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Scripture tells us that certain people were filled with great expectation when Jesus was about to be born. Both Mary and Joseph knew this child was very special. Anna and Simeon were in the Temple, waiting eagerly for the Messiah. Zechariah and Elizabeth and the baby John were excited about the coming birth of Jesus as well as their own role in this amazing act of God. Each of these people in their own way had a sense that God was about to do something very important. More »
We know the stories: Adam and Eve; Cain and Abel; Jacob and Esau. We know the words: "God so loved the world . . ." "Whatsoever you do to the least of my people . . ." "God is love." We even know the commandments: "You shall not kill." "Honor your father and mother." "You shall not covet." More »
Forty years is a long time in a person's life, but not necessarily in the life of the church. Consider, for example, that it took well over a century for the reforms of the Council of Trent to take hold. We could also note that after God gave the commandments on Mount Sinai, it took the Israelites more than forty years before they were ready to enter the Holy Land. And it took far longer yet before they could establish themselves in practice of the Law! Clearly, all work of change requires time before it can be understood, accepted, and integrated into everyday life. More »
In our previous article, we took a bird's-eye view of the Second Vatican Council and saw how it encouraged renewal in the church through a greater focus on Scripture. In this article, we want to take a more specific look at how the Council Fathers sought renewal through Scripture, especially how they spoke about it in their document On Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum). More »
Everybody loves St. Anthony of Padua, yet few of us know all that much about his life. We know that he is the patron saint to call on when we need help finding our lost keys. But why does virtually every statue of St. Anthony show him holding the Christ child in his arms? We might have expected him to be depicted holding a lost set of car keys! Nor would it be surprising to see him holding a Bible, for he was one of the most famous Scripture teachers of his day. More »
One day when I was still very new to the religious life, I asked Sr. Ida for an explanation of lectio divina, or "sacred reading" of Scripture. Perhaps because of its Latin name, people often have the impression that this ancient prayer form involves something complicated and scholarly. More »
One day around 1780, an Episcopalian stepmother opened her King James Bible and introduced her stepdaughter to Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. . . ." Though the two were not close and the woman was preoccupied with many cares, the moment was extraordinarily significant. More »
My husband, George, and I were overjoyed when we realized we were expecting our third child. Although this pregnancy was threatened by toxemia and possible premature delivery, our third precious daughter, Megan, was delivered on her due date. We recognized God's goodness in her healthy birth and couldn't wait to share our love with her. More »
When I was nine years old, I asked my older sisters if we could start a Nancy Drew detective agency. I had it all planned out. The tree house our dad had built in the maple would be our base of operations. From there we'd poke around searching for clues and solving mysteries. My sisters pointed out a fact that I had overlooked: Nothing remotely mysterious ever happened in our neighborhood. Undeterred, I set up my own club and began spying on them. More »