Tell Me about Your Favorite Christmas Carol
We are approaching the end of the Christmas Season, and I have only a couple days to play and sing every carol in the hymnal. A few like “Silent Night” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” have been used twice in the parish assembly. And the best interludes, postludes, and preludes have been played. But […]
Christmas Never Ends
One task today for me is to continue taking down and packing Christmas decorations. The season is about to end, and the official Ordinary Time begins. But that does not mean Christmas is over. Robert Taft, S.J., whom I was privileged to have as an instructor of the Church Year, was adamant that “every day […]
The Sisters of Notre Dame Are on the Watch
Perhaps you’ve seen posters suggesting we sleep well tonight; the USA Army is on the watch. I don’t need to enumerate all the terrible things going on in our world from ICE raids to starvation to floods and fires. But I find comfort in knowing my sisters, the Sisters of Notre Dame, are on the […]
Three Wise Women
Advent is a time for delight and depth. The weeks are sugar-sprinkled with concerts, parties, favorite shows, Christmas cards from long-time friends. Meanwhile, the quiet of snow beckons reflection. The book Three Wise Women by D. D Mackall provided spiritual beauty for me like cherished tree decorations, one ornament at a time. I received this […]
A True Story from a Conversation at Church
On an icy road two women skidded and found themselves in a car, the front wheels hanging on a cable. It was impossible for them to lift the car. Before I-phones, they decided to stand there until help came. After a time, a man offered to help and managed to lift the car enough to […]
The First Words Spoken by Jesus
Perhaps Mary and Joseph wondered what Jesus’ first words would be. One might expect the Hebrew words equivalent to “mama” and “dada.” Either word would have made his parents proud. The word for “father” (abba) would have deep meaning, since it would reflect divine sonship—although that would take maturity, a lot or growing for Jesus […]
My Early Impression of Santa Claus
Unlike TV shows and Christmas commercials, the presents brought by Santa to my house were never wrapped with colorful paper and ribbon. Gifts came in brown grocery bags, and somehow my parents knew to which child the bag belonged. One Christmas I noticed a beautifully wrapped gift. It was really big! Had I lain down […]
Good Endings
Don’t you love stories, novels, movies, TV shows that have good endings? There’s something satisfying when the main character achieves his goal, when the reader or viewer puts down the book or turns off the program feeling his own life has been made better for the experience. Time has a way of flying by in […]
Is Materialism Humbug?
At this time of year I hear people decrying materialism, as if shopping for gifts is beneath our better selves. What’s the matter with matter (like decorations, toys, trees)? It’s energy! It’s interconnectedness! Nothing is only material; no gift or decoration is only material. There’s an energizing force that unites everything and everyone. And the […]
Creation and Incarnation, One Process
Creation and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ seem like two separate events, but they form one process of God’s self-giving and self-expression. The process begins with “Let there be light!” The moment of the Big Bang starts the whole universe, which is full of Christ. The “body” of the universe is the Body of Christ. […]