Articles for Advent
Today we celebrate the memory of the great Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross. As a Carmelite friar, he undertook the work of reform of the Church. Misunderstanding of his writings and resistance to change on the part of his contemporaries resulted in his imprisonment and persecution, earning him the title “of the…
The memorial of St. Lucy stands at the halfway point in our journey through the Advent season. The name “Lucy” is derived from the Latin word “lux,” meaning “light.” In some countries, a child dressed in white is adorned with a wreath of candles in her hair to remind us of the Light of…
Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas. The liturgy opens with a beautiful antiphon drawn from our first reading from the Book of Revelation, “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head…
Today is Gaudete Sunday. This is the traditional title for the third Sunday of Advent, drawn from the first word of the entrance antiphon in the Latin original and in the present English translation: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (Phil 4:4-5). We are…
“Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.” This is the responsorial psalm for today, and the Alleluia verse is “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths: All flesh shall see the salvation of God.” All week, I have been saying make an…
Today’s alleluia verse is, “The Lord will come; go out to meet him! He is the prince of peace.” As we draw closer to the halfway point of Advent, let us remember the peace that God has given to us, because without his peace, this world would be in an even worse shape than…
In 1830, Our Lady appeared to St. Catherine Laboure in France. St. Catherine said, “She showed herself inside an oval frame, standing upon a globe with rays of light coming from her hands toward the globe. Around the frame were the words, ‘O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to…
Today is the feast day of St. Ambrose. Before I start my reflection, I would like to wish my dad, Bruce, a happy name day. St. Ambrose was a man of courage, strength, and humility. He never wanted to become the bishop of Milan, but after hiding, he eventually accepted. When we are called…
Today we hear the Lord tell the story of the lost sheep. If one goes astray, will the shepherd not go to find that one? My favorite part of the story is not included—even the angels in heaven rejoice over one repentant sinner than a righteous man who does good deeds. In our responsorial…
When I found myself in a deserted place, and then I finally humbled myself to ask for help, I could see the flowers bloom and the rivers overflow. I asked for the Lord’s help, to “be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense, he comes to save…
The Second week of Advent is upon us. No doubt Christmas shopping is going on. I can give some of you my list…but let’s not get distracted. The prophet Isiah says, “On that day, a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots, a bud shall blossom. The spirit…
The second reading in the Liturgy of the Hours for Office of Readings includes St. Francis Xavier’s lament at those who are indifferent to missionary work and the abundant harvest of souls available for Christ: “Again and again I have thought of going round the universities of Europe, especially Paris, and everywhere crying out…
Jesus asked the blind men: “Do you believe that I can do this?” “Yes, Lord,” they said to him. The blind men here simply express their faith with a word: Yes. It is an outward expression of an inner conviction that they carry in their hearts. I would venture to say that one of…
Not long ago, I found a picture of me as a baby being baptized. I’m being held by my parents with godparents standing by. I have to admit that since I was baptized as an infant, I don’t really think about my baptism too often. Yet, the Church’s teaching on the Sacrament highlights its…
One spiritual author wrote, “To accept God’s call and to live as one of the Lord’s intimate friends is the greatest grace a person can receive in this life.” We are not just living out our time on this earth trying to pass time only in anticipation of heaven. Rather, the gifts God bestows…
This is one of several instances when Jesus uses the child as an example and encourages us to be childlike. In order to see ourselves as children, we must be able to see ourselves in relationship with God as Father. How important is this child and father relationship? One speaker said, “I believe most…
Sometimes I encounter people who are so distraught because of their sins and past failures that it makes me think: “The problem isn’t their sin, but it’s them hanging on to their sins.” When we approach Jesus with a contrite heart and admit our guilt, He has told us that He will forgive us…
I remember sitting in sixth grade and calculating how long it would be until I graduated from high school. I was in grade six, and I needed to get to twelve, and that was still a really long time away. Our notion of time changes when we get older, but I think…
There are many ways that people over the centuries have expressed their deepest spiritual longing. Sometimes we call it a desire for salvation, or redemption or reconciliation; sometimes we describe it as a desire for wholeness, or peace, or union. One of the most recurrent images in all religions and all eras for…
King David found himself in an embarrassing situation: he lived in a sumptuous palace and God lived next door in a tent. David wanted to rectify the imbalance and build God a magnificent temple even more beautiful and grand than his own house. But God said “No! Not for now. Leave things as they…
John the Baptist’s greatness and the reason he has such an important place in our Advent liturgy is because he prepared the way for Christ. The work of the one who prepares the way for another is finished when the expected one arrives; and John suggested as much when he said of Jesus, “He…
Today’s liturgy compares Hannah and Mary. In the birth of their respective sons, the power of God is made manifest, inspiring each to raise her voice in praise of the Almighty. We heard Hannah’s canticle in today’s responsorial hymn and Mary’s Magnificat in the gospel. There are differences between Hannah and Mary: the one…
God’s love for the human race was not an abstract, theoretical love. It was very concrete. It took flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. People were able to see and experience God’s love for them in the human person of Jesus Christ. Mary’s love in visiting her pregnant cousin, Elizabeth, was also not…
The story of Mary’s Annunciation is a high point in the Advent liturgy, as it was a high point in the history of salvation. This is the moment of both Mary’s “Yes” and the savior’s conception. There are two vocations at play in this story: God’s and Mary’s. Before Mary was offered a mission,…
Today in our Gospel, we hear the great story of Our Lady’s Visitation to Elizabeth, when Elizabeth tells Mary, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment…
Yesterday the Gospel passage from St. Matthew sets the stage for the unfolding of God’s great plan. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…Jacob, the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.” Today that story…
Today we make the turn towards the Feast of the Birth of the Lord. There are now eight days of preparation that remain. We focus our attention on the mystery of the Incarnation in an even greater way than before. You could say the unfolding of the Incarnation over many centuries. The time when…
Note: This year Advent is nearly four full weeks (short one day), thus some of the readings this week are often not heard in the days prior to December 17. This is one of them. Today’s passage from Isaiah 54 takes us to the Easter Vigil (it is one of the seven Old Testament…
In today’s passage from Isaiah, we have these lines: “Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above, like gentle rain let the skies drop it down. Let the earth open and salvation bud forth; let justice also spring up!” This text from the prophet is well-known to us as one of the beautiful…
We are just a few days from the beginning of the final approach to Christmas. Come and save your people … we will soon be singing. What does that “saving action” look like for us now /this year. It takes many forms, shapes, and sizes. But the basic truth is the same forever and…
Quite a few people profess to enjoy the season of Advent – even as a favorite. What is so special about the season of Advent? Many things combine to make it an uplifting time. There is a definite message of hope. A promise of salvation. A promise of deliverance. It is that hope, that…
Our brief season of waiting, of expectation, looking forward is now half over. Today is Gaudete Sunday: REJOICE! Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. (Phil 4: 4-5). Everything in today’s liturgy is about finding joy in the coming of the Lord. The entrance antiphon, coming…
It’s the rock stars and the superstars who make the big splash! Just think of the hype, the fireworks, the flashing lights, and the rock music that usher them into the stadiums of our minds! It doesn’t take too much imagination to visualize the Prophet Elijah as the superstar of his day, even complete…
Human nature has not changed much through the generations. Today Jesus is pointing out something about human behavior which every parent or teacher knows so very well. No matter how hard you try to convince someone of your best intentions and the value of what you present, there are always those who are never…
Sometimes the Bible can spark a vivid image. When I hear today’s readings announcing a world-changing event, I can imagine a stirring drum roll with a soaring fanfare coming from a long line of golden trumpets. The overarching announcement about the Messiah began with the words of Isaiah the Prophet promising a world-changing Redeemer.…
Founded on December 8, 1873, Conception Abbey celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception today as our special patronal feast. Other monasteries are certainly older than we are, but we have our own unique story. This feast day reminds us to reflect on the many possibilities behind the word “chosen.” First of all, our…
Imagine you conducted a survey among willing adults and asked only this one question: “what is your basic image of God?” What image of God would predominate? Many factors could shape their answers. Therefore, it’s too simple to say that if a person sees God as a hard, demanding taskmaster, it’s because as a…
The prophets and poets of the Old Testament were master wordsmiths. What could be more beautiful than the Prophet Isaiah describing the desert blooming and rejoicing to greet the Israelites as they returned from exile? The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will…
Waiting is the hard part. The whole season of Advent has a forward movement as we wait for what Scriptures call the fullness of time. That term is vague enough to leave us wondering what it truly means and yet the word fullness suggests powerful images. Think of the contented smile of a…
As we near the second Sunday of Advent, there is an important question we need to ask ourselves, have we gone out to the lost sheep? In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells his apostles to go out to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. These were those who had been lost because of…
- « Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Next »