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My 'Advent Window' opened when I was twenty years old. I was in what I call my 'God doesn't bother me and I don't bother Him' phase. There was so much to do... friends to hang out with, boys to date, parties to go to. I took no time to think about God; in fact, I was ignoring Him altogether. God, however, was 'thinking' of me, and began reminding me of Himself through a series of little seasonal things. A song heard on the radio, a nativity scene featured on the courthouse steps, Christmas songs piped into stores to draw customers... (click to continue..)

Today's reading from the Gospels, Matthew 3:1 - 12 , doesn't seem particularly Christmassy. Not in the 'presents wrapped under the tree' sense. " 1 2 In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea. "(and) saying, 'Repent, 3 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!' ... "...When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees 7 coming to his baptism, he said to them, 'You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? "Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance....." ( Matthew 3:1 - 2 , 7 - 8 ) More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

As the Morning Rising: Advent Prayer : Lord, may my actions this day be as the twinkling of light so that someone somewhere will say. 'There goes a Christian.'

Read the Word of God with a prayerful heart. John the Baptist appeared in the desert, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins he baptized them in the Jordan River.  (Mark 1:4-6) This painting gives us a glimpse of the type of crowd that gathered around John the Baptist. He must have been a compelling speaker for people to have come from 'all of Judea' and 'Jerusalem' to see and hear him.  I listened to a toastmaster recently who described the competitions speech makers enter. They are judged on presentation as much as content. I suspect John was provided with a natural talent for drawing a crowd. If he was all doom and gloom I wonder how many people would have bothered to travel out to meet him.  Surely his message was an exciting and challenging one? 'Get ready, something...someone...is coming who

30 Day Advent Retreat A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.   At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  ( Luke 1:39-41 ) Photo by Jaimie Trueblood used with permission Everything we have  reflected on so far, in this 30 Day Retreat, is impossible! Yet anything is impossible with God.  Listen to this  beautiful reflection by John Michael Talbot, singing and sharing how all things are possible, in the power of the Holy Spirit.   John Michael Talbot 'Holy is His Name.' Follow Retreat on:  http://susannetimpani.blogspot.com.au/

Here's a chatty little look at our Advent plans.  They may not be elaborate but they are helping to point us to Christmas and the sweet celebration of the Christ Child's birth. Read more at Veils and Vocations .

KIC 8462852, Tabby's Star, has been in the news recently. Scientists are pretty sure that something very large orbits the star, but haven't worked out what it is. A few scientists, looking at the data, say that it's probably a really odd natural phenomenon: but that it might something built by folks who aren't human. SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, is still a science in search of a subject. But quite a few scientists are taking it seriously, which is why Berkeley SETI Research Center added few stars to the Automated Planet Finder's observing queue.... ...What I say about SETI and science in general may take some explaining, if you're new to this blog. Basically, I think God is large and in charge; and that part of my job is appreciating God's work — not telling the Almighty how it should have been made...." More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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'Uno, dos, tres' Andrew Sachs in 2004 7 April 1930 - 23 November 2016  [ Wikipedia ] The death of Andrew Sachs was announced today. He had been suffering from  dementia   for the last four years. He played Manuel, a Spanish waiter from Barcelona, in the twelve episodes of  Fawlty Towers , six made in 1975 and six in 1979. 'Manuel' is one of the funniest characters ever to appear on TV and, I would venture, in the whole of literature. He was put-upon by his employer, Basil Fawlty, but everyone was on his side. The  Uno, dos, tres  clip above is one of my favourites, as I have a smattering of Spanish. And, as an Irishman, I really enjoyed the episode below involving the 'Orally men', men working for a cheap, corner-cutting Irish builder named O'Reilly, doing some 'repairs' to Fawlty Towers, a small hotel located in Torquay in the south-west of England. I remember watching the first series of  Fawlty Towers  with my late Da

Today is the feast of St. Edmund Campion, Jesuit priest and English Elizabethan martyr. His story was told in 1935 by Evelyn Waugh, better known for his fiction, chief of which in my estimation is  Brideshead Revisited.   Waugh wrote in the Preface to  Saint Edmund Campion  that he was not attempting a scholar’s approach to his subject. All I have sought to do is to select incidents which strike a novelist as important and to put them into a narrative which I hope may prove readable. The facts are not in dispute so I have left the text unencumbered by notes or bibliography. It should  be read as a simple, perfectly true story of heroism and holiness. I’m marking the saint’s feast by re-reading Waugh’s book about him. When we think of English Catholic martyrs nowadays, I think most thoughts turn to St. Thomas More – a man worth remembering, to be sure. Campion more than holds in own in such company. His apologia to the Queen’s Privy Council as he was undergoing persecution is pr

By Brother Henry Arruda OMI I was not just in the hospital but in the “Psychiatric Unit” of the hospital. This is what happened to me on Christmas Eve, 2003. I was granted a pass to go home either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  It wasn’t much of a choice but I chose the second option.  This meant staying in the Psychiatric Unit on Christmas Eve. While expecting “the blues”, depression, gloom, loneliness, self-pity because of this first Christmas Eve without parties, presents, decorations, “normal ?” people, lots of food, I was visited, instead, by a “Silent Night” full of peace, joy, contentment, hope.  I felt a “Spiritual” presence unparalleled by any other that I had had before. I was more than satisfied to bask in that contemplative mood, which, by comparison, beat any of my other moods. continue reading

Portiuncula After Pope Innocent III had approved the rule of life that St Francis had presented to him, the little band of Brothers set out for home. They rejoiced all the way back to Assisi with unalloyed joy, but Pope Innocent’s hopes for the new foundation were not unalloyed. One question still troubled him as it had already troubled Guido, the bishop of Assisi before him. For Francis had also asked permission to live in absolute poverty. How can anyone follow Christ in absolute poverty, owning nothing whatsoever, either personally or in common? And was it correct to say that this was the poverty as lived by Jesus himself and his followers? There is certainly evidence to suggest that the first disciples  pooled their resources and lived a life in common after the Resurrection, but no evidence to suggest that this became a universal norm in the early church, and that is a very long way from living without any personal possessions whatsoever. These are questions that have exercis

Why does it seem to be human nature that our first instinct is to complain? Take, for example, my husband’s gripe that the Swiss cheese I bought didn’t have enough holes in it. That’s right: he complained that it didn’t have enough nothing. continue

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What a joy it was to read Gary Zimak’s new book, Find a Real Friend in Jesus . I had the opportunity to hear Gary speak at this past summer’s Catholic Writers Guild conference in Chicago. IL. He spoke of his journey and his decision to give his life to Christ. He did not make that decision lightly; it came through much prayer and conversation with Jesus. You may wonder, “How do you have a conversation with Jesus?” Well, in Gary Zimak’s book, Find a Real Friend in Jesus , you learn just how easy it can be to see Jesus become your best friend through conversation! Gary Zimak tackles all of the potential obstacles that stand between you and your ability to develop a strong relationship with Jesus. He breaks down the walls and walks you through ten steps to building a better relationship with Jesus; a relationship better than the one you have today. Read more...

We are in the first week of Advent. Already! The word advent means “coming,” and during Advent we reflect on and prepare for the three comings of Christ: in history in Bethlehem, in mystery every day in the Eucharist and in others, and in majesty at the end of time. While engaged in the flurry and excitement of buying gifts, decorating the tree, and visiting Santa, Catholic families also focus on the real meaning of Christmas, namely, the celebration of the incarnation, God loving us to the extent of becoming a human being to save us. I've collected ways to live a meaningful Advent, in hopes of someday producing a book of family traditions. One or two might appeal to you . . . Click to continue

I wrote this article for Nameberry last year, and thought it might be helpful to post it here in case you know anyone expecting a baby in the next six weeks! I recently went back through the Nameberry archives to see what posts have been done about Christmas names and found articles listing names relating to Christmas movies (Ralphie, Zuzu) and TV specials (Linus, Virginia), seasonal foliage (Holly, Ivy), colors (Crimson, Scarlet), Elf on the Shelf names (Buddy, Nick), and, of course,  the major players  (Mary, Joseph, Emmanuel). What can be said about names relating to Christmas that hasn’t yet been said? I uncovered an untapped source of inspiration in what’s known as the  O Antiphons , the short verses recited, sung, or chanted before the part of Evening Prayer called the Magnificat in the Catholic Church in the week before Christmas Eve(December 17—23); a different one is sung on each of the seven nights. They’re called the O Antiphons because each one begins with the excl

Today’s Gospel:  Matthew 8, 5-11 In today’s Gospel reading, a Roman centurion comes to Jesus to beg the Lord to heal his sick servant. However, when Jesus responds that he will come and cure his servant, the centurion responds, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed.” Every day at the height of the every Mass, just before Communion, throughout the entire world, Catholics call to mind the words of this Gentile, a Roman soldier hated by the Jews: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” We are asking the Lord to heal not our servant, but our inmost being. Catholics repeat the words of this soldier from 2,000 years ago words to prepare us for an incredibly intimate Divine encounter.         continue reading

Islamic centers in California got hate mail recently. At least one of the letters was addressed "To the Children of Satan," and started with "You muslims [!] are a vile and filthy people...." 1 Details are new, but the attitude is all too familiar. Hating Muslims , Hindus , Jews , Catholics , or other 'outsiders' may be easier than coming to terms with personal issues. I don't know why those letters were sent. I also don't know why a Somali refugee drove into a crowd at Ohio State University and hurt some folks with a knife this morning. 2 He had been a student there, and now he's dead. I'm not happy about that, but I think he shouldn't have attacked those folks. I do not think we should deport all Somalis, lock up college students, or ban knives and automobiles. I'll talk about what I think would make sense, after explaining why I'm not upset about Americans who don't look and act exactly like me. More at A Cathol

Yesterday, we began the season of Advent, a time of preparation, repentance, waiting and joy. Sunday’s second reading from Romans 13:11-14 tells us to clothe ourselves in virtue: Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.   When we put on the armor of light, we embrace virtue to... Read more...