The image we may have from the nativity stories of the Holy Family may feel comfortably familiar to us. An isolated couple with a single child in a strange place, with just a few friendly strangers around them. Countless Christmas card images underpin this view of what could be a very modern nuclear family, at […]
Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Read More »
We’ve spent four weeks anticipating this day, maybe a little longer if you are younger, or less if you’ve been busy at work or otherwise. Maybe you’ve got the sleigh before the reindeer, so to speak, by putting up all the celebratory symbols in advance of the actual event, but I’m sure you’ve held off
The Nativity of the Lord Read More »
We arrive at the fourth week of Advent, and Christmas is close. This year, given the vagaries of the calendar, only one day away. Our readings now change character and emphasize that closeness, not so much as a matter of timing, but rather that God’s actions are now positioned clearly and directly within our day
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Sometimes Advent is presented as a penitential season, almost a mini-Lent, a time for reflection on our inadequacy or unworthiness in the face of the incomprehensible gift that God gave us by sending His son. But today’s readings don’t fit in any way with that mindset. It’s all about rejoicing! Maybe rather than penance, we
Third Sunday of Advent Read More »
As we move from the first to the second week of Advent, our readings are still pointing us forward (together with Peter’s reminder not to get hung up over timescales (2 Pet 3:8-14)). But the framework shifts. Last week Isaiah was speaking to us from a place of difficulty, almost overwhelmed by the challenges of
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Birthdays, anniversaries, memorials, they are all important markers in our lives. And of course their significance changes over time. A birthday when we are 7 is not the same as one when we are 70. We may even continue to celebrate a birthday for someone after they are dead – recognizing the birthday of Lincoln
First Sunday of Advent Read More »