Whether we pray it or not, our lives can be like the mysteries of the rosary—joyful with glimpses of sorrow or sorrowful with hints of joy. Much of that depends on our own spiritual health and that of our families. For example, when families lose a loved one during the Christmas holidays, the sorrow would […]

What’s the first Christmas gift you remember receiving? Whatever it was, it was probably what you always wanted—and it was also probably from mom and/or dad. Somehow they always knew your heart’s desire. Now, do you remember the first Christmas gift you ever gave mom or dad? I do. It was an egg cooker for […]

A famous quote from William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night applies to the stars of each of our three readings for this third Sunday of Advent: “Be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great. Some achieve greatness. And others have greatness thrust upon them.” The books of Shakespeare and the Bible define greatness differently. In Shakespeare […]

As we prepare for the Christmas season, it might be useful to contemplate how we resemble our kids. Childhood is when we master situational righteousness. Think of the little child waiting in the department store line summoning up the guts to tell Santa how good he’s been all year and why he deserves the old […]