“'I am the Lord’s servant,' Mary answered. 'May your word to me be fulfilled.' ... and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: '... Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!'” (Luke 1:38.41-44). I once heard a call…
Christmas arrives in less than a week. In homes where we've been intense pain, our childlike hearts look forward to shared joys and enchanting moments we will remember in coming years. We also prepare to exchange gifts with those we love. For some, the sorrows of loss and suffering darken…
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light" (1 Peter 2:9). Who doesn't love the scents of this season? From balsam fir to peppermint, I…
Ever contemplate the gifts of Christ when you admire a creche? Nativity scenes often imply three wise men visited the newborn Savior on the first Christmas. Scholars believe the visit might have occurred a bit later than the night of Jesus' birth and no specific number of magi are mentioned in…
As children, we fidgeted through the advent season. Those ribbon-locked packages peeked from under our Christmas trees as if teasing us. Some of us, not to be named, might have failed this test of patience and suffered the consequences. Christmas tests our patience in more serious ways as we mature. The…