News - December 2022 RSS Feed

On Christmas Eve in 1968, Apollo 8 was in orbit around the moon. It was the first time in history that human beings could look back at our planet from an entirely new vantage point and see it for what it is: a “pale blue dot," as astronomer Carl Sagan called it, afloat in the infinite ocean of space.

Much has been made in the last several decades about the decline of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Our elders will tell us about the days when people would quite literally line up to celebrate the sacrament and now, well maybe not so much. That may have been true once, but I don’t believe it is true anymore. I have been so encouraged by the many people who are “lining up” again to encounter the mercy of God in the sacrament.

I love Advent. But I also find it to be one of the most frustrating seasons of the entire church year. Each Advent, I make a promise to myself to create quieter spaces in my life for prayer and reflection on the Word so that I can be more attentive to Christ. But that never seems to happen.