Advent Is Coming!
Our Blessed Mother is an ideal companion as we live through the days of Advent, which this year begins Sunday, December 2. For four weeks we wait for her Son, but Mary waited for nine months! Imagine what that time must have been like for her. She had never been a mother before, and hers […]
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Protector of the Unborn
In honor of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I’m reprising a post about her story. This should be of interest to all because under this title, the Blessed Mother is the patroness of the Americas, both North and South. In addition, she is relevant today when abortion is an acceptable practice, for Mary […]
A Meaning-full Advent
We are on the verge of Advent, four weeks that tend to be a flurry of activity in preparation for Christmas. This week Jen Deshpande, who is on the parish staff of St. Dominic, wrote a reflection for our parish email that I needed to hear and thought you might too. She allowed me to […]
Advent: Jesus Coming in Mystery Now, Today!
Advent readings at Mass focus us on the coming of Jesus in Majesty at the end of time, while Christmas decorations recall his coming in History in Bethlehem, but his third coming that we commemorate during Advent is his coming in Mystery. This coming gets pushed aside. Let’s think about it, for it is the […]
St. Nicholas aka Santa Claus in the Year of Mercy
On December 6 we celebrate the feast of St. Nicholas, when I hold my annual party for local convents in the tradition of my religious community. We inherited this celebration from the Sisters in Holland who helped form us German Sisters of Notre Dame. The feast entails gingerbread bishops, apple tarts, oranges, popcorn balls, bags […]
Watch and Wait in Advent
On Black Friday I ventured out to find a new watch and immediately located the right one. However, it needed two links removed in order to fit. “Just a minute,” the clerk said as she tinkered with the links. She continued to say that for over an hour. At one point I volunteered to try […]
Advent, Time for Patient Waiting
We’re in Advent, the season of waiting, waiting for God. We Americans don’t like to wait. We are frustrated by red lights, long lines at the checkout counter, and lengthy downloads. But as poet R.J. Thomas observed, “The meaning is in the waiting.” The Israelites waited centuries for salvation from Egypt and centuries for salvation […]
Blessed Virgin Mary, an Advent Figure
During Advent, Mary, John the Baptist, and Isaiah take center stage. Primarily we focus on Mary as we wait for Christmas, for she waited for nine months to welcome her son into the world that day. How well do you know your mother? Take this quiz and then check out the answers below. 1. Why […]
Advent with Mary, Best Disciple
Mary is one of the three persons we focus on during Advent. (The other two are John the Baptist and the prophet Isaiah.) As we wait with Mary during the coming weeks before Christmas, we might ponder how she, the first and best disciple, is a model for us. For example, Mary gives us five […]
Wait! It’s Advent.
Almost three years ago I sent a manuscript to a publisher. As months passed, I often wondered what was happening to the book. Then last week I was e-mailed the final copy before it goes to the printer. The book is outstanding. I e-mailed back that “it was worth the wait.” We’re in Advent, the […]
