Over the last few weeks, I have been privileged to attend the funerals of several people who were faithful to their baptismal promises. Their baptisms were meaningful in defining who they became and how they lived. I had a personal…
This story begins by ancient wise ones appreciating a stellar anomaly. A bright star shining in the sky and a decision to follow a prophecy’s truth, the sign of wonder. How does one follow a star? By keeping one’s focus…
For the secular world, New Year’s Day is full of resolutions: we will eat less, drink less, exercise more, be more generous, less greedy, better in every way. But for Christians, it’s also about blessings. The scripture readings for the…
Churches and Cathedrals in Canada and around the world are beginning the celebration of the Jubilee Year whose theme is “Pilgrims of Hope.” Mary and Joseph carrying the Christ-child within are the first Pilgrims of Hope we encounter in the…
We sing of a silent night when Christ, our Saviour is born to be present with us. The silence of donkey hooves, plodding through the darkness. The silence of Joseph and Mary –a quiet couple, trusting each other to get to…
Far too many of us live in regions flooded by so many lights that we experience light pollution. This experience of light was not part of my life when I was growing up in rural Newfoundland. Back then, we knew…
Today, December 12, gives us an opportunity to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patron Saint of the Americas, and improve the relationships between each of us and other peoples on this continent. Today we also observe the…
The news has been full of stories of people who started decorating their homes for Christmas the week after Halloween. Suddenly, on balmy autumn days, we were seeing Christmas lights strewn over the neighbours’ shrubbery and inflated Rudolphs and Santas…
The feast of Christ the King, instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925, is of great spiritual significance because it is on this day that we recognize, proclaim and celebrate the sovereignty of Jesus Christ over the entire universe. Is…
A popular Catholic tradition involves designating each of the four weeks of Advent with a particular theme: love, hope, joy, peace. As we light the candles on the Advent wreath or pray together each day, these themes can help to…
For those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere, the leaves have fallen and begun their decay. There is little left in our gardens but the most tenacious blooms and produce. The longer nights have begun to impinge on daylight…
The Beatitudes are a familiar Gospel passage (Matthew 5:3-12) and a teaching of Jesus that still resonates with many people today. In The Beatitudes: Eight Steps to Inner Peace and Happiness, author Eugene Aucoin guides us with kindness and compassion…
How often do you think about food? I never before reflected on this question but I realize that I think about food every day. I am not a professional chef or a foodie. I am no longer responsible for feeding…
I like to think of Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) as a diamond, many faceted and beautiful. It is said that when she was a young girl, both she and her brother ran away to become martyrs in the conflict with…
A few days ago, I had a very interesting discussion with an elderly man, a hospital patient who was deeply saddened at being bedridden for many weeks. To cheer him up, I asked him what might be some positive things…
For this reflection, I could go into the theology of angels and how they fit into Catholic doctrine. Instead, I want to suggest that we reflect on the security and comfort that this heavenly gift gives to each of us. I was…
With so much discussion about the role of women in the Church, especially in today’s synodal considerations, how could Mary be missing? Mary listened to the Holy Spirit and pondered the meaning of her incredibly significant role in that crucial…
This day is a wonderful opportunity to consider someone who could easily make the “short list” for nomination as a secular saint. He is not canonized by any particular religion. He is held in high esteem. He is recognized world-wide…
Educators and students are returning to a new school year. During the business of the start-up, let us find a time to pause and consider our own vocations to teach and learn. In Matthew 28:19, we are called to “make…
We pray that each one of us will hear and take to heart the cry of the Earth and of the victims of natural disasters and climactic change, and that all will undertake to personally care for the world in…
As the days get shorter and cooler, and as our regular routines take shape, we may have more time for diving into a book. Reading is much more than a leisure activity – it’s a way to make sense of…
Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing. You reign now in splendor with Jesus our King. I have spent time this summer pondering who Mary was and is. She was completely human, but with a significant difference from the rest of…
In the Catholic church, St. Maximilian is honoured as a confessor of the faith and a martyr of charity. He is most well known for offering to stand in the place of one of the men sentenced to starve to…
Imagine you are Peter, one of Jesus’s closest disciples along with John and James. Jesus leads the three of you to the top of a mountain, where you witness something extraordinary, an event unlike anything the world has ever seen.…
If you think back on growing up as a Catholic, you may discover many ways that St. Ignatius of Loyola has influenced your faith development. St. Ignatius left an indelible mark on the Catholic Church. This was a saint who took…
This post was scheduled to go live July 28, but due to an error in our system, its publishing was delayed. We apologize for the inconvenience and hope you can still enjoy this very thoughtful reflection! -Novalis staff If you…
In the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar, July 26 is the feast day of Saints Anne and Joachim, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. These saints are not biblical figures. Most of what is known about them comes from apocryphal…
This post is largely a photo and prose prayer based on photographs taken while preparing Northern Light (Novalis, 2020). Ponder each photograph to find how God is speaking to you as you consider these samples of the Canadian landscape. Last…
June 29 is a day of great significance for the Church as it celebrates the legacy of two pillars of Christian faith: St. Peter and St. Paul. Where would the world be today, I wonder, without the groundwork for the…
The first day of summer was the day chosen to be National Indigenous Peoples’ day and many have decided that June can be celebrated as Indigenous History month. Indigenous Peoples of Canada waited for a long time to be celebrated…
You didn’t have to embrace the politics of Joe Biden to feel his anguish over the very public trial of his son Hunter on charges he failed to disclose his own addictions when he applied for federal approval to buy…
On this day of celebration, we honour the Sacred Heart of Jesus. At the same time, this World Day of Prayer invites all to pray for the sanctification of priests. One website offers an invitation to participate in a world-wide…
One of the traditional features of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi is a liturgical procession. Processions were a significant feature of the 19th century church as shown here in this painting of a Rogation Day procession through the wheat fields…
Whether you’re on an exotic vacation or sitting in the park, nothing beats a good summer read. When you don’t have space for bulky reading material in your suitcase or backpack, ebooks are just the thing. Since you can read…
Jesuit Father Jacques Monet was one of the kindest and wisest people I’ve come across in all my years of working in publishing. He died last week in the Jesuit infirmary of René Goupil House in Pickering, Ontario, having reached…
This line from Psalm 104 on Pentecost Sunday reminds us that the power of the Holy Spirit brings about renewal. All of creation is imbued with recreative power. We see it everywhere, surrounding us. I go to bed at night and my garden…
For those who do not know, I am the proud father of my adopted children. Years ago, each of their birth mothers faced a harrowing choice. They were surrounded by messages and pressures that provided a path to terminating their…
This day is filled with opportunities for celebration. It might seem tempting to focus on only one. If we quietly allow ourselves to ponder, we might gain a wider perspective that allows us to include all three: Mother’s Day, the…
The contributions of legions of contributors to the history of Canada have long been acknowledged: explorers, fur traders, loggers, farmers, capitalists and politicians have all had their lives and exploits detailed in countless stories. Even indigenous Canadians are beginning to…
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Do you remember being asked this question as a child? Unlike many of my peers, my response was “I want to be a Sister.” I also wanted to be a teacher from the…
We all know a lot of Gospel stories – but how much do we know about each Gospel writer and their approach to telling the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus? How can we immerse ourselves through…
Unannounced, an angel appears, bearing a special message. In everyday language it would be something like this: “Mary, there is something special for you to do. God hopes you will say yes. God knows you are ready for it.” There…
The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once said “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” Whether this is the case at all times or not, it is…
The event that dominates the world’s history surely has to be the day that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. The significance of the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is mind-boggling. The fact that the eternal Word of…
A significant part of our worship on Good Friday is the veneration of the cross. The cross is solemnly processed through the congregation, then we are invited to express our devotion to it. The cross may be the most recognizable…
It was a most memorable Holy Thursday celebration. About forty of us – students, faculty and visitors – had gathered in the campus chapel to begin the annual journey through the Easter Triduum. The liturgical features and the rituals of…
Passion Sunday is particularly meaningful this year. As we listen to the passion narrative from the Gospel of Mark proclaimed in our churches we can imagine the streets of Holy Land, the crowds, the violence and the despair. Here we…
Adapted from There Must be a Pony in Here Somewhere: Everyday Stories of God’s Goodness by Michael and Christine Way Skinner (Novalis, 2020) I am proud that I was made a Dad through adoption. One night, when my son Patrick…
One of the most enduring images brought to mind by Lent is that of Jesus in the desert. The Lord goes into the desert, endures his 40 days of temptation and is brought out again, ready to begin his mission…
Back on the 1st Sunday of Lent we read Mark’s Gospel account of the temptation in the desert where Jesus begun his 40 days in the desert among the wild beasts, being tempted by Satan, and tended to by angels.…
Today we observe the annual World Day of Prayer. It is “an invitation for Christians to pause and pray together ecumenically and recalls our Christian responsibility to be sensitive to the signs of the times so that we might bring…
Marking the beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday caught many of us by surprise. It arrived so early this year! Here we are, already celebrating the 2nd Sunday of Lent. Amidst the busyness of life, we might be catching up, only…
This day is significant to the faithful around the world. It marks a time to turn around, to live our lives to the fullest and to be everything that we can be as children of God. There is beauty in…
On this World Day of Prayer for the Sick we have a special occasion to express solidarity with those who suffer from illnesses by praying for them. This observance was instituted by St. John Paul II on this day back…
February 8 marks the memorial of St. Josephine Bakhita. This is also the annual day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking. When we hear St. Josephine Bakhita’s story, we realize that this is not a coincidence. As a young…
We’ve been hearing a lot about synodality over the last couple of years, since Pope Francis announced the Synod on Synodality, a three-year worldwide process of discernment by lay people and ordained alike on how to move forward together as…
When you enter the Church of Santa Maria del Puopolo in Rome, you walk down the central aisle toward the ornate altar. We glance to the left to see a chapel which is dominated by three large masterpieces painted around…
Today’s feast day is special for all writers and journalists. While some persons do earn their living in these particular professions, we are all writers. Even those who limit their written communications to text messages and emojis are writers. All…
No other book in history has been so influential in our culture and history than the Bible. Nor more misunderstood, misused, exploited, or simply ignored. The Bible is more than a list of rules or a magical story. It is…
“The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated around the world on January 18-25, which are also dates recommended by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. However, there has also been a long-standing practice by a number of communities…
Most of us cradle Catholics do not remember our baptism. Taken to the church in a white garment, we were sprinkled with water from the font and blessed with the oils of salvation. We grew up knowing who our godparents were,…
If you ever need evidence that many of us are not listening all that closely to the Sunday readings, watch the faces of the assembly on the feast of the Epiphany (though you’ll have to be an altar server, lector…
Another year has ended, and a new year begins… What will it bring? In a world where discord, intolerance and war are all too common, I find myself longing for peace like never before. According to the Global Citizen website,…
It’s strange that our over-regulated society does next to nothing to prepare young people for parenthood. We license driving an automobile, and insist on passing stringent exams for any number of professions, such as law, medicine and engineering. Yet there…
I hope your Christmas was complete with some of the good things this beautiful season has to offer. In whatever way Christmas came to you this year, I hope you were reminded of the best we are, the best we…
On Christmas morning light glimmers through the stable door: the light of hope, the light of peace and the light of love. These shards of light glimmer around us today. A glimmer is like a positive trigger. Whereas a trigger…
In this season of Advent, when we wait in joyful hope, we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She shines here as she does throughout history bringing mercy and hope to all. The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe…
As we enter the liturgical season of Advent on December 3, we prepare to commemorate a miracle, a major turning point in the history of the world. We joyfully prepare our hearts to celebrate the day the Son of God,…
Many adventures start with a dream or desire: we may find ourselves seeking a new or deeper life experience. Next comes a road map or outline to help us get from here to there. The time when we are immersed…
Remembrance Day started out as a means to remember all those who died in World War I. It was to be the war to end all wars. Why did it not work? There are 32 armed conflicts going on at…
Adsumus Sancte Spiritus. We stand before You, Holy Spirit! October has been an unprecedented month for the Catholic church. Delegates from around the world have been called together by the Holy Father in synod – from the Greek syn (together)…
My father died recently. He was 94, of sound mind, and had what is euphemistically known as “a good death”: in his sleep, in his own home, with family members there. One of the most touching moments in our family’s…
The Our Father is one of the world’s best-known prayers, recited daily by millions of Christians around the world. For Catholics, it holds a special place in our Eucharistic liturgy, spoken by the entire congregation with reverence. But how many…
What the world needs now is deep compassion. Religious faith is too often used to condemn, harm and judge others. In the name of faith, families exclude and cause great harm to members who identify as sexually or gender non-conforming.…
October 15 was World Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. In honour of lives lost, as well as to offer hope and encouragement to those whose lives were touched by such losses, our Novalis Managing Editor Anne Louise Mahoney offered…
Most of us have been touched by miscarriage or infant loss – either personally or through someone we know. This all-too-common loss (around 1 in 5 pregnancies ends in miscarriage) is often unseen and unmourned by the Catholic community. Perhaps…
In Mary Jo Leddy’s book Radical Gratitude, she introduces the following phrase for reflection: “It would be enough if….” This is a wonderful way to fall into a spirit of gratitude. It would be enough if I owned a house…
St. Francis of Assisi is one of my favorite saints. The example of his very simple, humble and generous life leads us straight back to what is essential in the Gospel: to trust in God’s providence, praise him for his…
This past July I was fortunate to travel to Darien, Illinois to participate in a Congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph collaborative event. My friend and I travelled in a climate-controlled vehicle, with a connected GPS and lots of good…
Today, we celebrate the feast day of the man affectionately known as Padre Pio. We ponder the gifts, graces and lessons his life might offer. Well known for carrying the stigmata – bearing visible wounds similar to the excruciatingly painful…
When you enter into a church off the Piazza Navona in Rome called San Luigi dei Francesi, a series of chapels culminate with the Contarelli Chapel which holds three huge depictions of key moments in Matthew’s life: the calling, the…
The start of a school year is filled with a variety of emotions and tasks. When I was teaching, I had feelings of hope and apprehension. What will be the character of my classrooms? What exactly will I be teaching?…
In 2015, Pope Francis announced that the Roman Catholic Church would join with the Orthodox Churches in recognizing September 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. Since that time, there has been broad ecumenical observance…
What is a Doctor of the Church, really? And how does someone become one? For St. Augustine of Hippo, whose feast we celebrate August 28, his elevation to one of the highest honours bestowed by the Catholic Church was anything…
Happy new year! I’ve been out of school for a long time, but September still feels like the start of a new year for me. It’s a good time to reflect on where I want to spend my time, what…
“But human beings did not invent God the way an inventor creates something new. Most religions will tell you that God came first. God is the creator of the universe.” God, Yahweh, Allah, p. 12 Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis…
On the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we celebrate God’s fidelity and tenderness for her and for us. In his tenderness, after he gave us his Son, he “assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of…
This moment in Jesus’ life is described in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 17: 1-8; Mark 9: 2-8; and Luke 9:28-36) and in 2 Peter 1:16-18. Three of Jesus’ disciples accompany him up a mountain to experience an extraordinary event. Jesus…
It is interesting that when most Christians think of Martha, the passage of Luke comes to mind where Martha is “distracted by many things” while Jesus is a guest in the house. This reference in the Gospel of Luke gives…
The relationship between a grandchild and a grandparent can be locus of the most profound experiences of love and joy. The other day, I returned home from a month-long trip. My daughter Beth and 15-month-old grand-daughter Aliyah picked me up…
I know quite a few people who have walked the hundreds of kilometres along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (The Way of St. James) in Spain – either all at once or over a few years. Their reasons for…
I am fortunate to be in Rome studying this summer with a group of students from Regis College and St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto. And I am supremely fortunate to have been here on June 29, the feast of…
I suspect that almost everyone knows who Sts. Peter and Paul were. These leaders of the early Church are known from Scripture, especially from the Acts of the Apostles and from Paul’s letters. Both were Jewish before they became Christian.…
How important is a land acknowledgement? It may seem like a trite and pointless exercise, a trivial response to the injustices of colonialism. However, imagine a new generation of Canadians who understand the history of this land from the perspective…
Ah, summertime… Time to kick back and relax, spend time with friends and family outdoors, take a break from the usual routine, and of course catch up on your reading! Here are a few great reads from Novalis for the…
On a Tuesday night at St. Ignatius Parish 14 young people stand ready to be anointed with oil. They have come from many different situations and different schools. Some of them are new Canadians. We often talk of how discouraged…
Today is World Communications Day, which we mark every May, on the feast of the Ascension. This is appropriate: in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus sends out the eleven disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations” –…
Dear Church, On this Mother’s Day, I am writing this letter on behalf of all mothers, explaining what we need from our Christian community. The first thing I would like to say is that motherhood is a complex reality. In…
We adopted our first child when she was 11 days old. We were told by the social worker that her birth mother loved her dearly but could not offer the life she hoped for the child. Hearing this, we…
One of our Catholic Social Teachings is the dignity of work. People ought to be able to use their skills and knowledge to accomplish a purpose and to have self-worth and self-esteem. The work may not be perfect in the…
The church is called by the Lord to serve the world so that the Gospel can be proclaimed “to the end of the earth.” Throughout history, as the world changed, the Church has been challenged to find new ways to…
Last week, the city of Ottawa was ravaged by another ice storm. The huge pine tree in my backyard lost many heavy limbs and the yard was full of the pine needles, twigs and branches. We are lucky that the…
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! After the 40 days of Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving, after the three intense days of the Triduum, here we are at the empty tomb, rejoicing! Today’s gospel is action packed. Mary Magdalene…
The Good Friday service, with its sombre hymns, silence, bare altar and empty tabernacle, is one of most moving liturgies of the year. There’s something about knowing that around the world at this particular moment on a Friday afternoon, as…
Can you imagine the tension building during that last Passover that Jesus celebrated with his friends in that upper room? The rejoicing of the crowds welcoming Jesus on that Palm Sunday may have quieted some of the threat, but the…
The news these days can be overwhelming: as stories of violence, polarization, war, a refugee crisis and a suffering planet wash over us, we may wonder if faith is even still relevant in today’s world. Faith as Protest: Answering the…
Speaker: Christine Way Skinner, author of many Novalis books, including Sacred Journey 2022, Catholic Kids Library series, The Joy of Keeping the Faith and co-author of There Must be a Pony in Here Somewhere. To register, click here.
Are you one of those people who never takes down your Christmas lights? Or maybe you’re the neighbour scowling at one of those people? Exactly nine months before the birth of Jesus, we celebrate his conception. Today’s solemnity of the…
I often think of St. Joseph as the patron saint of shy men. In the little we read of him in the Gospels, he says nothing, but when called upon by an angel messenger from God, he does his duty:…
What do you know about St. Patrick? That his favourite colour was green? That he banished all the snakes in Ireland? That he was Catholic? So little is known fact about St. Patrick because he lived sometime between 389 and…
I admire those of you who keep steady and committed Lenten observance.I feel like my work in music ministry keeps me mindful, but if I wasn’t singing, I might get distracted and fall off the journey. I have no problem…
Each month, the Pope sets before the People of God a special intention for the worldwide Church to bring to prayer. This month he asks that we pray for victims of abuse: We pray for those who have suffered harm…
Life has taught me that people talk about each other. At its worst, this is manifested in gossip that is more rooted in rumour than fact. At its best, it is expressed in the words of admiration and inspiration that…
It’s a mark on the forehead that means so much. A gym full of children listen to the readings, sing hymns and receive their ashes. They are a bit silly, asking each other about what the cross looks like on…
It’s hard not to see all the things that are going wrong in the world. Many areas are suffering from the effects of climate change. The war in Ukraine heartbreakingly grinds on. Closer to home, fellow citizens can’t find common…
When you are sick or feeling like you are coming down with something nasty, what do you want? Most people will answer that they want their mothers, even if they are adult. Today is the Marian Memorial of Our Lady…
Today, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, is my favourite feast day! When I mention it, people usually ask why and I never have an answer. I thought I’d ponder that here today as an…
A great light from heaven shone about him and a voice spoke, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” This how Saul, a persecutor of Christians became Paul, arguably one of the most influential saints in the history of Christianity.…
Many of us go through life with regrets and worries. Some of these are unavoidable and even unsought as we live our daily lives on this planet. Yet, both can put pressure on our moments, and many times rob us…
The New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship by Peter E. Fink, SJ states that God’s word is more than“mere external utterance or intellectual discourse. It is the self-communication of God to creation.”This is where we encounter God. The logos — Jesus…
On Wednesday, January 18, 2023 at 2pm EST, Living with Christ will host a webinar entitled “Reading Scripture With Our Hearts” in this year’s Living with Christ webinar series “Seek Me with All Your Heart (Jeremian 29.13).” The presenter will…
It was an ordinary Sunday until the Mass ended and a parishioner went up to the ambo to speak. He shared the story of a man who had been severely injured by a falling tree and who had gone to…
The passage from the old year to a new is a time for reflection. One thinks about the losses, griefs, and disappointments suffered as well as the achievements, blessings, and successes enjoyed! Life is something of a mixed bag and…
One of my favourite Christmas images is of the Holy Family huddled together. Looming large in the forefront is a Christmas card bearing images of gifts, bells, candles, etc. The painting is by an Argentinian artist and I am not…
Three days ago, we were filled with joy at the birth of the Christ child. Today, we mark the deaths of innocent children at the hands of Herod, pawns in a political game. Two thousand years later, how much has…
I have childhood memories of sitting in the silence of Christmas morning. Of course, there was great excitement about presents and company coming. Deep within, there was the contemplation of something holy and important. It is in this silence that…
December 12th is the Feast Our Lady of Guadalupe (Patron of the Americas). In December of 1531, on a site revered by Aztecs as a shrine to the goddess Tonantzin, the Blessed Virgin appeared to an indigenous man, Juan Diego.…
Dear Adults, Kids love me because I love them first. Ever since I was a kid myself, I’ve done what I could for the vulnerable – all those folks who can’t stand tall enough to reach the table and help…