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Like I said last week, 'tiz the season to be frazzled . It's also a time of year when folks get together with family, including folks like Yogi Yorgesson's "goofy relations:" " ...After dinner my Aunt and my wife's Uncle Louie Get into an argument; they're both awful screwy Then all my wife's family say Louie is right And my goofy relations, they yoin in the fight. Back in the corner the radio is playing And over the racket Gabriel Heater is saying 'Peace on earth everybody and good will toward men' And yust at that moment someone slugs Uncle Ben.... " (" I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas ," via eLyrics.net) Oddly enough, December is generally a month with the fewest suicides each year in America. (" Holiday Suicides: Fact or Myth? ," Injury Prevention & Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (December 31, 2013)) Digging a little deeper, I noticed that those 'December suicides' sta

At the time of Mary, it was unheard of for a single woman to become pregnant. It would have been a great scandal bringing shame to all the family. To then proclaim that you are carrying the Son of God would have been blasphemy at the very least. Mary would have either been stoned to death or thought of as totally insane. Yet, despite the fear of shame, and fear for her own and her family's safety, she said "Yes" to the Lord. We owe her a lot for that "Yes"! For a man to find out his girl-friend is pregnant and the baby is not his, is bad enough. Most men would have run a mile in the opposite direction. To be told the baby is the Son of God is more than any man in such circumstances could understand. We owe a lot to Joseph too, for staying by Mary's side.

Pope Francis has an evangelization prayer close to his heart this month: he is praying for parents. As the Pope puts it, "Pray that parents may be true evangelizers, passing on to their children the precious gift of faith." Mary and Joseph were the first evangelizers of Jesus. If evangelizing means to bring the good news of salvation to the world, then Mary was a literalist: she physically brought Jesus, the saving Word of God, to the world. Joseph and Mary cared for the Word, loved the Word, and shared the Word with others in their daily lives. It almost seems unfair, in a way, doesn't it? SAY WHAT?! Read on at Praying with Grace .

" ...'What else can I be,' returned the uncle, 'when I live in such a world of fools as this? ... If I could work my will,' said Scrooge indignantly, 'every idiot who goes about with "Merry Christmas" on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!'... " (" A Christmas Carol ," Charles Dickens (1843) via www.gutenberg.org) 'Tis the season to be frazzled. Advent is when some Americans max out their credit cards, buying presents and setting up holiday parties: while others kvetch over bright lights and holiday music played in stores.... More, or less, at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Today's Gospel reading starts on the second verse of this excerpt: " 'But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. " Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. " It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. " Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. " May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. " What I say to you, I say to all: "Watch!" ' " ( Mark 13:32 - 37 ) More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Did you ever notice that the Advent season seems to come and go in the blink of an eye? All of a sudden you find yourself at Christmas Mass wondering how your time to prepare for Christ so easily slipped through your fingers. Darn! You had promised yourself that  this  Advent would be different. You wouldn’t be caught by surprise,  yet again ! You bought Advent prayer books and an Advent wreath kit. You had great intentions to make this Advent season very different from last. However, that doesn’t have to be the case. You can make the conscious choice—right here, right now—to stop in your busy tracks and embrace the coming season of Advent; and its purpose. Advent is a season of preparing. If you have ever entertained guests, or even made the slightest effort to get ready for any company, you will see how those experiences lend themselves well to your own groundwork this Advent to invite Christ to dwell within your heart—and thus truly be ready for His second coming.

The Christmas season—which ought to be one of peace and good cheer—is often everything other than tranquility and happiness. For many people (women especially), family events, shopping, and fractured relationships bring stress and steal the joy of Christmas. Before the stress sets in, consider these few tips to take into the Christmas season so that this year it will truly be a season of harmony, peace and pleasure. 1.       Remember that Christmas is about the celebration of the birth of Christ; see others through His eyes. If you are in the process of forgiving someone, don’t feel you’ve failed if this Christmas you aren’t jumping up and down with joy to see that person. Forgiveness is a process. Take it one step at a time—and be okay with that. read more here

'The birth of the Lord gives rise  to a thousand thoughts and reflections in our hearts!   Never could there have been a poorer or happier birth,  nor at the same time a more radiant and happy mother!'   St. Francis de Sales Painting:  Edward Burne-Jones, Nativity from The Cloistered Heart

Adoration of the Shepherds , El Greco, c.1614 [ Web Gallery of Art ] The beginning of the Holy Gospel according to John  (John 1:1-18, read at the Mass during the Day, Christmas Day;  New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition ) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   He was in the beginning with God.   All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being   in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.   The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.   He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.   He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.   The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him.   H

This time of year can bring both blessing and hassle.  Holy meditations, carols, the contagious wonder of wide-eyed children...  these unwrap great blessings and usually great fun.   For some of us, however, the activities of Christmas can feel like an intrusion.  Day to day life is more or less put on hold by an urgent need to shop and wrap and plan.  Chairs and tables are displaced by, of all things, a tree in the middle of our house.  There is no time to do ordinary things, as everyday life is seriously disrupted for weeks on end.  It can seem like a major interruption.   T hink of it.  Mary was living a quiet, hidden life.   She was betrothed.   Then one day an angel appeared to her, and with that Holy Interruption Mary’s life was changed forever.  As was Joseph’s, as was yours, as was mine.   As we know, there was a Birth.  There were shepherds tending their flocks, and again an angel appeared.  A night of sheep-watching was interrupted.... (click to continue)

Just in time for Christmas, here are some awesome book suggestions for nearly everyone on your list. For Married or Engaged Couples For Better... Forever!: A Catholic Guide to Lifelong Marriage, by Greg Popcak . This modern Catholic classic has been offering helpful advice to couples for more than a decade. Give a gift that helps love grow all year long. Click here for  my review . For Moms and Dads Growing Up in God's Image, by Carolyn J. Smith.   One of the biggest struggles parents face is teaching their kids a healthy outlook on sexuality. You can start laying the groundwork when your kids are very young by teaching them respect for their bodies. Then, it's much easier to talk to them as they get older. Learn how in this helpful book. Click here for  my review and link to buy . Catholic Family Fun, by Sarah A. Reinhard.   The family fun can last all year round if you use the ideas in this clever book. Imagine always having something wholesome to do that will

One word we hear at this time of year is "joy."  It sings to us from carols, calls to us from cards, marches across banners in the mall.  I've heard it said that JOY is found by putting your focus and priorities in the proper order: J   esus   O  thers  Y  ourself   Is this "priority of focus" how St. Paul could write, in the face of persecutions, "I am filled with consolation, and despite my many afflictions my joy knows no bounds." (2 Corinthians 7:4)..? Is this "priority of focus" what enabled some of the Church's greatest saints to endure adversities with joy?  I pray that we may we all burst forth with "the joy of right priorities" at this holy time of year.   “Rejoice in the Lord always!  I say it again: rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)    from The Cloistered Heart

Throughout history the word “light” has been used to portray goodness, charity, kindness, and salvation. Light, after all, removes darkness—whether literally or metaphorically. People say, “She lit up the room when she entered,” or “He is the light of my life.” We understand the significance of those phrases. During the Christmas season—when the amount of actual daylight is at its most limited—we are most fully aware that Christ is the light of the world. It seems rather fitting that in the long hours without light that we contemplate how He dispels the darkness in our lives. We are able to become keenly aware that He conquers the shadows that sometimes seem to overtake us. During the Christmas season we most fully realize that through the light of Christ we find our way to the Father.   A beautiful tradition during Christmastime is to light luminaries. The history behind luminaries is rich and beautiful—and varied. Shepherds marked the way to the Christ child with smal

Since it's too soon for the Twelve Days of Christmas, here are twelve tips for celebrating Advent instead. These tips include what you should do, what you shouldn't do, and what you can get away with (I'll promise never to tell). **What to Do this Advent** 1. Explore other cultural traditions:  Learn how the custom of Christmas stockings evolved from the German tradition of slipping treats into shoes or slippers that kids leave near the chimney in the days leading up to St. Nicholas' Day (December 6). Celebrate the Feast Day of the Patroness of the Americas, Our Lady of Guadalupe, on December 12 at the nearest parish with a large Hispanic community. On Christmas Eve, you can serve twelve fish dishes the way the Italians do. Experiment by adding shrimp cocktail or baked clams to the menu. Dilled salmon steaks garnished with lemon always taste great. Sushi platters or bouillabaisse combine many types of fish in one dish. See how many you can add to your Christmas E

Advent is here! It's time to prepare our hearts for Jesus. Here are a few things we are implementing into our Advent season....  Each year when we set up our Nativity we leave Jesus out until Christmas morning. We also leave the wise men out of the scene until the Epiphany. I really don't like seeing Mary and Joseph adoring and empty manger so I am on a hunt for a wooden figurine of the expectant Mary on the donkey, on their way to Bethlehem. My plan is to have this figure outside the stable until Christmas and then move The Holy Family into the stable on Christmas morning. I am loving this idea of the changing scene throughout the month. Another idea I just recently heard about is to place a piece of straw in the manger each time someone sacrifices something or does something kind for another. This is in an effort to build a soft bed for Jesus through acts of love.  I can't wait to see the stable fill with straw over the next few weeks! T

The Christmas season—which ought to be one of peace and good cheer—is often everything other than tranquility and happiness. For many people (women especially), family events, shopping, and fractured relationships bring stress and steal the joy of Christmas. For a Christian, this really doesn’t have to be the case. It really shouldn’t be the case—and a few tips to take into the Christmas season will help replace angst and strain with harmony and pleasure. 1. Remember that Christmas is about the celebration of the birth of Christ; see others through His eyes. If you are in the process of forgiving someone, don’t feel you’ve failed if this Christmas you aren’t jumping up and down with joy to see that person. Forgiveness is a process. Take it one step at a time—and be okay with that. 2. The physiological aspect of stress can be countered by breathing. That’s right—breathe this Christmas season! Breathe deep. Studies show that when we are stressed we don’t breathe deepl

"Like a secret told by angels, getting known upon the earth, is the Mother's expectation of Messiah's speedy birth."    F. Faber, "Our Lady's Expectations" 

Before my feet touched the floor on January 1 st , 2012, I offered a simple prayer: Please Lord, before the year is over, find me where you want me to be . Up to that point, I had been suffering from a decades-long chronic condition and although imagined health in my future, that morning I offered every cell in my body to the Lord. I just wanted to serve Him and His kingdom. If He wanted me to be healthy, so be it. If He had other plans, so be it. From that point on, all hell broke loose. The first Friday in January, I was on-air when I had an “episode” and was forced to hang up quite abruptly and was immediately taken to the emergency room by my husband. I’ve got to admit, there is nothing quite as humbling as having to hang up during an interview on a national radio show because the room is spinning and the floor seems to be at a 45 degree angle and you are crawling for help. I suffered more physical problems over the next few months than I had in the previous years

 We are still in the Christmas Season until the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, observed on Sunday in countries that celebrate the Epiphany as a holyday of obligation on 6 January. In countries that celebrate the Epiphany on Sunday the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord will be observed on Monday 9 January. Katolikongpinoy posted the old English song, The Coventry Carol , as a tribute to those who died in Tropical Storm Sendong/Washi a week before Christmas, especially in Iligan City and in Cagayan de Oro City, both in northern Mindanao, . Full post here .

Adoration of the Shepherds Murillo, painted 1646-50 Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Gospel Luke 2:16-21 (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) The shepherds hurried away and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told. When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception. +++ An Soiscéal Lúcás 13:33-37 (Gaeilge, Irish) San am sin d’imigh na haoirí anonn go Beithil go deifreach, agus fuair siad Muire agus Iósaef, agus an naíon