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Advent Is Construction Season

Diane M. Houdek December 2, 2019

The call of Advent is clear. From both the prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist, we hear, “Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Isaiah was writing to the people exiled far from their homeland. John the Baptist was talking to people who had lost their way in a tangle of politics and religion. In our own lives, we hear this call as well. We all have some roadwork to do in our souls. We might say Advent is construction season.

Advent with Richard Rohr: Monday of the First Week

Richard Rohr, OFM December 2, 2019

Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed.
—Matthew 8:8

The American Declaration of Independence says we have an “unalienable right” to the pursuit of happiness. God created us to be happy and joyful “in this world and the next,” and Jesus says the same several times in John 14-17. The only difference between the two is that any happiness that is demanded from life never becomes happiness because it is too narcissistically and self-consciously pursued.

Light the First Candle

Diane M. Houdek December 1, 2019

Advent begins quietly, with the lighting of the first candle on the Advent wreath. As the days grow shorter in the northern hemisphere, we move to a place of increasing light both indoors and in our hearts. Instead of adding more things to do and and more challenges to meet in an already busy time, Advent calls us to rest, to step back, to learn to appreciate the small events and simple gifts that flow through our days.

Advent with Richard Rohr: First Sunday

Richard Rohr, OFM December 1, 2019

Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
—Matthew 24:42

“Come, Lord Jesus,” the Advent mantra, means that all of Christian history has to live out of a kind of deliberate emptiness, a kind of chosen non-fulfillment. Perfect fullness is always to come, and we do not need to demand it now. This keeps the field of life wide open and especially open to grace and to a future created by God rather than ourselves.

A Guided Tour through Advent

Carolyn Ancell November 29, 2019

“Wait for it….” It’s a popular phrase along pop-culture landscapes. The problem is nobody likes to wait, and yet waiting is a part of life.

We wait at the DMV or the grocery store checkout, in line at the post office to mail Christmas packages, for an appointment, a diagnosis, a resolution, a solution, an opportunity, the light at the end of the tunnel, a birth, a death.

Psalm 8: Starry Skies and the Incarnation

Barbara Beckwith November 27, 2019

When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you set in place—What are humans that you are mindful of them. (Psalm 8:4-5)

Christmas in the Holy Land

Greg Friedman, OFM November 27, 2019

Visiting the birthplace of Jesus makes an indelible mark on pilgrims, who describe the experience as profound, peaceful, and joyful.

Your Christmas Music Playlist

Daniel Imwalle November 27, 2019

By the time you read this column, you might already be burned out on Christmas music, and we’re just now actually getting into the season!

Culture: Film Reviews

Rose Pacatte, FSP November 27, 2019

Just Mercy

In 1988, Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), an African American, was convicted of murdering an 18-year-old white woman. After a trial that lasted only a day and a half, he was sentenced to death. McMillian had already spent a year on death row because Sheriff Tate (Michael Harding) was convinced he was guilty even though there was no physical evidence and he had a solid alibi. His conviction was based on false testimony coerced from a career criminal, Ralph Myers (Tim Blake Nelson).