Every Advent, we hear the mighty voice of John the Baptist calling out in the desert, his radical voice urging people toward repentance, conversion, and purification.
Tag: Christ
The beauty of Christmas
One of my earliest Christmas memories is waking from a nap one afternoon and walking into the living room to see the Christmas tree for the first time, decorated and lit in all of its glory.
Regaining the clarity of childlike gratitude
When I was a young girl, my family frequented a farm produce stand down the road from my house. The produce there was beautiful, bright, and bursting forth throughout the summer and fall: Shiny red strawberries, sweet yellow corn, juicy orange muskmelons.
Only Jesus can show us how to carry our crosses
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“Look!” my husband said proudly one evening. “I fixed it for you!”
He held up my favorite handheld kitchen tool, the stainless-steel pastry cutter, and pulled on it to illustrate that he had fixed its broken handle.
To his dismay, the handle pulled apart in his hand.
The need for a renewed unity in Christ
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The attacks, accusations, and demands fly in from every side. “You supported Trump in the election and are complicit in the attack on the Capitol.” “You are in the back pocket of the Democratic Party.” “You made abortion the only issue in the election.” “You were not vocal enough in defense of life.” “You need to help stop the steal.” “I demand that you publicly affirm that Biden is the legitimate president.” “I am leaving the Church because you are too (take your pick) . . . conservative, liberal, silent, vocal, weak, strong.”
These are all messages I and probably every bishop in the country have been inundated with these past months and it is actually getting worse.
The anger and vitriol is palpably toxic.
Our cultural, political, and social divisions, exacerbated by COVID; the elections; and the violence in our streets and cities have unfortunately entered into the Church and are seriously wounding our unity in Christ.
We now seem to have Biden Catholics and Trump Catholics, perhaps just the latest incarnation of traditional and progressive Catholics, but a division that is louder, angrier, and far less compromising than all the previous rifts in the Body of Christ.
Connection between souls amidst a tattered world
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All masked up, my family and I sat 12 feet away from my elderly parents outside their apartment. Sitting side by side, my parents looked out at us from behind the screened porch.
They clasped hands, as always, embracing the odd state of the world — not knowing what the future would hold — but content to be facing it together, just as they had faced all things in their 63 years of married life.Parishes around the diocese to host Men of Christ event
MADISON — The Men of Christ-Madison and the St. Francis Xavier Parish Knights of Columbus Council #3924 are hosting an Advent Men’s Retreat on the morning of Saturday, Dec. 5.
The event has come together after the initial in-person Men of Christ-Madison event had to cancel.
Due to COVID-19, the format has been adjusted to a mixed design.
The speakers’ presentations are being recorded and extended out to participating parish sites.
Each participating parish will host a live event, following the recommended health guidelines for their area.
The truth and the divinity of Christ
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I recently read a survey of Catholics which indicated a significant number of the respondents did not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is not divine.
We may rightfully distrust the full accuracy of surveys, yet this data point troubles me greatly.
If one does not affirm the divinity of Jesus, our entire Catholic faith is deceptive and illusory.Madison Men of Christ Conference in Wisconsin Dells
WISCONSIN DELLS — The first Men of Christ Conference-Diocese of Madison will be held on Saturday, Oct. 24, at St. Cecilia Church in Wisconsin Dells, 603 Oak St.
Its theme is “Live Truth, Defend Truth.”
The vision of the Men of Christ conferences is to create an environment that will evangelize, catechize, and unify Catholic men.
The mission is to honor our Lord Jesus Christ by bringing Catholic men together, thereby forming a brotherhood that will empower each man to boldly live his Catholic faith.Watching for Christ in the Mass
Last week’s article addressed the Catholic belief of Christ’s presence in the celebration of the Eucharist (Mass) and in the Body and Blood of Christ that we receive. This week we look at other ways we can encounter Christ in the Mass.