Articles for Christmas

   Today, we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. The Greek word “Epiphany” means “manifestation” or “appearance.” In the Gospel, Jesus is manifested and appears as a King who is adored. This is somewhat surprising. After all, Jesus is not even a month old. Yet he is recognized as a King.…

  On this Marian Saturday during the Christmas season, St. Maximilian Kolbe once said, “I thank you very much for your prayers and ask for many, many more, that I may serve the Immaculata with zeal, ‘suaviter et fortiter‘ [gently and bravely].” Let us always pray for one another through the Immaculata so that we…

  “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.’ And he said to him, ‘Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on…

  Today is the feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton! She once said, “Blessed a thousand, thousand times be God who governs all and will bring light out of darkness.” During Advent, I kept pondering how God brings everything that is dark into light, so that nothing will be left in darkness! Why? Because God…

  In our Alleluia verse today, we hear, “The Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us. To those who accepted him, He gave power to become the children of God.” Why did he give us power to become children of God? Not only because we accept him, but because we have Our Lord…

  In our first reading today, we hear “Beloved: Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.” One of our saints…

  A very Happy New Year to all. It is very fitting that we celebrate this solemnity of Mary, Mother of God! Yesterday, we read from the prophecy of Simeon: “And you yourself a sword will pierce—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” I am reminded of what a priest friend shared…

    I think it is very fitting that the last day of the year is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Family. We read in our Gospel today the Canticle of Simeon and his prophecy to our Lady, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my…

  O come, let us adore Him! Our Savior is Born! Many of you sang that hymn at the beginning of the Vigil Christmas Mass or the Midnight Mass. It’s my favorite Christmas Mass hymn! After singing O Come Emmanuel for weeks, and after begging the Christ to come and save us, now we sing…

  Merry Christmas! Our Savior is born! In today’s gospel, we see the Holy Spirit’s promise fulfilled. The Holy Spirit told the holy, devout, and righteous man Simeon that he would not see death until he had seen the Christ. After waiting for what seemed like forever, Simeon sees the Christ in the temple when…

  Merry Christmas! Our Savior is Born! Guilt by association… those were the words that I used in my reflection for St. Stephen’s Feast Day a couple of days ago. The Deacon Stephen knew what could happen to him when he associated himself and professed a faith to the Christ. Today, we remember and honor…

  Merry Christmas! Keep listening to that Christmas music! On this third Octave Day of Christmas, we celebrate the Feast of St. John the Evangelist, author of John’s gospel, AND the disciple whom Jesus loved. The gospel we hear today is of John and Simon Peter running to Jesus’ tomb after Mary Magdalene told them…

  Merry Christmas! Our Savior is born! Keep those Christmas decorations up. We’ve got 40 days to celebrate the Messiah’s birth! On this first day after Christmas, we are reminded of the cost of the Christian life. Today, we honor and celebrate a deacon of the early Church, St. Stephen. He was martyred because of…

  The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord ends the Christmas Season. It probably seems very unlike other Christmas events: the Nativity, Holy Family, and Epiphany. However, this feast is sometimes called the Theophany, which means “a manifestation of God.” Like all the Christmas mysteries, we grapple with the “both/and” of Jesus’ divine and…

  We all know the three gifts the Magi brought to Jesus at the Epiphany—His “manifestation” to all peoples of the world. What do they symbolize? Gold has an easy answer: recognizing Christ’s kingship. The incense may be harder, as even modern Catholics do not seem to know—much less appreciate—why we use incense to this…

  A simple but sometimes overlooked reflection on the wedding feast of Cana is that we are called to genuine human joy. We, of course, are called to have our hope on the future joy that we will receive in heaven as our true and everlasting joy, but God did not make us suffer and…

  “On coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open.” Imagine the scene: you look up and see dazzling lights, lightning and fire, and what seems like the day sky ripping apart to reveal the night sky, and with it, a booming voice says, “you are my son!” What an…

  We are all probably familiar with the phrase, “blood is thicker than water.” Typically, it means that family comes first. We are willing to support and protect family before anything else, even our own comfort. This week we have been reflecting on what it means to be sons and daughters of God, and today…

  “No one who is begotten by God commits sin because God’s seed remains in him.” This sentence in John’s letter should give us pause. If we have been made to be sons and daughters of Christ in baptism, does that not mean we are begotten by God? Yes, we are, but it means we…

  Sonship in the scriptures is essential. It often signifies two things. The first is belonging to a people and family, and the second is priestly ministry. Within a theological framework, this sonship is vital for both men and women because it is in this sonship we find our fullest identity. Regarding sonship and belonging,…

  We have just welcomed Christ into the world. Jesus, born of the Virgin, visits us, and we call him Emmanuel. With rejoicing, we pledge our faith and life to this small child, “Lord be with us always!” Then amid the rejoicing, we begin to experience suffering, pain, confusion, and distraction—consider the feasts we have…

  Throughout these Christmas Octave reflections, we can hope that the thought of God communicating His divine love in human form provides a background or a sounding board for all of us. The birth of the Christ is the grand announcement “sung out by the heavenly hosts” to the world that a particular point had…

  As this Octave of Christmas continues to unfold, the liturgical readings provide us with something like observation windows concerning the “rest” of the Christmas story. While growing up, we always enjoyed hearing our elderly aunts, uncles, and grandparents telling stories about the “good old days,” even if we had heard them before. The stories…

  The smile of an infant lying in its mother’s arms can touch the heart of anyone. Sometimes people even find a new language of cooing with the little one to show their joy. Today’s Gospel story of Joseph and Mary bringing their child for the required temple rites seems to focus on the experience…

  Even with our sensitivities somewhat dulled by constant reports of horrible violence inflicted on innocent people, the story of the slaughter of the innocents continues to jolt our imagination. How could someone be so cold-hearted and paranoid as to order the execution of all two-year-old male children in and around Bethlehem? Perhaps the best…

  The series of feast days during this Christmas Octave week and their liturgical readings remind us of a wonderful family Christmas banquet. Just when you think all the food is on the table you’re surprised with yet another dish or course which adds another level of delight. Yesterday the feast of martyr St. Stephen…

  At the bottom of the center stairs at Conception Abbey, we have a set of two very heavy brass house chimes. They are rung by hand with a mechanism using two large wooden hammers. When the chimes are struck, their rich melodious sound travels throughout the house but after the sound dies down the…

  Whenever a child is born, there is change and hope, not only for the child and its family but for all of us. That change and hope come about because each new baby is capable of making the world a better place. Christmas is about hope and change because it involves a newborn Child,…

  St. John writes, “Children, be on your guard against idols.” When I think of “idols” I most often think of small stone statues that a non-Christian might have adorning their house. Since I don’t worship statues, I should be fine, right? Perhaps a better way to examine our conscience might be to ask, “What,…

  You need a retreat. Yes, you! Jesus finds Himself in the midst of full-time healing ministry—cleansing the leper and having great crowds assembled before Him to listen to His words and seek his healing power. He must have felt pressure and responsibility to minister to all of these people, but He also felt a…

  St. John writes, “If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar…” If these words don’t make you at least a little uncomfortable, then carefully read them again. Servant of God Dorothy Day reflected a similar sentiment when she wrote: “I really only love God as much as the…

  St. John writes, “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us.” Faith takes root and people are transformed when they come to a “heart knowledge” of this reality of God’s love. I have seen it again and again in spiritual direction and in the lives of my…

  St. John reminds us of the foundational truth necessary for our lives: God is love, and God first loved us. Love is both the foundation of our life of faith and the test of our faith. Love must demonstrate itself in practice. Jesus shows us what love is as His heart is moved with…

  Discernment is a word that is rather common if you work in seminary formation, but for most people, it’s probably not one that enters into your everyday conversation. Discernment is the ability to judge well, or distinguish between choices or options. Most often in the Christian context, it has to do with distinguishing between…

    The story of salvation history is a story of adventure, of people on a journey. Abram is called away from his homeland to go to a land God would show him. Moses is to lead his people out of Egypt, Jesus’ disciples are sent out two by two. When we seek God, we…

  Not many of us have left Mass on Corpus Christi crying out: “Transubstantiation!” Not many of us here have probably ever left the Feast of Christ the King to shout: “Viva Cristo Rey!” Yet in the year 431 after the Council of Ephesus, the common folk of that city ran through the streets in…

  As we become more technologically advanced, we think less about times and seasons. Even farmers who are tied to land and weather have found ways to overcome much. Here in the country, farmers’ wives lament that farm implements now have headlights and that they plant and harvest without ending when the sun goes down.…

  I find myself jealous of the Evangelists at times – only four men got to write Christ’s story, inspired by the Holy Spirit. When we consider the differences in the gospels, we consider that they were not just chroniclers of facts but also storytellers. In other words, they used details to bring out greater…