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This article is the first of two parts from Bishop Robert Barron.
Advent is the liturgical season of vigilance or, to put it more mundanely, of waiting. During the four weeks prior to Christmas, we light the candles of our Advent wreaths and put ourselves in the spiritual space of the Israelite people who, through many long centuries, waited for the coming of the Messiah (“How long, O Lord?”).
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In an August 2015 column in The Washington Post, George F. Will argued in favor of physician-assisted suicide, summing up his perspective this way: “There is nobility in . . . affirming at the end the distinctive human dignity of autonomous choice.”
His conclusion, however, raises several important questions: Shouldn’t death-dealing actions directed against ourselves be seen as a deep repudiation of our autonomy, insofar as suicide eliminates our personal freedom once and for all?
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| Susanna Herro |
Why would you take a day to learn about life issues and stand in Chicago’s Federal Plaza listening to speakers like Pat McCaskey, co-owner of the Chicago Bears? What can he tell you about valuing life? Do you feel you have heard the pro-life message and not much more can be said?
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The word Advent comes from the Latin Adventus which means coming.
From the first Sunday of Advent to December 17, we focus upon the second coming of Jesus so that when he comes in glory, he will find us ready to meet him.
From December 17 to Christmas Eve, we prepare to celebrate Christ’s coming at Christmas. We also prepare for the comings of Christ in daily life.
“I don’t like waiting.”
The whining voice I heard came from my young daughter, complaining about having to wait for her next birthday.
“It’s too far away,” she said. “I’ll be old and wrinkly by then.”
I laughed out loud, but truly, that plaintive voice is one that echoes inside each of us, whether we are children or adults, teenagers or grandparents.
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Word on Fire
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In December, the Church celebrates a mysterious and miraculous event of such importance to God’s plan for our salvation in Christ that it happened in a manner that went virtually undetected.
This event is the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Not to be confused with another mysterious and miraculous event, the virgin birth of the Lord Jesus, the Immaculate Conception is about how God acted in an extraordinary way in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, so that from even the first moment of her own conception, she was rescued from the power of original sin.
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I write these words as the annual November meeting of the United States bishops comes to a close. We bishops discussed many significant matters — from racism and immigration to the liturgy for the baptism of children.
But I would like to emphasize one theme in particular that came up frequently in our conversations, namely, the catechesis of our young people. I have a rather intense personal interest in the topic since, at the conclusion of this gathering, I officially became chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis.
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John Joy |
You might run into the term “practicing Catholic” in various contexts: if you teach in a Catholic school, for example, or if you serve as a catechist in your parish, or as a Confirmation sponsor or a godparent, you are supposed to be a “practicing Catholic”. But what does that mean exactly?
According to the Wisconsin Catholic Conference’s Standards for Educators in Catholic Schools and Parishes, it means: “a Catholic in good standing who participates fully in the worship and life of the Church, and who understands and accepts the teachings of the Church and moral demands of the Gospel, as articulated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.”
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Word on Fire
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This month, the Church remembers the dedication of the great basilica church of St. John Lateran in Rome. The Lateran Basilica is the cathedral church of the Holy Father as he is bishop of Rome. The magnificent building stands on land that was given to the bishops of Rome by the Emperor Constantine.
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Thanksgiving’s roots go back to the Pilgrims. After a long hard year during which more than half died from scurvy or exposure to the elements, survivors held a feast of thanksgiving during which they shared their blessings with Indian friends.
The Pilgrims thanked God that enough of them survived to start a new life for themselves and their descendants. As the colonies grew more prosperous, however, people tended to forget about Thanksgiving. Consequently, Thanksgiving was celebrated sporadically, if at all.
