Tag: Advent
Advent Traditions: St. Lucy’s Day
A distinctive tradition of Advent that is attentive to the coming Light is the celebration of St. Lucia’s Day on December 13. Lucia (or Lucy), whose name derives from the Latin root for “light,” was martyred during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian around the year 303. For centuries the longest night of the… Read More ›
Struggling with Advent? Maybe you’re doing it wrong!
Advent is a complicated season of past and future, and of hope… and it’s the hope that can trip us up. “John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!… Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every… Read More ›
Advent: I live to Christ when I die to myself
Advent for us means acceptance of this totally new beginning. It means a readiness to have eternity and time meet not only in Christ, but in us, in Man, in our life, in our world, in our time. The beginning, therefore, is the end. We must accept the end, before we can begin. Or rather,… Read More ›
God pursues us for a reason
To let others know that our lives are important and that God pursues us for a reason “How many times do we hear: ‘Come on, you Christians, be a little bit more normal, like other people, and be reasonable!’ This is real snake charmer’s talk: ‘Come on, just be like this, okay? A little bit… Read More ›
Advent: Trust is essential in our waiting
“One of the essential paradoxes of Advent: that while we wait for God, we are with God all along, that while we need to be reassured of God’s arrival, or the arrival of our homecoming, we are already at home. While we wait, we have to trust, to have faith, but it is God’s grace… Read More ›
Advent, waiting for the encounter
Advent is an invitation “to sobriety, to not be dominated by the things of this world, Pope Francis said Nov. 27 in St. Peter’s Square. “If, on the contrary, we are conditioned and overpowered by them, it is not possible to perceive that which is much more important: our final encounter with the Lord.”—Pope Francis… Read More ›
All who hope in God
Mary’s song of praise in the Magnificat “is the canticle of the People of God on the journey, and of all men and women who hope in God, in the power of his mercy.” Pope Francis Advent is a time of hope. For Jesus Christ is God’s mercy in the flesh and Mary in her joy… Read More ›
Peace calls for daily commitment
True peace is not a balance of opposing forces, and it is not ‘a lovely façade’ simply covering conflicts and divisions. Rather, peace calls for daily commitment –t’s homemade — starting from God’s gift, from the grace which he has given us in Jesus Christ.—Pope Francis During the season of Advent the term “Peace on… Read More ›
Teaming with St. Joseph at Advent’s end
What is still unprepared in our hearts can be offered to the Merciful Infant We lit that last violet candle on the Advent wreath this weekend, and it didn’t give me any sense of joy that the earth is about to receive her king. Instead, it made me think that once again, this year’s Advent… Read More ›
Advent and hope
“The season of Advent restores … a hope which does not disappoint for it is founded on God’s Word. A hope which does not disappoint, simply because the Lord never disappoints! … Let us think about and feel this beauty.” —Pope Francis There is a lot of glitter during the Advent and Christmas season. In… Read More ›