We are blessed on Wolfe Island with a magnificent church — more like a cathedral, visitors often say. Dedicated to our Lady under the title of the Sacred Heart of Mary, it was built in 1916-1917, and dedicated in June 1918. I had begun thinking a few years back how to mark the centennial.
Some years ago, I would refer a particular fussbudget friend to a spoof self-help group called Over Thinkers Anonymous.
Unless you have been homeless, as Mary and Joseph were on that first Christmas, it is difficult to understand the deep peace a roof over your head can bring.
For much of the past two decades, Christmas celebrations in the birthplace of Christ have been muted. Recent Decembers, however, have seen Bethlehem start to become a more joyous place and the annual Christmas tree lighting last month in Manger Square was said to be the most festive in years.
The scene in the movie The Nativity Story where Mary jumps off the cart after returning from Elizabeth’s house always chokes me up.
On Christmas Eve during the Klondike gold rush, three young miners found an unexpected treasure more valuable than gold dust, and their chivalry is worth remembering 120 Christmases later.
There is something seriously laughable, but also laughably serious, about former Facebook bosses bemoaning the global damage caused by social media giants.
Last month, standing on the basketball court of my first school as a teacher, Mimico High, I launched a book titled The Season.
The Our Father is the foundational prayer of Christian faith. So perhaps it is fitting that Pope Francis has placed it in the spotlight as we make ready to celebrate the Saviour’s birth.
Over the past few weeks I’ve heard wonderful homilies about Advent. Each was about preparation for the coming of the Christ Child through prayer, the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Holy Communion.
Living a Christian life, too often seen as adherence to a list of “do’s” and “don’ts,” is better understood as creative participation in the artistry of the Holy Spirit. Each of us is given a mission in God’s eternal plan, a mission we are called to carry out with love, creativity and joy.