Liturgical Seasons & Feasts Archives - Page 25 of 43

When Christ Comes, Let Us Welcome Him

The Christmas season is one of immense opportunity for us to re-engage those who come to church only sporadically. During this time, we should be especially effusive and warm in our welcoming efforts. Unfortunately, hospitality has become synonymous with coffee and donuts after Mass in many parishes. We seem to have relegated welcoming to a particular committee such as the Stewardship Committee or the Hospitality Committee. Not only has this mindset absolved our parishioners of […]

When Simpler Is Better

Lisa Brown

As a non-creative person by nature, I spend a good deal of time trying to think of ways to make my second-grade class as captivating as possible. As catechists we know that the subject we teach is the most exciting, life-giving topic ever to be shared. But finding new ways to engage our students is easier for some than others, especially for non-creative people like me. I always felt that I’d need to ramp up […]

Making Advent a More Holy Season

Joe Paprocki

I just came across these two videos that provide enrichment for the Advent season. The first video is via Catholic News Service and features youth minister Emily “Em” Anderson (St. James Catholic Church, Falls Church, VA) providing some insights into how to make Advent a more holy season. I especially like her suggestion of praying the Liturgy of the Hours during Advent. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDfix2aokos The second is Bishop Barron’s reflection on Advent as preparation for a […]

Waiting and Preparation: Teaching Advent and Christmas

Joyce Donahue

What should Catholic children know about Advent? They should know that it is a season of waiting and preparation, not fulfillment. In contrast to the frenzied Christmas shopping season, the patient waiting that characterizes Advent has its own particular beauty. More than that, it helps us understand something important about Jesus: he is the awaited Savior of the people of God. Use the rich symbols and stories of the season to help children experience Advent […]

Keeping Focused This Advent

Paul Gallagher

Ah, it’s Advent. I don’t know about you, but it sometimes looks as though Christmas is already here, with all the Christmas sales and all the holiday decorations. As I sat in the pew on Sunday, I kept thinking about all the shopping I still had to do—there are only so many shopping days left before Christmas! I hope we’ll all be able to refocus now on our Advent journey. The craziness of Black Friday […]

A New Beginning This Advent

Margie Copeland

As Christmas approaches, life becomes hectic, overbooked, and our prayer time can shrink. But if we take intentional steps, Advent can become a period of deepening our relationship with our Savior. The word advent means “coming or arrival”—the coming of Christ into the world. Advent is a time of preparation. During this season, we direct our hearts and our minds toward Christmas, the anniversary of Christ’s birth. However, we also prepare for the second coming […]

Advent: Of Elves or Angels?

Julianne Stanz

Advent is a time of expectation and excitement as we prepare for the birth of Christ. Within Advent is the unfolding of beautiful readings that build from one week to another, along with complimentary music, colors, and the rituals surrounding this liminal time. The opening of Advent calendars or the many other creative ways of counting sacred time is amongst my favorite childhood traditions. Keeping pace with sacred time is becoming more and more difficult […]

Absolon Stumme, “Hamburg Altar (The Tree of Jesse),” 1499, public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Jesse Trees Aren’t Just for Advent

Denise Gorss

The theme for a recent session was “Jesus fulfills the Revelation of God found in the history of the Chosen People.” I realized I could make the connection this week by adapting an activity typically reserved for Advent—the Jesse tree. As the young people entered the room, I invited them to work on a worksheet on “Grand Genes,” which was a Bible look-up activity that asked students to look up promises in the Old Testament […]

Happy Birthday to My Mom—Born on the Feast of the Queenship of Mary

Joe Paprocki

A couple of years ago, I was wishing my mom a happy birthday when she said, “To be born on the Feast of the Queenship of Mary—what an honor!” This weekend, we celebrate this wonderful feast (August 22) as my family and I also celebrate my mom’s 88th birthday. Catholics know that anything we say about Mary is a reflection of what we believe about her Son, Jesus. In essence, we celebrate Mary’s Queenship as […]

The Feast of the Assumption—A Blessing of the Body

Joe Paprocki

As we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of Mary, we are reminded of the importance of the body in our spirituality. Our belief that Mary was assumed body and soul is a reinforcement of our belief in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is a bodily Resurrection. We Catholics do not belief that death results in an eternity of floating around as a disembodied spirit. Rather, we look forward to the resurrection of the […]