On December 28th in the Octave of Christmas we commemorate the Feast of the Holy Innocents. The readings for the Liturgy remind us of the nature of evil: it hates life!
Catholic Life
The Deacon Saint Stephen the Proto-Martyr
In the Catholic Church, Christmas is celebrated for eight days (Octave, from the Latin Octava) and opens up into a wonderful liturgical season of Christmas. On this second day of the Octave of Christmas we commemorate the great Proto-Martyr (First Martyr) of the Church, St. Stephen, the Deacon.
Advent Week 3: Unconditional Joy
For those of you who are having a hard time getting in the Christmas Spirit or finding joy in your daily life, I understand. I tenaciously pursue God’s joy but have been like a treasure hunter searching for treasure in North America while using a map of Asia. Suffice to say, it’s not working out for me.
Go and Sin No More: Set Free by the Sacrament of Confession
In the last chapter of his Autobiography, entitled “The Man with a Golden Key”, GK Chesterton wrote: “When people ask me, or indeed anybody else, “Why did you join the Church of Rome?” the first essential answer, if it is partly an elliptical answer, is, “To get rid of my sins.”
OPINION: Should Christians Celebrate Halloween?
Like many Catholics and other Christians I am aware that the contemporary celebration of Halloween, with its undue influence on goblins, ghosts and the demonic, reflects the waning influence of the Christian worldview in the West.