I spent New Year’s Day watching the extended edition Lord of the Rings DVDs. January 3 is J.R.R. Tolkien’s birthday. For years now I’ve made it a personal tradition to reread Tolkien’s masterpiece during the first week of January—or at least to begin the journey: “In a hole...
Today is the feast of St. Nicholas, one of my favorite winter holidays when I was growing up. It was part of the quiet Advent season without the expectations and pressures of Christmas. On the morning of December 6, I got up early and ran to the kitchen. Everyone in the family had set out bowls the night...
Exactly a year ago, I was back at work for the first day since my pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome. Today I’m back at work for the first day since my mother’s funeral. Her journey through the last few weeks of her life was filled with anxiety and struggle. I had prayed for her last year in Italy. I...
Vatican II opened on my first birthday, October 11, 1962. So tomorrow I turn 51 and the Church celebrates the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Council. I grew up with the changes. My mom had been in study groups at our parish for years, and they began learning about the Council almost immediately. And...
“Catholics get it. Catholics get the sacraments.” This was the message of the homily I heard this past Sunday. Sacraments connect the things of God with the things of earth. Catholicism isn’t a heady, intellectual faith. It’s woven into our lives, experienced with all of our...
