Advent is preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ nbsp It is anticipation waiting Yet as the readings for the First Sunday in Advent demonstrate it is not simply the waiting for Christ at his first coming as a child in the manger but for his second coming at the end of time when all things

Knowing I could not master Wisdom but by the gift of God - and it is a gift of God to know to Whom I owe the gift - I turned to the Lord to entreat him Wisdom 8 20 Someday may all Americans be blessed to know to Whom to credit all our gifts John Kilgallen S J nbsp

In the technical breakdown of Pauline letters which are simply Hellenistic letters with a Christianizing twist they begin with a Salutation senders recipients and grace and then move on to the Thanksgiving with the notable exception of Galatians The Thanksgiving sets the tone for the letter

The whole notion of kingship is an odd one for someone living in the early 21st century at least it is for me nbsp What does kingship even mean to me As a Canadian I am technically governed by a monarch a Queen since 1953 but the monarch is almost strictly a figurehead in terms of government

nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp In stark contrast to Jewish leaders crucifying soldiers and a crucified criminal we hear a dialogue between Jesus and another crucified criminal nbsp The group of three taunt Jesus whether challenging his prophetic claim of Palm Sunday to be Jerusalem s king or challen

I have started my reading of Verbum Domini the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation of Benedict XVI on the ldquo Word of God in the life and mission of the Church rdquo At this point I have skimmed through most of the document and have read through about 30-40 pages carefully As a result my com