Emptying and filling our interior buckets is hard work. In fact, it can’t be done apart from the grace of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who enables us to heed Jesus’ invitation, “Come to me, all you who are burdened and I will give you rest.” Jesus invites us to exchange our heavy yoke for his lighter burden – peace, forgiveness and thankfulness.  

We might see this new time in muted sepia tones or we might see it unfolding in vibrant technicolor. However we feel about this new year, we have the chance to begin again. And we hold onto the faith that we are not alone. 

Jan. 1 is not a holy day of obligation because of the civil new year, but because it is the feast of Mary, the Mother of God.

A few days ago, we went bowling with friends. I can’t remember the last time we bowled as a family, and it was so much fun. The dads in the group were the strongest bowlers among the two families, but everyone was fairly laidback. No one was that concerned with winning or competing at a […]

Whether you’re setting resolutions or just looking for a way to take intentional steps on your faith journey, here are a few ideas for how to set the stage for a fruitful new year.

The martyrs always bear witness to the truth in the most convincing way of all, by dying for what they believed and staking their life on the reality of heaven.

By going to Mass, we encounter God in the flesh through the eucharistic sacrifice, and there is nothing more fitting than the feasts of Christmas and the Mother of God to emphasize the reality of God taking on our flesh.

As the humanity of Jesus is our path to the Father, remembering the family of Jesus is a fitting way to end and begin a year.

The Jubilee of Hope, begun by Pope Francis and continued by Pope Leo XIV, reaches its pinnacle as we make our way through Advent toward the dazzling light of Christmas. It is a sacred moment for us to gather up our fears and anxieties, including those we absorb from the world around us, and entrust them to the Lord of history, the redeemer of the world.

So rejoice this day. For the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ is the beginning of the wedding feast of the Lamb. And we are guests to both.