When the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, the angel delivered a nightmarish message: “Take the child and flee.” Joseph’s response: “He left that night.” I imagine his heart raced to wake Mary, urging her to pack a few provisions, while he got the donkey, a bag of grain

Like all families, the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph must have had some tense moments and challenging days. Imagine racing to Egypt to escape a tyrant or losing a child for three days somewhere in Jerusalem. Yet Jesus apparently had a very blessed and happy childhood. Otherwise would he

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing 2. Silent Night 3. What Child Is This? 4. O Little Town of Bethlehem 5. Good Christian Friends 6. We Three Kings How well did you do??

“The kindness and generous love of God our savior appeared,” and shepherds “went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Infant” (Christmas Mass at Dawn). It’s Christmas!  How will we go in haste to find the Holy Family? Some families, especially those with little children, might sing “Happy

When Scrooge awakes from his nocturnal visits of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Future and Present, he makes this promise: “I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirit of all

Each of us has a particular role in the Body of Christ. To discern our role takes constant purification and conversion, so that we can receive more light. Poor Zechariah! He always wanted a child even into his old age when he knew his longing for a son would never

Mary’s Magnificat completes the story of the visit between Mary and Elizabeth. Although Elizabeth was the first to hear the beautiful words, had Mary sung it in her heart before? Did the refrain “My spirit rejoices in God my savior” match her steps on the road to Ein-Karim? Did the

Had Mary and Elizabeth ever met before the visitation recorded in today’s lectionary reading from Luke? Did they know of each other through stories from their parents? Whatever their previous knowledge or acquaintance, this particular visit lasting three months cemented their friendship. Hardly had Mary finished her greeting, when Elizabeth

Mary, the Mother of God, teaches us what to do when the odds are not in our favor: Trust that all is possible with God. The Annunciation story in the original Greek sounds stronger than that in English. It suggests Mary’s plan is shattered by the message of the Angel

We are called to be icons of Christ. This means more than imitating Jesus. We are to actually incarnate Christ in our lives. This means that we should be willing to give up things—even give up our very selves–as Christ gave up the full intensity of his divinity. The incarnation