Fruit of the Same Tree St. Valentine's Day and Ash Wednesday, believe it or not, are fruit of the same tree. Granted, that's not apparent to everybody. The last time the two feasts shared the same space on the calendar a priest well known on theh internet posted the following: “This year nothing says happy … Continue reading Fruit of the Same Tree: St. Valentine and Ash Wednesday
The Midpoint Between the Nativity and the Passion
The Midpoint Today is the midpoint, the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end. Which is to say, today is the Feast of the Presentation, a perfect microcosm of both/and. The official Christmas Season ended a couple weeks ago on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. The Presentation of the baby Jesus … Continue reading The Midpoint Between the Nativity and the Passion
The Bigger They Come: The Conversion of St. Paul
Unlike Caesar, who lived only for his own glory, Paul now lives for the Glory of God. As Paul himself puts it: “it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20).
Faith vs. Power: Epiphany
Where the Magi embody trust in God, Herod is the man of action who puts his trust in his own worldly power . . . It’s all to no effect. With all his worldly power he can’t stop the coming of the Messiah, or even save his own life . . .
The Christmas Tree Points to Christ: 12th Day of Christmas
Pagans prayed to their Zeus, Thor, and other such gods, for instance: should we avoid prayer for that reason? Certainly not. The same would apply to Christmas trees . . . if they had pagan origins.
The Wrong Shall Fail, The Right Prevail: 11th Day of Christmas
Longfellow, who had very powerful incentives to turn to despair, instead created a poem that shows us that the joy of Christmas is not a denial of the brokenness of this world, but God's answer to it.
Let the Children: 10th Day of Christmas and St. Genevieve
But who can we trust if we can’t trust the God who became a little child among us, and showed us how to say, even in the final extremity, “Into Your hands, Lord, I commend my Spirit” (Luke 23:46)?
God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways: 9th Day of Christmas
God's Ways God's ways are not our ways. We hear a lot of Isaiah through the seasons of Advent and Christmas, but the passage below expresses with particular clarity one of the most striking and curious things about Christmas: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord.For as the … Continue reading God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways: 9th Day of Christmas
One of Us Yet Mother of God: 8th Day of Christmas
If Christ isn’t born of a human woman, He’s not fully human himself, in which case how can He die and redeem humankind? Mary is the guarantor that Jesus, while He truly is God, is truly one of us.
The Holy Family and the Crisis of Our Family: 7th Day of Christmas
The Holy Family of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus is a model of God’s plan for the family, the slaughter of the Holy Innocents reminds us how far we fall short, right now, of that model.