Concern for Others is the Beginning of Miracles Jesus bestows a huge honor on his mother Mary in the Gospel today during the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11). He calls her the first woman of the New Covenant. At Calvary, as the first woman of the New Covenant, she becomes Mother of the Church, the  Read more …

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? Remember me Death is nothing at all, but the beginning of another life. I have only slipped into the next room I am I and you are you whatever we were to each other that we are still. Call me by my  Read more …

What are Charisms? The word “charismatic” comes from the Greek word for “gift”.  There are many charisms, and God distributes them differently to different people.  The Bible, in 1 Corinthians 7:7, shows us that everyone “has a particular gift (charisma) from God, one of one kind and one of another. “Romans 12:6-8” lists gifts of Prophecy, Ministry, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Leadership, and  Read more …

Let us consider what that first Christmas was really like. Mary and Joseph knew the pain of rejection. There was no room in the inn. The Son of God was not born into a royal palace but into poverty and isolation. The real Christmas is very far from the snowy depictions on Christmas cards. Perhaps  Read more …

Reflection: A Bleu Christmas We’re very conscious that this time of year is a time of great excitement and joy for some, but for others, it is a time of intense loneliness and pain. There is pressure on us to ‘join the celebrations’ (even though they will be different this year). Sometimes we are just  Read more …

Before we dive into the numerous verses that talk about joy, we have to establish an understanding of biblical joy. It goes far beyond momentary happiness. Like the happiness a child might experience when they unwrap a gift that they’d hoped for on Christmas day. It is an extreme happiness that cannot be deterred by  Read more …

The Candle of Joy? Otherwise known as the Shepherd Candle, this candle reflects the joy that comes through Jesus’ arrival, and through the salvation he has gifted us. Christians may wonder why the church decided to make this particular candle a different color than the others. Although Christians have presented several reasons for the pinkish  Read more …

Not surprisingly, the Bible has a lot to say about peace, as it attributes peace to Jesus himself: the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). In fact, the word peace appears somewhere between 200-400 times in the Bible. In addition to the items listed above, biblical peace: Guards our hearts from the devil (Philippians 4:7) Brings  Read more …

What Is the Candle of Peace? Each of the five candles of the advent wreath represents something different, an important element in the coming of Christ and our expectation of him. Three purple candles , a pink candle , and a white candle represent the five elements of the Christmas story. This week, we’ll cover  Read more …

Advent comes from the Latin word Adventus meaning “the coming”, but the coming of what? It is a preparation for the coming of Christ in three ways: The remembrance of the Birth of Christ The anticipation of the 2nd Coming of Christ The coming of ourselves to Christ The Advent Wreath An Advent wreath is  Read more …