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
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
The story of theBirth is read, theBabe placed in theManger.Smiling on theMother-girl, who gaveHim to a fallen world,I ask if I might hold herSon, her littleOne, theSavior. She gives a graciousYes. It's ChristmasEve. Cradle His head and place His body on your Breast. He is a Perfect littleLamb, atRest in theCrook Of my own arm. … Continue reading Conversion at the Crèche: A Poem for the Unfinished Soul
One of the songs that rocked my world, changed my thinking and opened my heart is Jackson Browne's "The Rebel Jesus." But the first thing it did was upset me. Decades ago, driving in the dark with the radio on, I was drawn in by the tune's driving rhythm and lilting violin. I delighted in … Continue reading Add a Splash of Sobriety to Your Christmas Playlist with These Six Songs
At the end of the Christmas season as we celebrate the Visit of the Magi to the Christ Child born in Bethlehem, we often hear the saying, "Wise men still seek Him." Outside the church walls, skepticism purports to be the only true wisdom and has the sheen of cool to boot. Still, believers of … Continue reading Reasons to Believe from The Mystery of the Magi
It's not that I've never wielded a weapon in the culture war. I have. The stakes are high in our divisive times, critical issues constantly confront us and each of us must join the conversation when the moment calls for it. Yet I'm tiring of the way so many of us are going about it. … Continue reading Making Peace with the War on Christmas
The sparkling Christmas season ends and we gently pack away the creche. The ritual becomes more tender every year. It is a moment to contemplate each witness to the Nativity, to ponder the soul of each shepherd, each of the three Magi, of the silent Saint Joseph and Holy Mary. Then, the Babe. Who are … Continue reading The Creche, the Font and a Happy New Year
