadness or stress. For most of us, it never quite measures up to the white Christmas of our dreams or the one we think we should be having. Could it be that we don’t know where to capture […]
Kathleen T. Choi: Thanksgiving 2014
Each Thanksgiving I try to give thanks for a different list of blessings. This year I thank my fellow Catholics. Thank you, sacristans and altar servers. You bring reverence and order to our celebration. Thank you, hospitality ministers for spotting empty seats and for welcoming visitors on our behalf. Thank you, music ministers. Your hymns […]
Manaolana | Karen Osborne: The modern world stage and civility
The other day, the face of a young man in a red Target employee T-shirt appeared on my Twitter feed over and over again, mostly because people thought he was cute. His hashtag, #alexfromtarget, soon appeared in the national trending topics. The Target employee, Alex, is a regular teenage boy from a regular town, living […]
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