Tag: Advent

"All the leaves are brown. And the sky is gray." As we lean into another Advent, that opening line of "California Dreamin'" plays in my...

The 500-plus-year-old German Advent hymn, "Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming," is not one I grew up singing in church. I had never even...

The image of John the Baptist in today's Gospel stands in stark contrast to the secular holiday images that bombard us from every side...

Sunday Scripture readings, Nov. 27, 2022: First Sunday of Advent 1) Is 2:1-5  Psalm 122:1-9 2) Rom 13:11-14  Gospel: Mt 24:37-44 The church invites us into a...

I love the hymns that accompany us through the Advent season. A term I sometimes hear used for them is "haunting." Some are played in...

Houses and light. Preparation and transformation. Peace and salvation. Words and images that populate the readings for the first Sunday of Advent -- words and...

Sunday Scripture readings, Dec. 19, 2021: Fourth Sunday of Advent 1) Mi 5:1-4 Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19 2) Heb 10:5-10 Gospel: Lk 1:39-45 God can restore our...

VATICAN CITY -- With Christmas just over a week away, Christians should prepare for Jesus' birth by serving those in need rather than focusing...

When I reflect on Mary, mother of God, often my admiration and gratitude for her life of fidelity, faith and wisdom cannot be expressed...

Something about Advent, and the Christmas season that succeeds it (or, in the secular sphere, envelops it), draws the eye to beauty. We gently unwrap...