In Nativity scenes all around us, we see the Holy Infant come into less than ideal circumstances and are reminded that our cause – – protection of innocent, fragile human life, the tiny infant in the womb – – remains the most pressing issue of justice and civil rights in our beloved country.

We need support poles and decking to give our faith life some structure. Those are other sacraments, including reconciliation/confession, and devotionals such as praying the rosary, the Angelus, Divine Mercy chaplet or morning and evening prayer.

When we got off the plane, we found out a snowstorm had canceled all the flights to the East Coast.

What shall we make of the burning Holy Land, during a Christmastide when we celebrate the angelic announcement of a messianic birth that marks the inbreaking of the peaceable kingdom of Isaiah 11:6-9?

The point of religious art and imagery is not so much to give us a perfect, historically accurate picture of events that occurred in the life of Jesus.

It’s all about accompaniment, this declaration, but — both theologically and pastorally — some will doubtlessly find it confusing and yes, messy.

The new document teaches that people seeking God shouldn’t be turned away, regardless of their state of life or moral situation.

The examen is not a call to review your sinfulness, like an examination of conscience, although you may find things in your day for which you are sorry. It’s often called an examination of “consciousness” because it reviews your life as you’ve lived it in the past 24 hours.

God will never dishonor himself by going back on this tremendous gift of free will. And when our choices cause us pain, God never stops encouraging us to “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help” (Heb 4:16).

For Catholics, Dec. 25 is only the beginning of the celebration of Christmas. As others pack away the decorations, we continue to celebrate the gift of Christ, ever present for us in the Eucharist — a continual manifestation of God’s loving care for us all year long.