An Invitation to a Holy Lent Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the…
Advent 2022 begins Sunday, November 27th. Angels. Every year, when they were little, my children donned cardboard wings in the Christmas pageant. And through the centuries gilded angel wings have graced a bazillion Christmas cards. Angels. Pretty, poetic symbols. Anachronistic theology of the Middle Ages. Superstition in the scientific age. Right? Yet every Sunday we confess that “We…
FOLLOWERS!! MEA CULPA!!! LATE LAST EVENING YOU RECEIVED A BLOG POST FROM ME: “LENTEN ANTHOLOGY OF GREATEST HITS.” I AM NOT LOST IN A TIME WARP AND I DO REALIZE THAT IT IS OCTOBER.🎃 MISTAKENLY I HIT “PUBLISH” WHEN EXPERIMENTING WITH A NEW WORDPRESS WIDGET. SORRY! CAN I BLAME THIS ON MY SECOND GLASS OF…
Welcome to Emmanuel’s Lenten Film Festival, Jesus at the Movies! Since Jesus first stepped foot on Mother Earth more than two thousand years ago, humanity has wrangled over the nature of his identity. The early church hashed it out in synods over several centuries. Is he human? Is he divine? Paradoxically, he is both. And…
Calling all Bloggers! Emmanuel Voices would like to hear from you! At the turn of this century, there was a contest that called on artists to create an icon of Christ for the third millennium. It was sponsored by the National Catholic Reporter and it drew nearly two thousand entries from over nineteen countries. Sister…
Advent is literally around the corner. It begins officially Sunday, November 28. So, I am very excited to finally share this project with our readers, which I have quite literally been “sitting on” since June! This winter devotional is the product of a little summer inspiration. You see, on a golden June afternoon, my soul…
The Merriam-Webster definition of “simplify” is “to reduce to basic essentials.” Lent is the time to spiritually simplify. On Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras, preparing to fast, traditionally we clean out our cupboards and fridge of all that sugar and butter. (The reason for all of those pancake suppers!) Flowers give way to greens on the…
Christmas is a comin’ and Mary sings: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.His mercy is for…
I am not a music maker just a music lover. I do love making a joyful noise and I so miss singing in church. I miss the vibrations in the wooden floor as Ryan powers up the organ. I miss the harmonies sung by the choir, the ringing of bells and the cantor’s clear soprano…
Lent is the purple penitential season. A forty day walk in the wilderness. It begins with a call to repentance and with a reminder of our mortality (Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-21). Along the way, we hear the stories of Nicodemus (John 3: 1-17) and the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4: 5-12). We bear witness to…
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