readiness

Am I Ready?

The start of Advent and the Mass readings during Advent grabbed my attention this year. They are on the virtue of “readiness.” As I age,

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Our Lady

A Mother’s Love

This year, I celebrate Christmas for the first time in my life without my mother. Mom passed away in November. While many Christmas gifts come

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Island, trust, grace, friends

False Friends, and Real Ones

There is an interesting linguistic phenomenon called “false friends.” They are a bane of middle school foreign language learners – and often even those beyond.

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Incarnation, Advent, Christmas

Merry, Mary CHRISTmas

It’s that ‘full of wonder’ time again. Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to

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Jesus Christ

Longing For Jesus

My first memory that distinctly involves Advent is of an Advent calendar – a somewhat esoteric object in 1950s Kansas, if I recall correctly.  I

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