A post appeared on my Facebook newsfeed the other day asserting Starbucks’ newest coffee cup attacks Christianity and its celebration of Christmas. I disregarded the post at first and assumed it was from the satirical news site, The Onion. To my dismay, however,…
Advent hastens on, and we can hear the intensity of the anticipation for a coming saviour in the readings. But listen again, and hear that, just as Israel was being saved from itself, we are being saved from ourselves. What…
I am often amused by the way we Christians celebrate Advent. We speak of the season as a time of reflection and preparation. Our liturgies are marked with hymns and prayers calling us to be ready for the coming of God…
Once again we come to that time of the year when we hear some people lament the early appearance of Christmas decorations in stores and holiday commercials on TV. More often than not the objections are either that the season…
Daylight comes late and ends early in November. The cooling temperatures and shorter days are harbingers of the looming winter, but also of the spiritual season of Advent. This pre-Christmas period is a time of preparation, of “making straight” the…
Asked to name some of the hallmarks of the Advent season, most of us would have no problem mentioning the Advent wreath, or the use of rose and violet vestments. Perhaps less well-known—but equally beautiful—are the O Antiphons, the evening…
The liturgical colour in some churches will change to rose from violet this weekend. It is Gaudete Sunday—Rejoice Sunday. Knowing what is going on with these colours can help us to understand what is going on in Advent. Before we…
According to St. John of the Cross, God speaks in silence. The challenge for us is to learn how to speak his language. “It is best to learn to silence the faculties and cause them to be still, so that…