by Greg Beben | Dec 24, 2022 | Meditations
Jesus Christ is born! With the birth of the Savior, God has burst into the darkness of our human condition as a light, to lead all people home to him. He has entered physically, in bodily form, into his creation. God has come as a helpless newborn baby to be seen,...
by Greg Beben | Dec 17, 2022 | Meditations
In the first reading, God sends the prophet Isaiah to bring a message of Good News to the troubled and fearful King Ahaz, who is facing a looming crisis. God invites Ahaz to have faith and rely completely on him. And to strengthen the weak king’s faith, he offers to...
by Greg Beben | Dec 10, 2022 | Meditations
The clergy may don rose-colored vestments at today’s Mass – one of only two times in the year that they do so. Rose represents joy (gaudium in Latin); hence the Third Sunday of Advent is also known as Gaudete Sunday. What does joy have to do with the season of Advent?...
by Greg Beben | Dec 7, 2022 | Meditations
The document that declared the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a “doctrine revealed by God” is aptly titled Ineffabilis Deus, that is, “ineffable God.” When something is “ineffable” it is too great or extreme to be expressed in words. Certainly God...
by Greg Beben | Dec 3, 2022 | Meditations
“Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and by the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” When St. Paul wrote this to the Romans, he was referring to what we know as the Old Testament. We, however, apply his...
by Greg Beben | Nov 26, 2022 | Meditations
It may surprise some of us that the Scripture readings on this First Sunday of Advent do not refer at all to the birth of Jesus at Christmas – which is what most well-meaning Catholics look forward to in this season. These readings, especially the Gospel, have nothing...
