For most Christians the First Sunday of Advent is a sign of hope We begin a new cycle in the church year We look forward to celebrating Christmas and getting into the ldquo holiday rdquo spirit And we think about the coming of Christ and what that event has meant in our lives and our history Th

quot Let all be at peace rdquo This phrase from the Rule of St Benedict envisions a situation in which all members of the community are free of anxiety receiving what they need This understanding of peace corresponds with the biblical concept referred to on the Thirty-second Sunday ldquo a l

One is amazed by the results of an Internet search for the phrase ldquo use it or lose it rdquo The listing is easily a seven-figure number A good portion of this listing deals with issues like free speech brain function and muscle tone to name but a few These are excellent examples for it i

We are an impatient people and the advantages of the electronic age have only exacerbated this We have fast food instant replay and news bites We become anxious when we have to stand in line at a checkout counter and we complain when a homily is more than 10 minutes long I know people who will

There are some events that we would give anything to attend Who would not want to go to a presidential inaugural ball the Super Bowl or a World Series or the installation of a pope Though very different these are all momentous occasions and invitations to them are hard to come by One usually h

It was only a few months ago that we reflected on religious leadership Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time Today rsquo s readings place this theme before us again The frequency with which the Bible considers religious leadership points out both its importance and its challenge Because of human