The people of the Old Testament were waiting 400 years to hear something, anything, from God. In our Bibles, it takes less than a second to turn the page from the Old Testament to the Gospels when in reality, there was about a 400 year gap.
So what would He say? When God finally showed up, when the Messiah arrived, what would be the first thing He says? A message of condemnation? Reminding us of our sins? Telling us to be more patient? Giving us new rules to follow?
Are you just showing up to Mass, or are you there to really worship God? The Magi had to travel from afar to worship God; we are blessed to come face to face with the same God every single time we attend Mass. Don’t take it for granted.
I have four boys. One is thirteen, another eleven, and then eight and seven. They pretend sticks are swords, swing with their fists, laugh at their farts, burp after drinking soda, and haven’t realized that a shower and deodorant matter. Boys! In the Bible it says that Jesus is like us in all things, except sin. So, Jesus would have sweat, would have bathed . . . sometimes. Jesus certainly would have played with His cousins and friends, would have bled if He fell and skinned His knee. Jesus Read more [...]
But no . . . the shocking reality was that Jesus, the Word of God, the King of Kings, and Savior of the Universe came in silence, unseen or heard of by the world.
No trumpets were played, no Youtube videos were released, no “likes” on Facebook were given. He entered the world not as a heroic muscular man, but as a frail vulnerable baby.
But have you ever thought of the significance of that?
Our God loved us so much, He let himself become small and vulnerable, unable to walk, drooling, baby Jesus. Who became so vulnerable and frail, and in need of Mary’s nurturing.
I love it when people use my name. “Nice to meet you Christina.” “Thanks Christina.” “Christina, where are my shoes? Give them back.”
There’s something so affirming and personal about it. My name represents me – who I am. When someone says my name, I know I’m not just another face passing by. I matter.
We have the opportunity every day to dedicate ourselves and our actions to God. That’s the meaning of being a Christian – giving our lives to God to glorify Him just as Jesus, Mary, and Joseph did.
As it is with the Christian life, if we want to see clearly – as God sees – we have to look at the “big picture” of salvation. If we want to understand Jesus’ death, for instance, we need to begin with His birth and when we do, we will undoubtedly learn something very interesting . . . that He was born to die.
If you want to get technical, that “pieta” moment first occurred not on Calvary, but in Bethlehem. The manger’s wood was a foreshadowing; it is the “cross” of Christmas. There is far more going on at Jesus’ birth than many of us realize upon first glance.
Oh Catholic guy, oh Catholic guy! Wait…that’s not how the song goes.
Our very own Mark Hart was on “The Catholic Guy Show” with Lino Rulli on Sirus/XM radio to talk about everyone’s favorite holiday: Christmas! You don’t want to miss this episode as Mark schools Lino about everything Christmas.
The man in my life is Jesus. On a scale of 12 to 89 He weighs in at about a million. Some girls and Tumblr accounts, I’m not naming names here, think Mr. R. Gosling is the epitome of the male gender.
Just look at this face. But wait another 200 words before you agree because I’m about to do a Jesus vs. Ryan Gosling throwdown.
You see, many of us have gotten into a routine of stuffing ourselves during Advent. It’s the holidays! We like to take it all in. The lights, the music, the food – we want as much as we can get!
But Advent isn’t about stuffing ourselves. The Nativity scene isn’t full of people gathered around Jesus because they are full. They are there because they’re hungry.
It was Gaudete Sunday and as the third candle of the Advent Wreath was lit at Mass we were called to rejoice, but my heart didn’t really feel like rejoicing. A prayer intention for the victims and their families and what seemed to be a small mention of Friday’s heartbreak during the homily didn’t seem enough to express what so many of our hearts were feeling.
How can we rejoice, God?
In the midst of all of this pain and hurt how can we rejoice today, this week, or on Christmas morning?
Do you ever have those days where you feel like you don’t even know yourself anymore? You look in the mirror and think: Who am I? What is my life all about? In my freshman year of college, I faced an identity crisis. Okay, I know what you’re thinking – identity crises = 50 year old dude who buys a red ferrari and moves to the coast. My crisis was on a lesser scale. But it was a time I didn’t know who I was as a college student. In an effort to “reinvent” myself, I cut my hair off (don’t Read more [...]
God has a plan for your life. He also had a plan for your salvation, which He accomplished through Jesus. See, God doesn’t leave anything to chance. All we have to do is surrender and trust.
In case you haven’t seen a calendar, looked at people’s front yards, or watched enough of those ridiculous cars-with-huge-ribbons-on-them commercials (because most people we know regularly get a Lexus for Christmas) . . . Christmas is coming soon.
The Church celebrates Advent – a time of preparation – for the four weeks leading up to Christmas. I never really used to get into Advent; it seemed like an unnecessary reminder when we already have radio stations playing Christmas music, Christmas episodes of our favorite TV shows, and those red Starbucks cups to let us know that Jesus’ birth is just around the corner.
Today is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe! Check out the story behind the famous apparition.
Christmas is right around the corner and gift shopping was sooooo 2 weeks ago.
“But the malls are crowded!”
“But everything is so expensive!”
“But I don’t have time to be creative!”
“But where do I find gifts with a hint of Catholic flare?”
We hear you. That’s why we’re electronically swooping in superhero style to save the day for you with this gift guide. You’re welcome. Feel free to send us the cookies you’ll bake with all the time and money you’ll save. And most importantly, have a blessed Advent preparing your heart for Jesus’ birth.
The Third Sunday of Advent is always “Gaudete Sunday” – meaning rejoice. Are you rejoicing that God is coming? Or does God’s way mean the end of your way?
All you have to do is listen to a lot of popular music to hear about marijuana. All you you have to do is watch TV or movies to see marijuana. And just attend a concert if you want to stand around inhaling it secondhand. It’s everywhere. Marijuana is even legal in a couple states and even where it’s not – I know you still see it. It’s a topic that always seems to spark a ton of debate. Is it a sin? Can it be used in moderation, etc? I want to take a step back from the legality Read more [...]
