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Christmas shopping has begun officially. Many people ask, "What do you want for Christmas?" Very often, I don't have a proper response because I don't know. Do I want some beauty product that promises everlasting good looks that will lead others to admire me and give me wealth and happiness? Do I want a drink that will instantaneously melt all the excess pounds into a puddle, leaving me with a body like top model Giselle Bundchen by Christmas? Or do I want clothing to adorn my body, hoping to have the elegance of Princess Catherine, duchess of Cambridge? Although I have tried many of these products and purchased tons of clothing, I am embarrassed to say I wound up more depressed than when I first began. For a fleeting moment, I was happy, but shortly after, I realized it was not what I wanted. Which leads me back to the original question — what do you truly want? What will satisfy this deep, unquenchable hunger? Why do I want more and more things that ultimately do not make me happy or spark joy?
Bishop Michael F. Burbidge is challenging us, his flock, to set our sights above all the shopping, food and busyness: With “Just One Yes” (JOY), he invites us in the Advent and Christmas seasons to increase our “connection to God” through “prayer, service to others, and self-sacrifice.”
My wife and I are expecting our fifth child in February. It's been six years since we had a newborn in the house, so there are some things we need to relearn about life with a baby. Most pressing perhaps is the role that technology will play in our family life when the new baby arrives.
Advent has become entirely too serious. We’ve replaced anticipation with obligation. In the name of preparing for Christmas (or celebrating it ahead of its time), we are adept at cramming absolutely every “good idea” into the four weeks before Dec. 25, and then we struggle under the weight of it all.
Have you ever wondered what one “yes” could do? When the Archangel Gabriel announced to our Blessed Mother, “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women,” and then proceeded to tell her she had been chosen to be the mother of the divine Savior, she replied, “I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your Word.” Simply stated, Mary said, “Yes.” What if she had said, “No,” to God? We would be without a Savior, true God who became true man, who perfectly revealed God’s truth and love to us, who suffered, died and rose for our salvation. We would remain in darkness, and the gates of heaven would remain closed. Mary’s one “yes” made all the difference in the world, and personally for each one of us.
Volunteers, priests and deacons who work closely with the Hispanic community in the diocese gathered for the celebration of the 45th anniversary of the Spanish Apostolate at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington Nov. 20.
Green glitter glue in the hands of a 5-year-old can be a fearsome thing to behold, but during St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church’s craft club in Fredericksburg, the festive paste became a tool to teach the true meaning of Christmas Nov. 30.
Good Shepherd Church in Alexandria hosted its annual “Homeless for a Night Campout” on the church grounds Nov. 23. Despite rain, more than 50 participants joined the campout to raise awareness for homelessness, building shelters out of cardboard and sleeping on the ground.
CFH, Inc., a 40-year-old Northern Virginia affordable housing nonprofit formerly called Catholics for Housing, has named George Davies its new executive director. Davies will take over for the current executive director, Karen DeVito, when she retires at the end of this year.
Journeying to Rome to meet with Pope Francis and pray at the tombs of the apostles is an occasion for grace, growth and renewal, said Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services.
