The season of Advent is filled with unique symbols, colors, and liturgical oddities. If we know a bit about them, then we can share them with others. More than that, a knowledge of these “signs of the time” can make Advent a season of genuine peace and holy preparation. The …

Are you ready for the Christmas Crazy? We are down to the wire. Christmas is rushing into our lives sooner then we want. It seems like yesterday when we were eating turkey and believing we had all the time in the world to make Christmas. But not so! We are …

La temporada de Adviento, en la cual entramos en diciembre, es un período de espera vigilante en preparación para el Nacimiento del Señor en Navidad. En esto, como en tantas cosas, la Iglesia es contracultural. ¡Algunas tiendas han estado decorando para Navidad desde antes de Halloween! Es común cada año, …

The season of Advent, which we enter in December, is a period of watchful waiting in preparation for the Nativity of the Lord at Christmas. In this, as in so many things, the Church is counter-cultural. Some stores have been decorating for Christmas since before Halloween! It is common during …

Q: Was Christ born on Dec. 25 in the year A.D. 1? A: We cannot be sure of the day and month, nor the year, of Jesus’ birth. Many scholars date the Nativity to several years before the traditional first year of the Lord (Anno Domini or A.D. 1) This …

It’s Thanksgiving dinner. You look around the table and see, once again, your beloved, dysfunctional family. While you would like to imagine that you and your family are the perfect, loving family, around this turkey is a spicy mix of selfishness, negativism, pride, and a pinch of bitterness. I offer …

October 2018 My Dear Friends in Christ, On November 18, the Church will once again celebrate a World Day of the Poor. In his message for the occasion, Pope Francis directs us to reflect upon what it means to “hear the cry of the poor” (cf. Ps 34). He exclaims: …

I have a confession to make. In my focus on how to discuss the teachings of the church with others, I have neglected an important first step: Evangelization. I touched on it when I wrote about my beard evangelizing people. (It’s true, see my column for July: Click here). But, …

References in the popular culture to letters written but never sent appear in literature, film and even songs. Nights in white satin, never seeming to end; Letters I’ve written, never meaning to send. – Justin Hayward, The Moody Blues 1967 Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman, even John Kennedy, were all writers …

Q: Is the foundational concept of respect for life, especially concern for the unborn, something that is in the Bible or is it rooted more in church traditions? A: The Catholic Church is noted for its respect for life: from the moment of conception to natural death. Like all church …