It’s unfortunate that Christianity is too often perceived by some as a dour religion. I’m reminded of the pop song that claims it’s preferable to laugh with the sinners than to cry with the saints! The fact is, at times, Christian spirituality has lost its balance by focusing solely on the suffering of Jesus and the saints and martyrs while losing the joy of the Resurrection. In this episode of Pop-Up Catechesis, we explore how […]
It is an understatement to say that 2020 has been a challenging year! We can’t wait to turn the page and move on to a new year. For Catholics, that turning of the page happens a month before the secular holiday of New Year’s Day on January 1. We celebrate the beginning of our liturgical year on the First Sunday of Advent, which is only a few weeks away, on November 29. Advent is always […]
People seem to be interested in knowing what the future holds for them—so much so that some will do everything from reading their horoscopes to visiting a fortune teller. The truth is, we don’t know what the future will hold for us, except for the one thing that we can be sure of: Jesus will be a part of our lives! We celebrate the season of Advent with this confident joy, knowing that abundant graces […]
Every season and feast of the liturgical calendar serves as a reminder of how we “ought to be” as followers of Jesus Christ. The season of Advent, which is now upon us, reminds us that we are to be a people of hope—not to be confused with wishful thinking. I “hope” I win the lottery some day, but I have no confidence that will ever happen. Our hope in Jesus Christ is a confident hope—an […]
Years ago, there was a series of popular television commercials for a brand of ketchup, which showed people eagerly waiting for the thick ketchup to pour out of the tilted bottle and onto a burger while the refrain of Carly Simon’s hit song “Anticipation” rang out. The message was that anything good is worth waiting for. Advent is a season of anticipation. However, it’s about much more than anticipating the arrival of Christmas Day. It is […]
Celebrating Advent with my second graders is a combination of traditional elements—such as praying around an Advent wreath—along with visits from Fidelis, our Advent Angel, and performing Advent acts of kindness. We start sessions with a short prayer service around the Advent wreath on our prayer table. The prayer service includes a Scripture reading, intercessions, and singing, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Since we can’t use lit candles, we tape a paper cutout of a […]
Recently, I had the opportunity to see the HBO movie, My Dinner With Hervé, in which actor Peter Dinklage plays the late actor Hervé Villechaize, who was best known for his role as Tattoo in the TV series Fantasy Island. The character of Tattoo was most famous for excitedly shouting, “The plane! The plane!” whenever guests were arriving to the island. With that in mind, imagine how you would react if you were stranded on […]
Welcome to the third installment of this series on the Scripture readings for Advent, Year C. I mentioned in the first installment that, as I reflected on the Advent Scripture readings, I thought of the image of castaways on a deserted island, feeling hopeless and abandoned. The readings for the First Week of Advent reassured us that “help is on the way,” and the readings for the Second Week of Advent told us that we […]
Welcome to our second installment of this series on the Scripture readings for Advent, Year C. I mentioned in the first installment that, as I reflected on the Advent Scripture readings, I thought of the image of castaways on a deserted island, feeling hopeless and abandoned. The readings for the First Week of Advent reassured us that “help is on the way!” The Scripture readings for the Second Sunday of Advent tell us that, while […]
This long-time Texas boy has recently moved north to Minnesota, and two of the joys I have felt as a result of this move are the experiences of watching the leaves change color in the fall (something I did not see much growing up) and the snowfall of winter. (Within just the last few days, I have witnessed more snow than I have in the past several years combined back home.) These changes remind me […]
