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…
When one hears the words All Saints, images of painted plaster statues placed on pedestals or icons of beautiful representations in gold may come to mind. We can be distracted by ideas of perfect virtue or supernatural holiness. It is…
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…