In her book, THE LITURGICAL YEAR, Joan Chittister makes the comment: “Advent, more than any other season of the church year, calls us to live simultaneously in the past, the present, and the future. She elaborates: “We learn in Advent to stay in the present, knowing that only the present well-lived can possibly lead us to the fullness of life. It takes an overview of the three-year cycle of … [Read more...]
Until you know what hurts me…
Scholars believe that Mark’s Gospel was written 30-40 years after Jesus’ death. His audience would have been Christians who were living in a difficult social and political time, a time of conflict. They were likely to be facing persecution because they were followers of Jesus. These early Christians took courage in Jesus’ warning to remain alert and watchful. It strengthened them to persevere … [Read more...]
The Waiting Begins
4th Sunday of Advent First Reading: Isaiah 7:10-14 Second Reading: Romans 1:1-7 Gospel: Matthew 1:18-24 Each night for the octave before Christmas which begins tonight, we ask Christ to come, calling him by a different title in the Magnificat Antiphon, familiarly called the O Antiphons”. These antiphons were developed during the Church's first centuries, soon used … [Read more...]
Advent – Guadete (Rejoice) Sunday
This past week we celebrated some feasts that are frequently connected in our minds to the customs of Christmas time: St. Nicholas shoes, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, and next week we’ll honor our Lady of Guadalupe (roses in the snow) and St. Lucy, patron of the sight-limited and blind, with crowns of lit candles and cat cookies. And, this weekend the liturgy says: “take a breather – we’re … [Read more...]
Feast of the Holy Family 2015
Here we are already at the 1st Sunday after Christmas celebrating the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Actually, the birthday celebration of the Christ child naturally leads us to contemplate the Holy Family I want to start today’s reflection with a little story. It is called the Luck of Roaring Camp, and was written in 1868 by Bret Harte. The story takes place in Roaring … [Read more...]
