Christmas

We could say that the first word of the New Testament is “be joyful,” “be happy,” in other words, “joy.” This is the true meaning of Christmas: God is near us, so near that he became a child. — Pope Benedict XVI  That quote, printed in red…

The Nativity of Jesus has been inspiring Christian art since Christian art first began.  One of the most primitive Christian images, in fact, dating back to the third century and found in the Catacombs of Priscilla in Rome, is a picture of…

SPICY-SWEET BOURBON PECANS Does the thought of the approaching holidays fill you with panic? If so, you are not alone.  December can be a particularly chaotic time for most families. There’s shopping, school holiday events, office Christmas…

The Nativity scene is a simple reminder of how God became human to reveal the greatness of his love "by smiling and opening his arms to all," Pope Francis said in a letter on the meaning and importance of setting up Christmas cribs.…

The people we love the most are the ones who know us the best. They know our flaws just as well as they know our strengths. They’ve seen us at our worst and they’ve forgiven us for it. Yet the holidays together can still be a time of…

Sunday of the Holy Forefathers and Feast of the Holy Fathers (Dec.16, 23 this year) If you ever wondered whether the holy men and women of the Old Testament are considered saints by the Church, December has your answer. It contains the…

The traditional icon of the Nativity is very different from what you usually find on Christmas cards, with Mary, baby Jesus, and St. Joseph clustered together in a barn over the manger.  From ancient times, the Nativity icon has been an…

It’s not too late to take a tip on Christmas gift giving from two doctors of the Church: St. Alphonsus Liguori and St. Teresa of Ávila. You can help a soul in purgatory reach heaven on Dec. 25. And — marking the eight days of the Octave of…

The holiday drinking season is upon us, and while many are thinking about what they can imbibe, sinners and saints alike might also consider how they ought to imbibe. One way to approach this question is to ask how one can drink like a…

May he who did not shrink from taking a beginning even like ours, perfect in us his gifts; and may he also make us children of God, he who for our sakes wished to become a child of man. — St. Augustine