When I was a pastor, I was invited to lunch by the parish’s ladies group. The group gave me a Christmas present. At the presentation, one of the group’s leaders told a joke as she presented my present.
Category: Columns
Humility before God should direct songs in our hearts
Freezing outdoor temperatures make for some interesting interactions between siblings who are stuck indoors together for long periods of time.
Ordinary Encounters
After the joyous celebrations of the Christmas season, the Church has returned to Ordinary Time. Nativity scenes, family gatherings, and gift-giving all lead us to encounter Christ in the Christmas season.
Celebrating Catholic schools’ value
In 1974, Catholic Schools Week was established as the annual celebration of American Catholic education.
We make Jesus smile when we visit the elderly
A painting depicts a long line of people patiently waiting to be fed at a soup kitchen. Over the head of one of them is a halo. This person is Jesus. If we look carefully and with love, we may notice that Jesus is smiling. This painting reminds us that when we help someone in need, we help Jesus. We may even make him smile.
The gift of life
Christmas is not over! Our celebration continues as we celebrate the Christmas Octave. For eight days straight, the Church rejoices that our Savior has indeed come to us.
Christ’s birth is the center of human history
For Christians, the birth of Christ is the center of human history. In John 3:16, it is stated, “For God so loved the world that God the Father gave us his only Son so that those who believe in him may not perish, but have the gift of Eternal Life.”
Preparing our hearts for Jesus
For children as well as adults, it’s these little acts of self-sacrifice, of striving toward virtue, that help prepare our hearts during Advent.
St. Joseph guides us through Advent
During the Advent season this year, the Year of St. Joseph draws to a close on December 8. The order that God established in the world reveals to us time and again that with endings come new beginnings.
Let us thank God even during hard times
In Luke 17:11-19 Jesus cures 10 lepers of the horrible disease of leprosy; however, only one leper, a Samaritan, thanked him.