Tag: Christmas
How to Find Christmas Peace
How to find Christmas peace in a world of unrest? You cannot find peace on the outside but you can find peace on the inside, by letting God do to your soul what Mary let Him do to her body, namely, let Christ be formed in you. As she cooked meals in her Nazarene home,… Read More ›
Christmas in America: Belief in the Virgin birth and visits from Santa
WASHINGTON (RNS) Nearly one in three Americans, including many with no little children at home and those with no religious identity, say they pretend Santa will visit their house on Christmas Eve. Overall, 31 percent of U.S. adults play up the Santa role in their holiday season, according to a survey released Wednesday (Dec. 18)… Read More ›
A different story about St. Nicholas
The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still… Read More ›
The Mystery of Christmas
The mystery of Christmas therefore lays upon us all a debt and an obligation to the whole created universe. We who have seen the light of Christ are obliged, by the greatness of the grace that has been given us, to make known the presence of the Saviour to the ends of the earth. This… Read More ›
The ‘Small’ God Who Brought Heaven Down to Earth
Some years ago I found myself at a fashionable dinner party in Los Angeles where the lamb was roasted to perfection, and the deep, rich red Australian wine complimented it to a tee. The conversation around the dinner table was likewise high-minded and it did not take this largely secular gathering very long to turn… Read More ›
The Spirits Around Us: What are our access points?
We write about the spirits around us, and this is a time of the year important in that regard; there have been mystics who’ve said it’s on Christmas that the greatest number of souls are released. Apparently, like certain hours of the night, like three a.m., at Christmastime the veil seems to thin. Fortunately, more… Read More ›
Psalm 100(99): In prayer we abandon ourselves to God’s embrace
1. In the spirit of joy and celebration that continues in this last week of the Christmas season, we want to resume our meditation on the Liturgy of Lauds. Today we reflect on Psalm 99[100], just proclaimed, which is a joyful invitation to praise the Lord, the shepherd of his people. Seven imperatives are scattered… Read More ›
Padre Pio’s Christmas Meditation
Far into the night, at the coldest time of the year, in a chilly grotto, more suitable for a flock of beasts than for humans, the promised Messiah – Jesus – the savior of mankind, comes into the world in the fullness of time. There are none who clamor around him: only an ox and… Read More ›
Belmont Abbey: Christmas Schedule
Ordinary daily schedule: Sunday, Dec. 18-Sunday, Jan. 8 6:00 AM Vigils 7:30 AM Lauds 11:00 AM Mass 11:45 AM Midday prayer 5:30 PM Vespers Saturday Dec 24 6:00 AM Vigils 7:30 AM Lauds 11:00 AM Mass 11:45 AM Midday prayer 5:30 PM Vespers 7:30 PM Vigils Sunday, Dec 25 12:00 Midnight Mass 8:00 AM Lauds 11:00 AM… Read More ›