Theologian Jack Shea once told this story that he calls Sharon’s Christmas Prayer.  “She was five, sure of the facts, and recited them with slow solemnity convinced that every word was revelation.  She said they were poor—so poor they had only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to eat and they went a long way from […]

The story of the first Christmas inspires other and varied stories of giving—including your own.  That is because God so loved the world that He gave us His only son.  As the Magi opened their coffers to present magnificent gifts illustrating royalty (gold), divinity (frankincense), and mortality (myrrh), they rouse us to examine our own […]

The story of Jesus’ birth is told from two perspectives in the Bible.  Matthew’s Gospel tells the narrative from Joseph’s view, while Luke’s account offers it from Mary’s.  One traces Christ’s genealogy to Abraham, the father of faith, while the other traces it to Adam and his father, the Creator of all.  One genealogy is […]

With a twist of the tongue, “Saint Nickolas” became “sane-nee-clus” and eventually “Santa Claus.”  Our American version of the great gift-bearer is based on the life of Good Saint Nick, a fourth century bishop from Asia Minor (Myra, located in modern-day Turkey).  As it is with many early Christian saints—strong Christopher who helped sojourners cross […]

The young maiden of Nazareth was chosen from among all women to be the bearer of Christ for our world.  Mary’s fiat, her ‘yes’ in response to the Angel of the Lord, her surrender to the will of God, sets a tone for each of us in this season of Advent and throughout life. The […]

Elizabeth Barrett Browning once wrote: “The earth is crammed with heaven and every bush is on fire with God.  But only those who see this take off their shoes; the rest of us sit around and pluck blackberries.”  As we savor a time of gratitude this weekend, we begin the Advent journey of faith anew.  […]

There were very few disciples closer to Jesus than His apostles.  The bishops are successors to those apostles, and they hold a great privilege in carrying out Christ’s mission.  As is usually the case with such distinguished honor, it comes with tremendous responsibility.  This past week, at the annual United States Conference of Catholic Bishops […]

I recently attended a church function in which speakers made several references to the “church militant.”  A term used rarely these days, it made me think of Django and Djesus.  Django Unchained is a critically acclaimed blockbuster movie of the past decade.  The brutal and violent story is about an 1850s slave who becomes a […]

I can’t recall a November in Kansas City like this one in which leaves hold on to tree branches for so long, displaying such a magnificent array of autumn colors for us to behold well into the heart of the eleventh month.  Like embers burning slowly in a fireplace, they seem resistant to dying out, […]

Many Catholics seem eager to condemn President Biden because of his political stance on abortion and want Pope Francis to ban him from receiving Holy Communion according to Canon Law, Code 915.  It states: “Those who are excommunicated or…who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.”  Since this […]