Advent's simple candles and starry nights temper December's brisk pace. If we let them, they restore us to better rhythms of prayer. The melancholy yet hopeful tones of traditional Advent hymns, especially "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" have prepared hearts for Christmas for centuries and they never fail to help my weary heart find that … Continue reading “Joy to the World” – Not a Carol, but a Psalm?
When I speak to pretty much anyone these days, we share a litany of worries: rising prices, Covid variants, the nation’s angry political divide, “wars and rumors of wars.” “But there’s not much we can do about it,” a friend remarked the other day. “Just keep putting one foot in front of the other.” Truly … Continue reading How to Offer Hope in Advent’s Exile
The traumatic loss of her mother when she was four deeply wounded the youngest daughter of French lacemaker Louis Martin. By the age of 13 Thérèse, all frills and curls, was a sensitive "tween" given to tearful outbursts. Pampered by her older sisters and doted on by a father her who called her his “little … Continue reading Descending Ego’s Stairs: St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s Christmas Conversion
Her story fans the flames of hope. It’s a story of recognition that against all odds: God is on the move and priorities must be reordered. It takes place many generations after Abraham. Two Hebrew spies, sent by Joshua to scout out the promised land, secretly enter the walled city of Jericho. They hide out … Continue reading Hope on a Rope: Keeping Vigil with Rahab
He was Simon’s younger brother. He had introduced his tough, zealous brother to Jesus, and Jesus had renamed Simon Peter, Rock. But Andrew, Peter’s younger brother, wasn’t a big name among the disciples. He didn't go up the mountain with Peter, James and John. He was Christ’s humble friend. His heart was pure enough listen … Continue reading A Younger Brother, a Boy’s Lunch and Bread for the Life of the World
He was so old “his body was as good as dead.” Ages ago, or so it seemed to him and his barren wife, he’d left the land of the Chaldeans and led servants and livestock on a journey to a land God had promised to show him. “I will bless you,” God revealed to his … Continue reading The Old Man Whose Belief Became a Blessing for us All
Each dark December we center the old Advent wreath on the dining room table, pressing fresh candles into their holders and sprucing the base with evergreen. It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness, we’re reminded. Our hearts are heavy but their burden is light. The wreath’s first candle, all violet … Continue reading The Advent Wreath: A Crescendo of Hope
Two days before Christmas in 1949, Thomas Merton returned to his room in Kentucky's Abbey of Gethsemani and opened his mail. He had received a postcard bearing Fra Angelico's golden rendering of the Annunciation, the moment when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary with the invitation to bring God into the world through her own … Continue reading Contemplating Christmas Cards with Thomas Merton
Remember when email was fun? How simple it was to "shoot" a greeting to a friend, receive a pithy reply and close your inbox feeling content and connected? I now have three inboxes and I approach each of them with trepidation. Even my personal inbox is more like Pandora's box than a friendly greeting gatherer. … Continue reading End the Year on the Path to the Ever-Ancient, Ever-New Normal
While the world longs for 2020 to be over, a new year has already begun. Nature has sunk into hibernation; the bare trees speak in silence and early evening shadows darken our days. "Nature and mystery join and invite us to recognize our hopeful longing and the return of the sun and the birth of … Continue reading Advent Begins with a Flame
