The Advent hymn ldquo O Come O Come Emmanuel rdquo is a song of longing and profound faith But who is Emmanuel Today rsquo s Gospel tells us that the word Emmanuel means ldquo with us is God rdquo and it implies that the child born of Mary is this Emmanuel But what of the child in the firs

At Christmastide we hear sounds and voices that seem to be silent the rest of the year We hear lighthearted jingling bells that delight us We sing beloved carols that express messages simple enough for children to understand yet profound enough to challenge us for the rest of our lives We exchan

In the middle of Advent we pause for a moment of rejoicing This is not a period of rest taken during a long journey It is more like a short stop at a scenic view where we stand in awe of the spectacular panorama before us Advent is a liturgical journey toward Christmas the feast that celebrate

quot The Peaceable Kingdom rdquo a print by the German-born illustrator Fritz Eichenberg is one of many artistic representations of the oft-quoted passage from Isaiah we hear today We see animals that are natural enemies sitting together peacefully under the widespread branches of a sheltering

For many people the feast of the Immaculate Conception is as confusing as is the familiar statue that honors Mary under that title One reason is that the Gospel reading recounts the conception of Jesus not that of Mary As for the statue today rsquo s passage from Genesis clearly states that it

When citizens of the United States hear the word pilgrim they immediately think of the Puritans who were among the earliest European settlers of this country This is particularly true around the time of Thanksgiving when the words pilgrim and Puritan are often used interchangeably However the