Over the years, I haven't done much to prepare for Christmas apart from buying presents and attending the occasional Advent retreat. ...read more

This year, I’m making homemade soaps for my daughters as they have very sensitive skin, which tends to worsen during the fall and winter seasons when the indoor heating is on. ...read more

St. Barbara is a saint and martyr (circa +235) venerated in Christianity, specifically in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. ...read more

Welcome back to Advent. It’s been waiting for you. That season of longing, of hope, of light piercing the dark, like a candle in a cave or a flashlight in a tunnel. ...read more

We’re approaching the First week of Advent and I am thinking about Zechariah. ...read more

What if Mary and Joseph met before their betrothal? How did King Herod and his son feel about the birth of a new king? "Journey to Bethlehem" answers these questions and more. ...read more

For the last two weeks (part 1 and part 2) I’ve been trying to imagine what our world would be like had Jesus never been born. It’s easy to say that The Church would not exist or that we would have no Pope. There would be no priests, deacons, religious sisters or brothers, nor there ...read more

What is your reaction when you receive a gift from someone? Do you ever wish they had gotten you something else? Does it sometimes make you feel obligated to give them something in return?  How beautiful it is when a gift doesn’t make us feel disappointed or obligated but deeply grateful, wanting to give in ...read more

Last week I was imagining a world without Christmas. That would mean no Christmas music and no Christmas movies. But a world without Jesus would mean much more to our popular culture. One of my favourite Broadway musicals is Les Miz. I never read the novel, Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and wasn’t crazy about ...read more

Read the full text of Pope Francis' homily for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and the 55th World Day of Peace on January 1, 2022. ...read more