Restoration
Column: Advent and Christmas
This column contains articles related to the Catholic Church's observance of Advent and celebration of Christmas.
The Word Made Flesh — by Catherine de Vinck. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. Jn 1:14... (December 28, 2009)
A Christmas Poem — by Catherine Doherty.... (December 24, 2009)
The Heart of a Child — by Catherine Doherty. Christ told us that unless we become like little children, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. We tend to associate children with Christmas in a very sentimental way: a newborn baby is "cute," children are... (December 23, 2009)
Letter to a Little Girl — by Catherine Doherty and Peggy. September 5, 2003 Dear Postulator of Catherine’s Cause, "Aunt Kate" [Catherine Doherty] wrote this letter and sent this snapshot to me more than forty years ago. It is a much treasured possession of mine.... (December 22, 2009)
Our Christmas Tree — by Cynthia Donnelly. Last Christmas we found one of the most beautiful Christmas trees, or so we thought. We bought it and brought it home.... (December 21, 2009)
Choosing Christmas — by Fr. David May. Saturday morning is cleaning day in my part of Madonna House, otherwise known as "The Main House." I have a hallway to vacuum, a bathroom to clean, and then my office and bedroom to do. I... (December 18, 2009)
Advent: Season of Hope — by Pope Benedict XVI. …Advent is par excellence the spiritual season of hope. In it, the whole Church is called to become hope for herself and for the world…. …Our God is "the God who comes" and calls us to... (December 01, 2009)
Peeling Vegetables and Christmas — by Catherine Doherty. A staff worker of Friendship House, one of Catherine Doherty’s earlier houses, was bored and tired of her job—peeling vegetables for the soup kitchen. Catherine wrote her this letter on Christmas Day, 1937.... (December 26, 2008)
A Christmas Homily — by St. Francis of Assisi. God has revealed the very depths of his being. In him there is not only power, sovereignty, knowledge, and majesty. Yes, my friends, God is childhood and tenderness. And he is that because he is... (December 24, 2008)
A Cry at Christmastime — by Catherine Doherty. The river is imprisoned today in the powerful arms of a thick icy sheet that covers it completely. The air is cold, clear and crisp. Nature seems to have entered into its time of prayer and solitude,... (December 22, 2008)
Christmastime in the MH Houses — Here are some glimpses into Christmastime in three very different houses last year.... (December 19, 2008)
Teaching Children to Share — by Anne Marie Murphy. Throughout the many years I’ve spent at Madonna House field houses, I have been encouraged by parents who pass on to their children the practice of giving at Christmastime without expecting to receive something back. This... (December 17, 2008)
Wellspring of Joy — by Pope Benedict XVI.Gaudete in Domino semper. Rejoice in the Lord always (Phil 4:4). Mass of the Third Sunday of Advent opens with these words and is therefore called "Gaudete Sunday." The apostle Paul urges Christians to rejoice because the... (December 15, 2008)
At Home in the Saving Presence of Christ — by Fr. Pat McNulty. "Do you know Jesus as yer personal sigh-ver?" I looked up from my book into the eyes of a lady sitting directly across the aisle from me on the bus. "I beg your pardon." "Yer all... (December 03, 2008)
Christmas in Krasnoyarsk — by Marie Javora. Last year, three staff celebrated the first Christmas of Madonna House in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. When Katia (Catherine Lesage) and I returned home after a Twelve Step seminar, there wasn’t too much time for Christmas preparations.... (December 26, 2007)
Spinning a Cradle of Silence — by Catherine Doherty. My Russian shrine stands peaceful and quiet. Its roof is covered with snow. The Virgin of Kiev is reflected in the vigil light that always burns before her face. It looks especially beautiful in the dark of... (December 24, 2007)
An Advent Amethyst — by Fr. Eddie Doherty. Dear God, Loving Father of us all, The snow falls softly today. The flakes dance and whirl. They flutter and hesitate as they near the earth, trying to pick out a likely place to land. Then... (December 21, 2007)
A Child at the Manger — by Anne Marie Murphy. Have you ever spent time with a small child at a manger scene? A few months ago as I was working at St. Raphael’s, our handicraft center, a couple and their four-year-old daughter came through on... (December 19, 2007)
Celebrating the Darker Meaning of Christmas — by Wilfred McClay. A number of years ago, a friend of mine made an observation about his experiences of successive Christmases, one that has stuck in my mind as equally true for me and perhaps for many of us. He... (December 17, 2007)
Advent: A Road into Infinity — by Catherine Doherty. Advent is a short season, yet it covers a long distance. It is the road of a soul from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It seems such a short distance, as we are accustomed to thinking of distances. Yet... (December 14, 2007)
Faith: A Subjunctive Mood — by Fr. Pat McNulty. It was about 3 a.m. when I pulled my car into the checkpoint at Canadian Customs and Immigration. Though there were trucks in their own lane, mine was the only car around. The middle-aged man in... (December 12, 2007)
Becoming Small Enough to Think Big — by Fr. David May. If someone asked you what is the most important thing you do to prepare for Christmas, what would you say? Decorate? Advent wreath? Finish shopping by mid-December? Daily Mass? Rosary? Cook for the feast? Get a... (December 10, 2007)
The God Who Comes Now — by Pope Benedict XVI. "Proclaim to the peoples: God our Savior is coming!" With this, the first antiphon of First Vespers for the First Sunday of Advent, the Church begins the season of Advent and the new liturgical year. Thus... (December 03, 2007)
First Christmas in Combermere — by Catherine Doherty.The first Christmas of Madonna House Combermere, in 1947, Lady Poverty dwelt with us in her all-shining reality. Madonna House then was just a six-room house with no outbuildings, except for an outdoor toilet. It stood rather lonely,... (December 22, 2006)
Invited to Joy — by Pope Benedict XVI. The angel went to Mary and said, "Rejoice, so highly favored one! The Lord is with you." Often the word of the angel is translated as "Hail, Mary," but the Greek word, the word the angel... (December 20, 2006)
Gingerbread Bishops — by Paulette Curran. Here in Madonna House, in numerous ways, we immerse ourselves in the seasons of Advent and Christmas. One way is by celebrating the feasts in Advent. One of the more festive of these is the feast of... (December 06, 2006)
Christmas — by Catherine Doherty. Christmas. The familiar story—a stable, a manger, a Baby, a virgin mother, shepherds, carols, presents, Christmas trees, good will to all men. Do we ever stop to consider the utter desolation of that birth? The loneliness of... (December 23, 2005)
No Room at the Inn? — by Fr. Bob Yori, associate priest of MH. At Christmas 1967, I was at a language school in Latin America where I had been sent to study Spanish. About twelve or fourteen of us lived in a very nice house,... (December 21, 2005)
God Keeps His Promises — by Pope John Paul II. Know that the kingdom of God is at hand. Be sure that he will not delay (from the liturgy of December 17th). The annual evocation of the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem renews in... (December 19, 2005)
The Cry of a Prophet — by Catherine Doherty. Chapter forty of the book of the prophet Isaiah contains some of the most beautiful passages in scripture. And these prophecies are eternal. They were not just meant for the time of Jerusalem. They are meant for... (December 02, 2005)
