O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death. We pray this antiphon on December 21, the day of the shortest daylight hours of the year. LIGHT is a key theme of Advent as we wait for the Light … More Advent — Peace and Justice
If Advent is my favorite church season, then Gaudete Sunday (Third Sunday of Advent) is my favorite day. There is so much PINK and rejoicing. We continue to wait in stillness, yet our waiting is filled with JOY because, as the readings tell us, “the LORD is near.” We wait with Mary, her cousin Elizabeth, … More Advent — Waiting with Joy
Advent is a time of straightening our paths so that we may walk in the light. As with many of you, journeys and paths, and signs and wonders have been recurring themes on my spiritual journey. I often pray for guidance along my path, but I don’t always pay attention to the signs that God … More Advent — Making Paths Straight
Today is the beginning of Advent and the start of a new cycle of liturgical readings. In Year B, we will hear many texts from the Gospel of Mark. Today’s Gospel reminds us that during Advent and always we must stay awake. For the next four weeks, we will be anticipating the blessings of Christmas … More Advent — Stay Awake!
Maranatha is a two-word phrase in Aramaic (Maran’atha) that can be translated as “Our Lord is coming” or “Come, Lord.” In the church year, the final weeks before Christmas are celebrated with special prayers, called O Antiphons. They are prayed one each day at Mass and during Vespers in the Liturgy of the Hours. They … More Maranatha — Come, Lord
Advent is a time of straightening our paths so that we may walk in the light. As with many of you, journeys and paths, and signs and wonders have been recurring themes on my spiritual journey. I often pray for guidance along my path, but I don’t always pay attention to the signs that God … More Advent: A Time to Walk in the Light
On the First Sunday of Advent, we begin a new liturgical (church) year. For the next four weeks, we will be anticipating the blessings of Christmas and preparing our homes and hearts for the upcoming liturgical season of Christmastide. One of the Scripture readings on Sunday was taken from the prophet Isaiah: They shall beat … More Advent – A Season of Beginnings
In this second week of Advent, we continue to read from the prophet Isaiah: I will put in the wilderness, the cedar, the acacia, the myrtle, and the olive. I will set in the desert the cypress, the plane, and the pine so that all may know, and all may consider and understand that the … More Trees in the Wilderness
Advent emphasizes themes of BEING ALERT, WAITING, and HOPE. How hard we find it to wait – in slow-moving traffic, in lines at the bank or grocery store, for an anticipated check in the mail. Here’s what I have been pondering during this first week of Advent. We read in Luke’s Gospel: Be alert at … More Waiting with Hope
Although the season of Advent begins only tomorrow, I am already well into the season: I am listening to my favorite album, Adviento by Jaime Cortez. The last selection of the album is especially appropriate to the Advent theme of LIGHT: “Luz del Mundo”. The composer sings it in both Spanish and English. I have … More Light in Our Darkness
Photography and Writing as Spiritual Practices
Photography and Writing as Spiritual Practices
Photography and Writing as Spiritual Practices
The intersection of faith and life.
