CRISIS IN THE CHURCH The concluding section from an address given by Henri de Lubac, SJ, at the University of St. Louis on May, 29, 1969 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]"he second fundamental condition (for true renewal according to the intent of Vatican II) is the...
St. Bernard of Clairvaux says there are three comings: Advent prepares not just for the first coming of Christ to Israel, or even the second at the end of time. There is a third coming between these two in which Jesus comes in spirit...
Saint Joseph always appears in Manger scenes during Advent and Easter time and even has a special Solemnity or Feast in his honor, St. Joseph's Day, March 19. This essay makes a case that St. Joseph teaches us some crucial things about the nature...
Advent is a season of joy & hope. Paul says to rejoice in hope. But what is hope, anyway? How does this theological virtue differ from faith and what does it have to do with rejoicing?...
Advent reminds us to be vigilant and awake. We should be watchful, longing and yearning for the coming of Christ says St. Ephrem the Syrian....
This Advent reading on the two comings of Christ is an excerpt from Cyril of Jerusalem's famous catechetical instruction of adults getting ready for baptism around AD 360. Cyril contrasts Christ's first coming in humility with Jesus' second coming in glory....
The Second Vatican Council here teaches that peace is not just an absence of war but is a fruit of justice and love. It can never be established by law alone but depends on virtue that grows and is maintained by constant effort in...
Christmas is a joyous celebration of the birth of Peace. So why does the Church precede the feast of December 25 with a somber season of fast and penance? A meditation for the Second Sunday of Advent, cycle A. ...
Gaudete Sunday calls us to rejoice in hope. As John the Baptist found joy amidst suffering due to the Good News that the Christ had appeared, we too pause from our Advent penance to rejoice in a salvation that has drawn near and whose...
[dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]he Jesse Tree is a centuries-old family Advent devotion that has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity in recent years. It has particular value since it helps both kids and adults a like to locate Jesus, the Messiah, within the lineage...