Christmas is celebrated because of one woman’s unconditional yes to God. There is so much beauty in Mary’s fiat, in her desire to gift us the birth of her son. Yet, how often is my own yes to God attached to the
The following is the official English translation of Pope Francis’ ‘Urbi et Orbi’ (to the city and the world) message, given at the Vatican on Dec. 25. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Happy Christmas! To you, the faithful of Rome, to you, the
I was lingering in a church after a funeral Mass one recent Saturday afternoon. An older woman, a generous volunteer, I suspect, was clearly stressed. At some point while she was ironing linens on the altar, a man came attending to odd
Deploring the commercialization, secularization, and general thinning-out of the spiritual meaning of Christmas is part of the stock-in-trade of commentators on things religious, of whom your humble servant is one. Nor should we fail to mention those annual church-state battles in the
Every year, Our Sunday Visitor asks our readers to send in their favorite Christmas memories, as well as their original Christmas poems. Without fail, these offerings transport our editorial staff back through time and across space as we receive accounts of Christmases
As we celebrate Christmas this year, perhaps the world can draw some hope from the goings-on in Bethlehem. We’re not talking about the nativity of Our Lord that took place in that holy city 2,000 years ago. We’re talking about what is
I have treasured it for a long time. Many years ago, I found in a small shop in Nashville, Tennessee, a Nativity set from France. I bought it, and it has been a beloved part of Advent and Christmas for me since
I still can wake up at 2:30 a.m. in mid-July with “Joy to the World” whispering to me, and not the “Three Dog Night” song. Back in the day, the nuns drilled us on Christmas carols like they drilled us on
Question: When I entered the Church a few years ago, I was disappointed in the rather dour look of my parish during the holidays: no flowers, lights or cheerful music. Instead there are dark themes of judgment, purple everywhere and none of
Ten years ago this December, when I was a writer and photographer for the Arlington Catholic Herald in northern Virginia, I got to tell the story of a very special Santa Claus. For four decades, Santa visited the Merrifield Garden Center just