2025-November-December-Liguorian-Magazine by Liguori Publications

CATHOLIC. PASTORAL. TRUSTED.

HOLiNESS, THE EUCHARiST & THE FULLNESS OF LiFE

◆ YOUR EUCHARISTIC IDENTITY

A Sacramental Guide to the Fullness of Life

Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P., shows us how the Eucharist is no mere symbol, but rather it is the key to life. More speci cally, it is the key to your very identity.

When we look carefully at the Blessed Sacrament, under the signs of bread and wine, we discover that we were made not simply to receive God, to be nourished by his gi s, or to draw close to him. In fact, “we were made to become Him”, and that Christ, through the Sacrament, divinizes us in our whole being.

But the Eucharist is not magic. We have to receive the gi of his Eucharistic presence, and preparing for such a great banquet requires time, work, attention. To become like Christ, we must be ready to be given to others, in a free, radical gi of love. is sacramental guide to the fullness of life offers Christians a simple, clear guide for their path. YEIP Sewn So cover, $17.95

“ is book elevates the intellect and nourishes the soul with the truth of who we are as a Eucharistic people. A great resource for both study and prayer.”

Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, C.F.R., Host, e Rosary in a Year

“With incredible clarity, Fr. Pine shows us how the Mass not only transforms us but creates us, and carries the world to the fullness of joy. An essential guide to holiness in our time.”

Edward Sri, Ph.D., Author, e Art of Living

◆

THE ART OF LIVING

Edward Sri reveals the close connection between growing in the virtues and growing in friendship and community with others, the freedom to love.

ALP . . . Sewn So cover, $16.95

◆ THE SHOCK OF HOLINESS Finding the Romance of Everyday Life

Philosopher Michael Pakaluk says that moms at Mass are heroes—not unlike the soldiers who landed at Iwo Jima. Children open us up to radical charity—the kind lived by martyrs. Obscure priests in backwoods France can change the world—simply by loving God. And a little bottle of holy water—free at any Catholic church—proves that the most precious things in life have no price.

ese are just a few of the extraordinary insights by Pakaluk, who attests that Christian sanctity is far closer and more beautiful than we think. With erudition and intellectual rigor, he sets his sights on some of the simplest truths of the Catholic faith and discovers that they are truly electrifying: the grace of infant Baptism, the earth-shaking event of transubstantiation, the extreme love of the saints, the surrendered fatherhood of Joseph, and the romance of chastity. SOFHP . . . Sewn So cover, $18.95

“Pakaluk provides the shock therapy needed to rouse our hearts and raise our minds to the eternal. His pleasing prose and winsome style beautifully convey the grandeur and the simplicity of sanctity.”

Fr. Paul Scalia, Author, at Nothing May Be Lost

“Pakaluk o ers wonderful insights into the presence of unexpected grace and the possibilities of simple holiness even in our modern world.” —James Stoner, Jr., Eric Voegelin Institute, LSU Also Available

◆ THAT NOTHING MAY BE LOST

Fr. Paul Scalia’s inspiring re ections on a wide range of Catholic teachings and practices place the reader on a path to a deeper, more meaningful relationship with God.

NMLP . . . Sewn So cover, $17.95

November-December 2025

JUBILEE 2025 | PILGRIMS OF HOPE

The Catholic Trinity of A Christmas Carol

A perennial holiday story is a parable for our times

B.K. BERGMAN

The Imagination of God

The power of God’s imagination cannot be defined or contained— only celebrated

FR. THOMAS M. SANTA, CS s R 14

The Lyrical Christmas Gift of Saint Alphonsus

The message of a centuries-old carol has timeless appeal

FR. KEVIN O’NEIL, CS s R

The Ghost of Christmas Past Memories of a dad at Christmas are like Polaroid snapshots of growing up in mid-century suburbia

GARY GATELY

LIVING THE CATECHISM

Essentials for learning and practicing the Catechism of the Catholic Church

LIGUORI PUBLICATIONS STAFF

MEDITATION

A Season to Surrender

A dying father finds strength in letting go

B.G. KELLEY

SCRIPTURE SCOOP

Who Was Matthew?

WILLIAM A. ANDERSON, DMIN, PhD

November Mission

KATHLEEN GUNTON

THE CATHOLIC OBSERVER

Your independent source of news and views on the Catholic Church

GARY GATELY

KINDNESS CALENDAR

November-December 2025

Useful suggestions to help you grow and live out your faith

LIGUORI PUBLICATIONS STAFF

FICTION

Forever Fruitcake

An annual baking tradition yields a surprise in the spirit of Christmas

KENNETH NEUSER, PhD

November–December Columnists

Scott Czarnopys (“Face to Face”) is married to his beautiful wife, Arley, and has two children, Haven and Daxton. He is an elementaryschool principal serving in his fourteenth year at Saint Patrick School, a thriving semi-rural Catholic school in the Grand Rapids area of Michigan.

Fr. Peter D. Hill, CSsR (“Plain Talk”), is a Redemptorist missionary who has served as parish priest of Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago; director of Holy Redeemer Retreat House, Dominica; and formation co-director at North American Redemptorist Formation House in San Antonio, Texas.

Fr. Michael McAndrew, CSsR (“Padre Migrante”), has served for thirtyplus years in Redemptorist Hispanic ministry initiatives, youth ministry, bilingual parish missions, and farmworker ministry. He works with the Catholic Migrant Farmworker Network, directed a Campesino ministry, and recently published a book with Liguori Publications: Walk With My People: A Life in Migration Ministry (828720).

Br. Raymond Pierce, CSsR (“The Lighter Side”), is a native of Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. His ministry is storytelling via email. Every week, he sends “Morning Smiles” emails of humor and personal stories to nearly 1,000 senior citizens.

Fr. Thomas M. Santa, CSsR (“A Word from the Publisher”), was named president and publisher of Liguori Publications in January 2024, his second assignment as the company’s leader. Professed as a Redemptorist in 1973, his ministries have included retreat work and writing reflections for the Scrupulous Anonymous newsletter.

Tim and Julie Smith (“Kitchen Table Gospel”) have been professional music ministers in the Phoenix area for more than thirty-five years. They have written and recorded dozens of music collections, including liturgical music, theater music, children’s music, and bilingual music, and their songs have been published in multiple hymnals.

Adam Tran-Chung (“Social Media Perspectives”) is a student of the Redemptorists and is studying philosophy at St. John’s University in New York City. He is an accomplished concert pianist and organist and enjoys composing liturgical music. He is interested in exploring how social media can be used as a tool for evangelization.

Vinita Hampton Wright (“Redemptive Living”) worked in religious book publishing for more than three decades. She is retired and continues to write, edit, and present retreats and workshops on creativity, writing, and prayer. She works as a spiritual director in Northwest Arkansas.

As long as we remain rooted in the present, we experience the fullness of God’s imagination and power.

FR. THOMAS M. SANTA, CSsR

Catholic. Pastoral. Trusted.

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Liguorian is named after our founder and patron saint, St. Alphonsus Liguori (1696–1787), Doctor of the Church, bishop, patron of confessors, moral theologian, prolific writer, pastoral theologian par excellence, and founder of the Redemptorist Congregation. It is in his spirit and inspired by the charism he shared with us, “With him there is plentiful redemption for all,” that this magazine and all pastoral educational products of Liguori Publications proudly claim we always strive to be Catholic, Pastoral, Trusted. To learn more about the Redemptorists, visit Redemptorists.com

Welcome to Liguori!

With this issue of Liguorian, we welcome the readers of Our Sunday Visitor magazine. Liguori Publications will fulfill the balance of subscriptions to Our Sunday Visitor, beginning with this issue. Although we are saddened by the loss of another Catholic magazine—an unfortunate byproduct of our digital age—we are delighted to welcome you to our family. We hope this is the beginning of a long relationship!

In the pages of Liguorian , you will discover Catholic. Pastoral. Trusted. articles and activities that will encourage you on your journey of faith. This bi-monthly opportunity to share with you is a responsibility we take seriously. More than 100 years of continued publication, and we are proud to say that our mission continues and is even more necessary and vibrant.

I know that some of you are new to us, or perhaps are being reintroduced to us, but regardless of how you got here, we are pleased to welcome you. Please seriously consider making a commitment now to renewing your subscription and allowing Liguorian to faithfully serve you. It is not too early to help ensure that Liguorian can continue its mission and does not fall prey to the challenges that make this work difficult—but not impossible! The recent events that brought you here should illustrate how essential it is to find a way to encourage and support Catholic publishing. It is very fragile.

Looking ahead to the January-February 2026 issue of Liguorian , we plan to reflect on the importance of Catholic reading. In this special issue, we are going to make a crucial point about the printed word: it is durable, it cannot be manipulated, and it must be representative of what it proclaims as true and authentic. The printed word is different from the digital word, particularly in the world of social media, where you can say anything and claim anything and often get away with it. There are not the strict standards of accountability that the printed word requires. You will not find an imprimatur or a declaration of nihil obstat on social media.

A Word from the Publisher

FR. THOMAS M. SANTA, CSsR

May your family be blessed and safe, not only during the holiday season but also in the New Year to come.

Every Catholic family should have at least one resource they can count on to be Catholic. Pastoral. Trusted. This is not just our tag line; it is our mission and our pledge of authenticity.

In this issue of Liguorian, our Christmas issue, you will find the contributions of our capable columnists. Time and time again, we have been encouraged by our readers to maintain the high quality of Catholic commentary that our columnists provide. We are happy to announce that each of these columnists will return in 2026. “The Catholic Observer” will continue to provide you with a helpful update of Catholic life and living—the stories that are important to us and the people who put into practice what is important to our faith.

Our feature stories are inspirational and informative. You will discover an insightful Catholic approach to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol , and you will read about one Christmas carol in particular, authored by our own St. Alphonsus Liguori, which also

CRISTOPHER CALLEJAS / CATHOPIC

happens to be, to this day, the favorite Italian Christmas carol. It is a wonderful meditation. You will find stories so rich in meaning that I think you will want to read them several times. And, of course, what would Christmas be without a fruitcake? You’ll find one here!

I also extend to each of you, on behalf of our authors, editors, sales team, customer service representatives, IT technicians, and service providers—in short, the entire Liguori Publications family—our hopes and prayers for you this Christmas. May your family be blessed and safe, not only during the holiday season but also in the New Year to come.

There are, unfortunately, so many places in our fragile world where a prayer of blessing and safety would be welcomed, but where hope seems dim. I think you will agree with me when I say that too many people, too many of our brothers and sisters in the human family, are deprived of what we take for granted each day. I hope this somber reality makes us even more grateful and encourages us, each in our own way, to help find a way of peace for all of God’s people, no matter where they are. A

Merry Christmas! (English)

¡Feliz Navidad! (Spanish)

Joyeux Noël! (French)

Frohe Weihnachten! (German)

Buon Natale! (Italian)

Feliz Natal! (Portuguese)

To sign up for the free digital edition of Liguorian magazine, send an email to Liguori@liguori.org.

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Write: Liguorian Editor, 200 Liguori Drive, Liguori, MO 63057 E-mail: Liguorianeditor@Liguori.org

The opinions expressed don't necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors. Letters must be signed and include the writer’s full address and daytime phone number. Names will be withheld from publication upon request. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for length, clarity, and style.

Dear Liguorian Editor,

There was a story in your July-August edition, “The Pilgrim’s Lantern,” by Evans Nyongesa Maina. I really enjoyed this well-written story. I’m hoping this author will become a regular contributor to your magazine. I’ve been a subscriber for many years, and occasionally a story really stands out. Thanks for your magazine.

Carol C. (via email)

I just want to commend you for a fine issue on polarization (September-October 2025). I appreciated the whole edition. I hope you can keep moving the magazine forward with issues that engage the challenges we face.

Fr. Mike McAndrew, CSsR (“Padre Migrante”) (via email)

“Building Hope in a Divisive World” is from the front cover of the September-October 2025 issue. When we combine the passion of red and the serenity of blue, we obtain the wisdom of purple. Historically, the color purple was associated with wealth and nobility because the dye was costly.

Jesus was passionate about the spirit of the law of love, a non-violent, merciful, forgiving love that seems to be an anomaly in our world today. His human passion (red) joined with his divine gift of peace (blue) shows the world the nobility (purple) we are called to emulate.

Thank you for this article and the emphasis on the power of listening to the “other.” May we not lose our passionate desire for peace. Amen!

Renee T. (via

email)

A Special Welcome

Liguorian is pleased to welcome the subscribers of Our Sunday Visitor as new readers to our magazine. We hope you will enjoy the joyful message of God’s plentiful redemption that Liguorian brings six times each year. Our Sunday Visitor subscribers will receive the number of issues of Liguorian that remained when Our Sunday Visitor ceased publication with the October 2025 issue. Because Liguorian is produced every other month, it will take more time to fulfill the remainder of your subscription.

Questions? Call Liguorian Customer Service at 866848-2492 or send an email to liguorian@sfsdayton.com.

Dear Editor,

It was a while back that I read Vinita Hampton Wright’s column about the death of her husband (“Redemptive Living,” May-June 2025). I was so touched by her raw honesty and the fact that she was writing this only two weeks after her husband passed. I am also a widow, and I can relate so much to that feeling of panic she describes. Mercifully, it gradually goes away. I also relied on the prayers and support of the body of Christ. Thank you for this meaningful column.

Ruth S. (via email)

Pope Leo XIV Urges Influencers to Be “Missionary Disciples”

Pope Leo XIV urged more than 1,700 Catholic digital influencers from 75 countries to serve as “missionary disciples” by focusing not merely on attracting followers, but on spreading Christ’s message of healing and hope throughout the world.

The influencers—priests, nuns, and laypeople— mobbed the Holy Father and hoisted their cellphones high to livestream the encounter when he arrived in Saint Peter’s Basilica after Mass during the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers.

“Today, we are in a culture where the technological dimension is present in almost everything, especially as the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence will mark a new era in the lives of individuals and society as a whole,” the first US-born pope told the influencers.

Pope Leo, who acknowledged the enormous potential of AI, also warned that it poses serious threats to “human dignity, justice, and labor.” He said, “Today, we find ourselves in a new culture, deeply characterized and formed by technology. It is up to us—it is up to each one of you—to ensure that this culture remains human.”

The leader of the 1.4 billion–member Catholic Church told the content creators, “Be agents of communion, capable of breaking down the logic of division and polarization, of individualism and egocentrism. It is not simply a matter of generating content, but of creating an encounter between hearts…. Perhaps, today more than ever, we need missionary disciples who convey the gift of the Risen Lord to the world.”

Pope Leo noted that Jesus called his first apostles as they mended their fishing nets.

“He asks the same of us today,” the pontiff said. “Indeed, he asks us to weave other nets: networks of relationships, of love; networks where we can mend what has been broken, heal from loneliness, and not focus on the number of followers, but experience the greatness of infinite love in every encounter.”

The two-day event, organized by the Vatican’s evangelization and communication offices, grew out of the late Pope Francis’ call to spread the Word of God on social media and occurred two years after the first global gathering of digital evangelizers during World Youth Day in Lisbon in 2023.

Speaking at the opening of the jubilee event in an auditorium near Saint Peter’s Basilica, Paolo Ruffini, prefect of the Dicastery for Communication, urged the content creators to avoid self-promotion and superficiality: “Let us testify that it is possible not to be swept away by this tide.” While digital platforms can help unite us, he said, “What truly binds us is not the web, but something that transcends us: God himself.”

And Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told the influencers, “You are not only content creators; you are witnesses. You are not just building platforms; you are building bridges. Even a short post, when shared in faith and love, can become a spark of grace.” A

Pope Leo XIV greets Catholic digital content creators in Saint Peter’s Basilica following a Mass for the Jubilee of Digital Missionaries and Catholic Influencers. VATICAN MEDIA

Pope Leo gets an enthusiastic greeting from overjoyed digital influencers in Saint Peter’s Basilica. VATICAN MEDIA

A Christmas Like No Other

Christmas is often associated with joyful gatherings, colorful lights, baked ham and turkey, gifts under the tree, and the comforting rhythms of tradition. However, the Christmas I remember most vividly was the one that broke all those patterns: it was Christmas Eve 2013 on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. A powerful trough weather system had descended on the island, bringing with it relentless rain, strong winds, and widespread flooding. That afternoon into night, I experienced a Christmas like no other—one marked not by festivity, but by faith in action and the raw beauty of human compassion.

For a priest, Christmas Eve is usually a time of spiritual preparation for the Christmas Masses. Midnight Mass holds a special place in the hearts of many in the Caribbean. I was ready to celebrate it with the congregation, but Mother Nature had other plans. The thunderstorms came without mercy, battering roofs, overflowing rivers, causing landslides, and making some roads impassable. Many communities lost electricity, and communication was sporadic. Our community house, like many others, was taking in water, so instead of getting ready for Mass, I found myself with mop and bucket in hand, trying to keep the water at bay as it seeped under doors and pooled on the floors.

It felt surreal. The most basic domestic acts replaced the rituals I had spent years performing. Yet, in that moment of disruption, something extraordinary unfolded. With electricity out, roads flooded, and no way to gather in person, I turned to the radio for updates. What I heard over the airwaves was both heartbreaking and inspiring. There were reports of damaged roads and properties, with many people stranded on their way home from Christmas shopping. But, amid the chaos, churches had thrown open their doors, not for Christmas services, but as shelters. Strangers welcomed the stranded, and volunteers braved the weather to bring clothes, food, and drinks. It sounded like there was room at the “inn” for all who needed it.

FR. PETER D. HILL, CSsR

In that Christmas of thunderstorms, Emmanuel, God-with-Us, was evident.

I felt deeply connected to the wider St. Lucian community through those radio waves. The stories of kindness and courage poured in like the rain. People were finding ways to reach out and help those in need. In that Christmas of thunderstorms and chaos, the heart of the season, Emmanuel, God-with-Us, was evident. Not in the grand liturgy, not in decorated sanctuaries, but in simple gestures of love and service.

That night reminded me of the reason for the season: Jesus. It stripped away the familiar and left behind something more enduring: a deep awareness of what it means to love and serve. The trough system of 2013 may have damaged the island, but it also revealed the community spirit, compassion, and resilient faith of the St. Lucian people. It certainly was not the Christmas any of us wanted, but it was a Christmas when we witnessed the birth of the Savior in our midst. A

VIVANVU / SHUTTERSTOCK

THE CATHOLIC TRINITY OF A Christmas Carol

A PERENNIAL HOLIDAY STORY IS A PARABLE FOR OUR TIMES

B.K. BERGMAN

ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAVE RHEAUME / SHUTTERSTOCK

We are familiar with Charles Dickens’ traditional story of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol and its call to humble giving. Many critics go so far as to cite the tale as the diverging point at which Christmas, the religious holiday, was replaced with the modern, non-religious holiday. Yet, when we examine how Dickens chose to tell the story, we see that it is a tale deeply aligned with Christian Scripture and biblical imagery, demonstrating that it is more religious than people often believe. At its core, A Christmas Carol is the story of Scrooge’s conversion: a man destined to die, he is reborn through the guidance of the holy trinity of ghosts.

Like many of us today, Dickens struggled with finding the right accord with God and religion. Still, he actively educated his children in religious theology. Dickens wanted his children to dive into the Bible themselves, to take from it what they could through the guidance of the Spirit, and to not rely solely on what humanity could show them. He hoped they would find their faith through their own discovery of God. Scrooge’s journey is similarly conceived. It is with this same spirit that Catholics should look at A Christmas Carol and find solace in what can be interpreted as a parable for us and our times. In Dickens’ narrative, we see representations of God of the Old Testament in the Ghost of Christmas Past, Christ of the New Testament in the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Holy Spirit in the Ghost of Christmas Future. Dickens’ description of each carries curious metaphors that align with the idea that these three ghosts represent the Holy Trinity of Christianity. Scrooge is a clearly defined example of our self-centeredness. Scrooge is isolated, blind to the

cares of the world, and all about himself. A Christmas Carol teaches us that hoarding material things and being self-absorbed should be ignored. It is our influence on those around us, especially those in need, that is our true mission. After all, it wasn’t Scrooge who saved himself.

Dickens sets the stage for what life as a Christian looks like versus the life of those with no faith. Scrooge, unwilling to surrender to the joy of Christianity, is proud to “retire to Bedlam,” or his anarchy against Christianity. Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, lives the Christian spirit. He may not “have a scrap of gold or silver in [his] pocket,” but he receives joy from many things that are not monetary. Fred sees Scrooge as dead to the world, without salvation. He calls for God to save his uncle. As the three ghosts in A Christmas Carol represent the Catholic Trinity, Dickens ensures that divinity is recognized. For one, in his grammatical use of capitalization of the “Past,” “Present,” and “Future,” he puts them on a higher plane than humanity. Dickens writes, “I am the Ghost of Christmas Past.”

“Long Past?” inquired Scrooge.

“No. Your past.”

In Scrooge’s question, the word “Past” is capitalized, giving authority to the ghost. This is emphasized again by the fact that when the ghost responds about Scrooge’s past, the word “past” is not capitalized. The ghost has a significant role of authority over a lesser Scrooge—a principle that aligns with our Catholic recognition of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When we look at the three ghosts individually, we see a holy representation of each part of the Holy Trinity in ways that should mean something to us as Catholics.

Dickens sets the stage for what life as a Christian looks like versus the life of those with no faith.

The Father

In the Ghost of Christmas Past, we see a representation of God, the Father. Like God, this ghost transcends time. This is epitomized by his appearance, which is described as “like a child; yet not so like a child as like an old man, viewed through some supernatural medium.” The contrast in the description makes this ghost undefinable. Scrooge himself is mystified by how time has been transcended; it is illogical.

This ghost is given further biblical details that ensure full knowledge of its sacred appearance. It appears in “a tunic of pure white” and with a crown on its head that “sprung a bright clear jet of light.” Many classic Catholic paintings depict God, Christ, and the saints with similar circles of light around their heads. By rebuking the ghost’s light, Scrooge affirms that he is currently hiding in spiritual darkness. He is unholy in the presence of such an image. The Ghost of Christmas Past even commands Scrooge in a God-like way: “Rise! And walk with me!” The ghost is eager to show Scrooge his missteps and how he was once innocent but has now fallen into sin.

The Ghost of Christmas Past also calls upon the Old Testament God of “I AM.” This ghost uses the term “I am!” in speaking to Scrooge. The Old Testament Scriptures are where Christian teachings on faithful living are demonstrated by the prophets in the Bible. In our Catholic Mass, we combine Old Testament Scriptures with the teachings of the New Testament to better prepare for our future. Christ always referenced Scripture in his ministry.

The ghost shows Scrooge a more innocent time and a seemingly saintly example in Scrooge’s old boss, Fezziwig. Fezziwig lived a noble life of cheerful giving. This call from Scrooge’s past highlights the noble living of the Old Testament prophets as a way we should live.

THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT

Christ, the Son of God

The Ghost of Christmas Present arrives with “a blaze of ruddy light” that is “more alarming than a dozen ghosts.” It should be mentioned that “ruddy” (red) is the color of redemption. In the Christian faith, Christ is the symbol of that redemption.

This ghost appears in a lush garden setting, symbolizing a life path for Scrooge. The ghost is described as clothed in a “simple” robe, worn “so loosely that its capacious breast was bare, disdaining to be concealed by any artifice.” With bare feet, “long and free curls, a genial face, open hands, a cheery voice, an unconstrained demeanor” and a “joyful air,” this ghost, like Christ, is comforting and peaceful. He even sets a feast before Scrooge.

The ghost calls Scrooge to “Come in! And know me better.” Scrooge does this “reverentially.” Dickens even gives this ghost a symbolic crown of thorns, so to speak, in a “holly wreath…with shining icicles.” Calling himself a hallowed being, the ghost proclaims, “You have never seen the like of me before.”

In another Christ-like example, the ghost commands Scrooge to touch his robe. Scrooge obeys, and the two are transported to another place. In the New Testament, a woman in suffering came to Christ and touched his robe, to which Christ said, “Your faith has saved you,” and the woman was transformed instantly (Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34).

At this point in A Christmas Carol, Scrooge has stopped struggling with the journey. He willingly obeys as commanded.

Christ’s mission was to teach and to demonstrate acts of kindness and service to others, which is the quintessential lesson for us and Scrooge. In his past, Scrooge witnessed his mentor, Fezziwig, living with kindness and generosity, and this New Testament lesson demonstrates how Scrooge can put what he saw in the

past into practice in the present.

“There are some upon this earth… who do their deeds of…pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness…who are as strange to us, and all our kith and kin, as if they had never lived.… Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die? [In] the sight of heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man’s child. O God! To hear the insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers in the dust!”

Like a parable Christ would teach, the words of this ghost contrast a life of earthly riches and selfishness to the spiritual richness of the poor, who will ultimately inherit the earth. It’s poignant that this ghost calls to the authority of “us” in this passage—a lasting reference to the divinity symbolized by the three ghosts.

Finally, the Ghost of Christmas Present calls to mind that Christ’s life was meaningful but short: “My life upon this globe is very brief.” Christ took on our flesh in peace, to teach righteousness over humanism to and be the innocent sacrifice in redemptive salvation.

THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS FUTURE

The Holy Spirit

The last spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Future, comes “like a mist along the ground…a solemn phantom, draped and hooded” with no visible body. Unlike the previous ghosts, this one doesn’t speak directly, but Scrooge speaks to it. The description of this ghost—with no human form and no words—aligns it with an inner presence to which Scrooge is connected. This best describes the Holy Spirit working within our individual lives.

Reminding us of Pentecost, this ghost enters, and Scrooge shakes in fear. His legs tremble, and he can barely stand in the presence of the ghost. “The spirit paused for a moment, observing [Scrooge’s] condition

and giving him time to recover.” The greatness of the Spirit of God is overwhelming, and Scrooge is “struck” with both fear and gladness. “Ghost of the Future! I fear you more than any specter I have seen. But as I know your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bear your company and do it with a thankful heart.”

The Ghost of Christmas Future connects Scrooge back to his own life. While the Ghost of Christmas Present showed him a life outside himself in Fred and the Cratchits, this ghost brings it back introspectively, guiding Scrooge individually so that Scrooge’s fate is not one of misery and despair. Through images of a dark and scary future, Scrooge realizes that “this is a fearful place. In leaving it, I shall not leave its lesson, trust me. Let us go!”

Like the New Testament Book of Revelation, Scrooge’s grim future is reminiscent of a dark, apocalyptic reality ahead of him if he does not have salvation. We forge our life like a chain, “link by link, and yard by yard.” We build on our experiences and must “gird [our life] on our own free will” and, by that free will, decide to live it. We will be judged for our sins, but our faith will save us from the reality of our shortcomings.

Scrooge surrenders himself to the authority of the ghosts. “I understand you, and I would do it, if I could. But I have not the power, Spirit.… Spirit! Hear me. I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse.… Nothing is past hope, if such a miracle has happened.”

Scrooge recognizes he cannot go alone. He must have a righteous intervention. The ghost assures Scrooge that by altering his life, he can amend the course of the future for

those outside himself and thus alter his own outcome—a very Christ-like prophecy. “I will honor Christmas… and keep it all year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The spirits of all three shall strive within me. I will not shut out what they teach.” Scrooge repents of his sins to bring him the grace of those outside himself. In doing so, he is forever changed.

Through his journey with the holy trinity of ghosts, Scrooge surrenders himself to the authority shown to him. Dickens gives clear proof that Scrooge has been reborn. “I don’t know what day of the month it is! I don’t know how long I’ve been among the spirits. I don’t know anything.… Never mind. I don’t care.” Scrooge is born anew, admitting he knows nothing and doesn’t care. He is now confident in his faith and holds firm to his spiritual guide who redeems him.

While many cite A Christmas Carol as the point at which Christmas became a less religious holiday, if we examine the text, we can draw a vastly different conclusion. Although Dickens does not quote specific Scriptures directly, his critical biblical references point a light to

the divine truth. Scrooge is forever linked to God the Father (the power of the past), Christ (the present), and the Holy Spirit (internally, his future). He is converted from death to eternal life.

By our human desires, we are, like Scrooge, singularly focused on ourselves, our needs, and our desires. We may willingly turn a blind eye toward the unhoused person on the street, the telemarketing calls from a charitable organization, or the neighbor who has lost a job. It is our innate human nature to ensure our survival. It is our Catholic calling to give up selfish ways and follow the Spirits of God, the Father; Christ, the Son; and the Holy Spirit. During this holy time of year, the parable of Ebenezer Scrooge can act as a guiding force for those seeking a greater power over their existence. “God bless us, everyone!” A

B.K. Bergman is the author of the novel Life in Harmony (2015) and the founder of writenowtherapy.com, a self-help site offering evidence-based tools for grief and emotional healing. He holds an MFA in creative writing, an MS in psychology, and a BA in communications, and he has studied at UCLA’s Writers’ Program. He lives with his family on California’s central coast.

The Imagination of God

The power of God’s imagination cannot be defined, and it cannot be contained—it can only be received and celebrated.

FR. THOMAS M. SANTA, CSsR

Christmas is a time for family gatherings. It is often a time for peace in our war-torn world—or, if not peace, at least a “cease-fire.” It is a time celebrated as the Nativity of the Savior, but, at the same time, it is also celebrated in countries where there is a limited Christian footprint because it just feels special. Christmas is many different things for many different people, but for God, the Father and the Creator, it is a magnification of his imagination.

The Incarnation goes well beyond what any Old Testament prophet hoped for and certainly well beyond what we understood as even possible. The Incarnation stands in powerful witness to the reality that, as creatures, we cannot even begin to imagine what the Father imagines. We cannot create as the Father creates. We are so limited, and God is

unlimited. There are no boundaries that limit the imagination of God.

The Incarnation of Jesus is proof of the Father’s boundless imagination. Divinity becomes humanity. Strength is rooted in fragility. Condemnation is crushed by innocence. Despair is replaced with hope. Mercy triumphs over judgment. What God promised—what we’ve patiently longed for—has been fulfilled beyond expectation.

The Incarnation is not the Father’s first imaginative and creative action, but it does retain a place of privilege and purpose in the plan of salvation. It should also teach us a profound lesson: the Father always has the last word, and that Word is more powerful than we can ever imagine. The Incarnation introduces this reality, and the resurrection confirms it. Everything in between explains it, but not entirely. There is so much

more that we do not know. There is so much more that we cannot comprehend. One thing is certain: whenever we forget that we do not possess the full and complete experience and imaginative power of the Father, we make a mess of things. We always come up short. We are never creative enough, generous enough, compassionate enough. We are severely restricted by our humanity and confused by the false certitude that humanity assumes, duplicating the original error repeatedly. It is so painfully arrogant to pretend we somehow know and understand. Humanity just does not listen. We jump to judgment, and we are not patient enough to receive, meditate on, and engage with the whole story before committing to our response. As a result, our actions are often foolhardy. We find ourselves tripping over our words and making

fragmented decisions and judgments because we do not incorporate the whole of what has been revealed. We settle for a single word, concept, or phrase and pronounce it fundamental, solid, unchanging, and absolute. While we may perceive a shortcut to be good, it always eliminates and does not include. It may be a good

us and animates us to live in his kingdom. Everything else, anything that emerges from the past or that we generate as an imagined part of our future, is utter nonsense. It does not give life; it only mirrors death.

During our Christmas celebrations, when we gather with family and friends, when we try to celebrate with greater humanity, when we realize something much grander than what we are capable of imagining or creating, we do so with a heart filled with gratefulness. We claim once again what has been gifted to us and what is yet to be revealed. The power of the imagination of God cannot be defined, and it cannot be contained—it can only be received and celebrated. A

Fr. Thomas M. Santa, CSsR, is the president and publisher of Liguori Publications, his second assignment as the company’s leader. Professed as a Redemptorist in 1973, his ministries have included retreat work and writing reflections for the Scrupulous Anonymous newsletter.

Missionaries of Hope

As the year comes to a close, we celebrate Thanksgiving and the feasts of faith: Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Advent, the Nativity of Christ, and the promise of a New Year. We sing “Joy to the World,” and we forgive past transgressions with “Auld Lang Syne.”

Last December, announcing the theme for Jubilee 2025, Pope Francis called on us to be “pilgrims of hope.” In this time of wars, violence, injustice, cruelty to migrants and refugees, the ongoing climate crisis, the polarization of society, and divisions within the Church, it is difficult to celebrate as pilgrims of hope. To whom should we look for hope? From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The virtue of hope responds to the aspiration to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man and woman; it takes up the hopes that inspire human activities” (CCC 1818).

In his first message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees, October 4 and 5, Pope Leo XIV spoke on the event’s theme of “Migrants, Missionaries of Hope.” He said, “Migrants, refugees, and displaced persons are privileged witnesses of hope. Indeed, they demonstrate this daily through their resilience and trust in God, as they face adversity while seeking a future in which they glimpse that integral human development and happiness are possible.”

It is not enough to inform ourselves about the people who are maligned and unappreciated in our society. We need to recognize migrants as family, neighbor, coworker, friend, and believer. As Jesus recognized the generous gift of the poor widow who put two small coins in the temple collection (See Mark 12:41–44.), Pope Leo XIV recognizes the true witness to hope in migrants who have left everything in their native lands and who trust in God for a better future.

FR. MIKE MCANDREW, CSsR

We need to recognize all as family, neighbor, coworker, friend, and believer.

How are we to respond to the “migrants, missionaries of hope”? We may serve food at a Thanksgiving meal for the homeless or celebrate the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe. We might participate in a posada , visit a senior center or nursing home during the Christmas season, or join in the various New Year celebrations with Asian immigrants. We can find ways to join with migrants and immigrants in standing up for hope and human dignity.

Let us inform ourselves by walking with the poor and outcast. Let us strive to be missionaries of hope so that we may make Pope Leo XIV’s fervent wish on the day he became pope come true: “Peace be with all of you.” A

Padre Migrante

The Lyrical Christmas Gift of Saint Alphonsus

THE MESSAGE OF A CENTURIES-OLD CAROL HAS TIMELESS APPEAL

FR. KEVIN O’NEIL, CSsR

The most popular Christmas carol in Italy tells a wonderful story of God’s closeness to us.

The most popular Christmas carol in Italy to this day is “Tu Scendi dalle Stelle” or “You Come Down from the Stars.” The lyrics were written by the founder of the Redemptorists, St. Alphonsus Liguori, and they tell a wonderful story of God becoming human, of God’s closeness to us. The message of this Christmas carol is as important today as it was when it was written nearly 300 years ago.

When St. Alphonsus lived in the eighteenth century, some spiritualities of his day presented God as distant and not overly concerned with the people of the world. God was seen as one whose majesty required people to grovel before him. In response to these spiritualities, St. Alphonsus spoke of a God who was crazily in love with us— Iddio pazzo —whose love was unreasonable, and who drew near to us. He once put these words on the lips of God: “As long as I have loved myself, I have loved you. As long as I have been God, I have loved you.” In other words, “I have always loved you.” But St. Alphonsus also conveyed this message through his art and music.

For example, in one sketch, St. Alphonsus presents Jesus like a pudgy little Neapolitan baby. And in this work, Jesus is fishing for hearts. What a far cry from a distant, vengeful God. Not only does Jesus look like a cute Italian baby whom people might have seen in their own homes or next door, but this Baby Jesus is looking for us, fishing for our hearts.

And it wasn’t only with his artwork that St. Alphonsus preached a God of bountiful love. He did so through music as

well, which brings me back to Italy’s most popular and famous Christmas carol, “Tu Scendi dalle Stelle.” While many Christmas carols speak about Jesus and his birth, “Tu Scendi dalle Stelle” sings to Jesus, expressing a warm familiarity with Jesus, who is close to us. The lyrics remind the singer of a God who longed to be with us and how, in the words of the letter of St. Paul to the Philippians, Jesus “did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness” (Philippians 2:6). St. Alphonsus captures God’s love and humility in his Son when he says in this excerpt from the song’s lyrics:

You come down from the stars

Oh, King of the heavens,

And you come in a cave

In the cold, in the frost.…

Oh, my Divine Baby

I see you trembling here,

Oh, Blessed God, Ah, how much it cost you.…

Dear chosen one, little infant, This dire poverty

Makes me love you more, Since Love made you poor now.…

“Love made you poor.” Yes, love for us. Alphonsus’ hope was that those who sang the hymn would not only become deeply aware of God’s love for them but also love God in return. “This dire poverty makes me love you more.” During this Christmas season, perhaps we could take some time to sing or pray these words of St. Alphonsus. Nothing would please him more than our being grasped by the love of God and, in return, loving God more. A

Fr. Kevin O’Neil, CSsR, was born in Kingston, New York, professed vows as a Redemptorist in 1975, and was ordained in 1981. He received his Doctor of Sacred Theology from the Alphonsian Academy in Rome and taught moral theology at the Washington Theological Union in Washington, DC, from 1990 to 2012. He has served in parochial and Hispanic ministry, on the preaching staff at San Alfonso Retreat House in Long Branch, New Jersey, and as leader of retreats and workshops nationally and internationally. Fr. Kevin is currently in provincial administration for the Redemptorists. He co-authored The Essential Moral Handbook (Liguori Publications, 809224) and Life, Death, and Catholic Medical Choices (Liguori Publications, 819537).

To listen, search

“Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle” and Andrea Bocelli.

The Ghost of Christmas Past

MEMORIES OF A DAD AT CHRISTMAS ARE LIKE POLAROID SNAPSHOTS OF GROWING UP IN MID-CENTURY SUBURBIA

GARY GATELY

There he is, hunched over the wires of the train garden in our living room, sparks flying while he hooks up the transformer so we can make the trains go fast and slow, belching steam as they lumber over and through the mountains, past the post office, the Texaco station, the church, and the tiny houses surrounded by felt green grass. Lights shine in the windows of the houses along the trolley line and inside the passenger cars of the trains. My father’s ever-present Winston glows, and his opalescent blue eyes twinkle, at least in part due to the consumption of significant quantities of National Bohemian beer. This is back in the 1960s and ’70s, when the Hoffbergers of Baltimore brewed the beer, and Jerry Hoffberger owned the Orioles and had “10-cent-beer nights” at the old Memorial Stadium.

year had been a good one in the car business.

As I got older, I loved Christmastime for all it was and for all it wasn’t.… I felt like we were a real family.

Then, early on Christmas morning, three of Dad’s five children would process down the steps of our house, one cradling the baby Jesus in a blanket for the trip to the stable under the tree, and the others holding lit candles. I suspect the “Jesus Parade” goes back to at least my father’s childhood home in the West Baltimore community of Irvington, but nobody is sure. Whatever its origins, I never saw the old man more content than during our annual family ritual. He would film it all with a two-footwide movie camera that had two blinding spotlights, and just seeing those lights made you believe in miracles. What else could explain all those stars dancing in your eyes as the colored Christmas-tree lights reflected off the gaudy silver garland?

For us, each Christmas season began after dinner on Thanksgiving evening with our annual trip to Edmondson Village Shopping Center in West Baltimore. When the thousands of clear white lights on the trees and storefronts flashed on all at once, my father could hardly contain his excitement. His face would grow flush, his eyes glistening.

“Look, Pal! Look at those lights! Can you believe it? I’m telling you. Have you ever seen anything like it?” He would put his arm around me as I sat on the fold-down armrest of a brand-new Buick LeSabre from Brooks Buick in suburban Baltimore, where he was sales manager. That

We then indulged in American consumerism on a grand scale, for Bernard Patrick Gately Jr. was nothing if not Madison Avenue’s dream come true. Christmastime was and always would be his favorite time at 7202 Barlow Court, the house with a backyard bordering a field full of dairy cows in Chadwick, the new suburb in Woodlawn, where he’d moved us from a West Baltimore rowhouse when I was still an infant.

On Christmas, we always found piles of gifts stacked at least a few feet deep: a talking football game, a fire helmet with built-in microphone, Sizzler racing car sets with loop-to-loops, a drivable fire truck,

a catcher’s mitt, a baseball pitchback, hockey sticks and pucks and skates. One year, my mother, Margaret Donohue Gately, got a new yellow Buick convertible with a black leather interior as a Christmas gift.

The money in the family seemed to have flowed as freely as the alcohol had since my father’s grandfather, Thomas James Gately, came to Baltimore from Ireland’s County Roscommon in 1866 and promptly opened a pub on West York Street, about three blocks west of where the Maryland Science Center now stands in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. But even when the money stopped coming, even when he was between jobs, my father would rack up obscene credit-card debt, and the stacks of gifts would still magically appear.

As I got older, I loved Christmastime for all it was and for all it wasn’t. At Christmastime, I felt like we were a real family. Christmastime meant none of the screaming matches between my mother and father, which came more frequently as his drunken rages worsened and he began suffering the slow drowning alive that happens with emphysema. For if Barlow Court at Christmastime could resemble scenes in the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, we saw our angry and heartbroken George Bailey show up more than occasionally during the rest of the year.

bedroom, and he prayed aloud with us every night. During prayers, he would take a break from puffing on Winstons, but he could still cough for half an hour straight after years of chain-smoking in a business where smoking and drinking were as endemic as on Mad Men.

We always began with, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…” before asking for

at Phillips Crab House. When I was a baby, my family still went “downyoshin” (in Baltimore parlance) every summer. But I had only faint memories of those beach trips, and I knew about them mostly because I had seen the home movies, the blackand-white snapshots, and the early color Polaroid pictures.

When we prayed with my father, he would tell us that God listens especially closely to the prayers of young children, and he’d ask us to please pray hard for him because he was “in the doghouse.” This usually meant too many bills and no work. Even then, I knew that he was suffering an earthly purgatory long before his death. Often, during hard times, he would utter one of his favorite prayers, by turns an act of faith or a plaintive plea, that

He would sit in the back pew of church alone, and I would hear him coughing loudly. By then, Our Lady of Perpetual Help had moved into a modern brick building, and my father couldn’t get over the fact that it had no large crucifix, as the old chapel it replaced had, and that hippies played “Let It Be” on acoustic guitars at the post-Vatican II Masses.

In the years after Mom began sleeping upstairs, my little brother and I slept in a twin bed next to my father in the first-floor master

“If I knew things would no longer be, I would have tried to remember better.”

God’s blessings and mercy for our family and praying for the poor, the hungry, the homeless, the sick, the victims of war, and the suffering souls in purgatory.

Some nights after prayers, my father would start talking dreamily, and his voice would get a little higher pitched. The Winston glowing when he dragged on it would light up his face, and he’d speak of going back to Ocean City, Maryland, and the whole family staying together again at the Westward Ho or the Yankee Clipper, catching the waves, riding the boardwalk train, crabbing at dawn, eating

began, “With the help of the Lord….”

When we buried him on a gray April day in 1979, I felt like I hardly knew the father whom my older brothers and my mother had known. By the time he died at fifty-nine, he and my mother had been divorced for five years. In those last years, he’d show up on Christmas at our tiny townhouse where my mother shared one bedroom with my sister and my little brother and I shared the other. Nobody ever suggested

continuing the Jesus Parade here at 6 Balset Court. It could never be the same. Already by then, my father had become the Ghost of Christmas Past, the twinkle in his eyes replaced by a sad gaze looking out from a hollow, gaunt face.

Sometimes, I feel guilty that I didn’t try to imagine how much it must have hurt him, seeing it all fall apart. But, looking back, I think it took me decades to even begin to try to grasp what it could have felt like. I couldn’t see past my childhood anger and heartbreak and tears. In some ways, I realize now, we all inevitably come to know our parents better in death than in life.

When I gaze at the old photos and the Polaroids of my father in his prime, a familiar pang gnaws at me: How I wish I had known the hulking, dashing man from Irvington. It is said that, in his younger days, before he got sick, he could hold his own with the best of them on the ball fields of his alma mater, Mount St. Joseph High School. And, later, he could work a party or an auto showroom floor with equal panache and polish. He was also known to express inappropriate delight in espousing contrarian views. His Irish kin, among others, would try to fathom the unthinkable: how my father, an

We all inevitably come to know our parents better in death than in life.

Irish Catholic, could publicly proclaim that this new president, Jack Kennedy, was greatly overrated.

If he had the Irish tendency to drink to his detriment—he was an on-again, off-again member of AA, though never a fall-down drunk (and sober his last three or four years)— he also had the Irish talent for talking with anyone about anything. He had a knack for convincing everyone he spoke to that almost nothing else in the world mattered at that moment but what they were saying. He knew many of the old Baltimore Colts, who bought vehicles from him, and he had advised Gino Marchetti to stick to football, what he knew best, and stay away from this new hamburger venture with Colts teammate Alan “The Horse” Ameche, which became the Baltimore-based fast-food fixture Gino’s. For the record and progeny’s sake, my father also predicted (correctly, it seems) that if somebody could bottle that new-car scent—the smell of success in post-World War II America—a lot of people would buy it.

As the years go by, and so much of who my father was slips from memory, I cling to, and try to pass along to my sons, stories of the grandfather they never knew. I tell Joseph, twenty-two, and Paul, eighteen, about my

dad’s infectious joy during the Christmas season and about his faith, which was a childlike faith in the end, as all real faith must be.

I tell them about sitting in his new car in Edmondson Village, where the white lights magically turned nighttime into day and created an instantaneous wonderland that now makes me think wistfully of the line from Baltimorean Barry Levinson’s movie Avalon : “If I knew things would no longer be, I would have tried to remember better.” I tell my sons about the annual Jesus Parades at Barlow Court and about their grandfather in heaven, a man I never saw happier than he was at this time of year.

I see him, my father, on Christmas Day. He’s sitting with his legs crossed, the blue plaid robe over his pajamas, pointing a long, bony finger at the steam pouring from a model train engine, dragging on a Winston.

There is this faraway look in his Irish eyes that shine right through to his soul. And he is smiling, for it is Christmastime. A

Gary Gately is the founder and editor of The Catholic Observer, a subscriptionbased newsletter. Gately, a lifelong Catholic, is an award-winning journalist who has written for The New York Times , The Washington Post , The Guardian, the National Catholic Reporter, America: The Jesuit Review, Newsweek, The Baltimore Sun, The Boston Globe , the Center for Public Integrity, CNBC.com, and United Press International.

Living the Catechism

Essentials for Learning and Practicing the Catechism of the Catholic Church

On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are to refrain from engaging in work or activities that hinder the worship owed to God, the joy proper to the Lord’s Day, the performance of the works of mercy, and the appropriate relaxation of mind and body. Family needs or important social service can legitimately excuse from the obligation of Sunday rest. The faithful should see to it that legitimate excuses do not lead to habits prejudicial to religion, family life, and health.

“The charity of truth seeks holy leisure; the necessity of charity accepts just work” (Saint Augustine).

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, 2185

Context, the fullest understanding of the text, is always important when applying the obligations associated with the practices and disciplines of our Catholic faith to our day-to-day living. Understanding the full context of what may be considered an obligation means resisting the urge to omit a couple of words and then apply the incomplete text as

an obligation. In reference to what is commonly understood as the “Sabbath rest” or “Sunday servile work,” this is an often-repeated error.

The context of paragraph 2185, quoted at left, must always include “activities that hinder the worship owed to God,” because these words provide the primary interpretative tool of the paragraph. It is not necessarily a particular activity or leisure choice that can be singled out and isolated; rather, one must answer this question: “Does this choice hinder my ability to worship God today?”

Context also includes the lived experience of the individual. For example, if a person lives in a secular society, particular practices that might be unacceptable in a more formal religious society are not routinely rejected. Illustrative of this point are Sunday “blue laws,” which, where they still exist, may restrict the sale of alcohol or other types of business activities.

An integrated Sunday that includes worship, time with family, and some sort of leisure can easily be balanced with yard work, shopping, gardening, or any other similar activity.

While some rules that enforce restrictions on Sundays have passed into the history books, our Catholic practice is not to embrace the secularization of Sunday, making it like any other day of the week. It does mean that we become focused and selective in what we choose as appropriate behavior on any given Sunday. An integrated Sunday that includes worship, time with family, and some sort of leisure can easily be balanced with yard work, shopping, gardening, or any other similar activity. It is not the activity in and of itself; it is the integrative and balanced application of our choices and decisions, including our engagement in worship owed to God, that we seek as our spiritual practice. a

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for the United States of America © 1994 United States Catholic Conference, Inc.— Libreria Editrice Vaticana; English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Modifications from the Editio Typica © 1997 United States Catholic Conference, Inc.— Libreria Editrice Vaticana

LUPE

BELMONTE / CATHOPIC

The Interrupted Faith Life

Iwake up every day, knowing my morning routine should start with thirty minutes of reading and prayer. However, it’s a daily struggle to avoid looking at my phone. Promising myself I’ll put it aside as soon as I check my WHOOP recovery and sleep scores, I quickly move on to my emails, then Amazon, then a quick look at how the Tigers did in last night’s game. Forty-five minutes pass, and I haven’t entered into prayer, and now my brain is far from calm. It’s annoying, yet I do it every morning!

Pope St. John Paul II frequently and strongly condemned consumerism, calling it “a threat to the freedom of the human person to live according to the higher demands of love.” He taught that consumerism is a “form of slavery” that can “corrupt the human vocation” to give oneself to God and others. I suspect he would say the same about social media and human freedom.

I reflect on this and make discipline my priority once again, removing apps and adding controls to my phone to avoid mindless scrolling. I do OK for a while and then fall off the wagon, re-downloading the apps and checking email last thing before bed and first thing when I wake up. Where did my dedicated prayer time go? The struggle is exhausting.

I crave silence and solitude. Contemplation. Prayer. My inner struggle against the constant interruption of my intention to be quiet reminds me of the book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by Jon Mark Comer. My interior battle to consistently create space for prayer and to resist the temptation of my phone and the pull of more “stuff” is what the author describes as a major deterrent to a healthy faith life. He contends that living in a “perpetual state of hurry” makes it difficult to cultivate a deep relationship with God and with others. The same is true of my inability to separate from my phone for just thirty minutes!

SCOTT CZARNOPYS

From Comer’s perspective, getting a handle on this struggle starts with some clear boundaries:

• I need to put my phone away, especially at night and first thing in the morning.

• I need to intentionally seek out silence, even if just for a few minutes, to just let my brain “be” rather than filling it with more noise.

• I need to observe a weekly Sabbath and “unplug,” allowing myself a day’s fast from my phone.

When I talk about this with others, I realize it’s a shared battle, and I come to understand it better. The more we open up about it and converse about strategies and solutions, the better chance we have for deeper spiritual lives. A

Where did my dedicated prayer time go?

SHVETS PRODUCTION / PEXELS

A Season to Surrender

B.G. KELLEY

“I won’t be here tomorrow morning, Billy.”

“Don’t say that, Dad. Keep fighting.”

“I’m not going to make it, and it’s OK.”

It was five days before Christmas, and my father, gravely ill with congestive heart failure, was staring at me with sunken eyes from his hospital bed. He was surrendering to death. It was the only time in his life I remember him surrendering to anything. He had forever preached to his six children: Never give up.

“Don’t quit, Dad,” I kept urging, fully knowing it was hopeless.

For sure, my father was facing the emotional and spiritual reflections accompanying death. But he seemed at peace. “You can rage at dying, or you can accept it or even bless it,” he whispered to me, his voice fleeting.

He was not going to be misled by unreasonable hopes. He didn’t hold to the view held by so many that if there is something courageous about fighting death, then there must be something cowardly about surrendering to it. My father was taking control of his life. It was a sign that he was at peace and was not going to, as Dylan Thomas exhorted, “burn and rave at close of day.” Still, I asked him, “Dad, does the thought of death frighten you?”

He paused, becoming introspective, before replying. “No. The thought of nothingness after death does,” he said, “but my faith pushes me to view death as the promise of paradise. There’s a better life ahead, where I will live forever. It’s time to say goodbye.”

I thought I saw a bright light form around his face. It was then that I realized, Yes, there is a season to surrender. And, so it was, my father was comforted by his belief in eternal life. That to die is to gain, to live again. That death is not separation but transformation; it is not terminative, but transcendent. Yes, I felt that my father chose to light a candle rather than curse the darkness. I understood. I was staring at my own mortality.

I saw that my dad was tiring; he closed his eyes. I kept staring at him. He was only sixty-nine. But, it had been a steady, painful decline since his early sixties. A strapping man all his life, he had been a gifted football player, even earning a scholarship to Villanova University for his toughness and swiftness toting the pigskin out of the backfield. Sadly, he had to turn it down because his father suddenly died, and his mother needed his help financially—there were five children in his family to feed and clothe. So, he went to the cemetery to dig graves to earn money.

He opened his eyes. “Are you still here?” he asked weakly.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I said. He fell back into slumber again.

I searched out the hospital cafeteria for a cup of coffee. When I reentered my dad’s room, he was praying the rosary. I got the unnerving feeling that this was it.

In that moment, a personally poignant thought overwhelmed me: Sons are often defined by their fathers, and a son necessarily reflects on the man who gave him life. Here, he came up short; here, he came up tall. For me, there was much more gained than lost by his fatherhood. But, it seems to me these days that many sons are born blank and endlessly malleable,

seeking new identities apart from their fathers. I had never wanted to disconnect from my dad, particularly from his values—honesty, hard work, perseverance, and an undying faith in and love for his family and Church. Every Sunday, I would see him go to Communion with my mom in our parish church, Corpus Christi. At Christmastime, he would donate red poinsettias to decorate the altar; at Easter, he would do the same with huge gold vases of white chrysanthemums. I would tote them across the street to the church and decorate the altar with them. His values called to me like an old proverb: “Blood calls to blood.”

I confess that there were times when I wandered here and there from his ways—disagreements are not unusual between fathers and sons. Once, he kicked me out of the house because my hair was long—he thought I was a hippie, and he didn’t care much for hippies. Another time, he wanted me to wear a suit and tie to a family function; I wanted to wear jeans and sneakers. I didn’t go. And, some Sundays, when I wanted to sleep in instead of going to Mass, he roused me and said, “As long as you live in this house, you will go to Mass.” I went.

Wanderers need an anchor.

And once, when I was full of myself after scoring twenty-nine points in a high school basketball game to put the team into the playoffs, I blurted, “I was the star.” The man who never missed any of my games stared me square in the eyes and firmly told me, “That’s not for you to say.”

He was right.

At two in the morning, my father, at age sixty-nine, closed his eyes for the final time. The angels had come to bring him home.

At the funeral Mass on Christmas Eve, my mind’s eye wandered to a photograph of him I keep in my office. He’s twenty-one, on the beach in Wildwood at the Jersey Shore, in a bathing suit and in all his red-blooded American manliness: muscular, sinewy, with a crop of thick, wavy black hair, looking full of life in a Kennedy-esque way. I often stare at the photo and become even more certain of this: I may not have turned out exactly like my father, but, for sure, there is much of him in me. A

B.G. Kelley is a nationally published writer. His bylines have appeared in the New York Times , Sports Illustrated, Health magazine, US Airways magazine, Hemispheres magazine, Boston Magazine , and New Jersey Monthly Magazine , among others. He was also one of the writers on the network TV film Last Shot: The Hank Gathers Story.

Scripture Scoop

Who Was Matthew?

The Gospel of Matthew—Cycle A

An educated Christian Jew began to gather material for teaching his community about Jesus and Jesus’ message. When he started writing, this Christian Jew had a copy of the Gospel of Mark, written somewhere between 65 and 70, and a later manuscript containing many of the “sayings” of Jesus, usually referred to as the “Q source.” (Quelle is German for “source.”) With these two manuscripts in front of him, and with the knowledge he had gained by listening to the community to which he belonged, he compiled his gospel.

The Gospel of Matthew betrays the Jewish bias of the author, who held Jewish laws and traditions close to his heart. For Matthew, Jesus did not come to do away with the Law, but to fulfill and correctly interpret it. The Gospel of Matthew quotes often from the Old Testament, showing that Jesus did indeed fulfill what had been foretold throughout the Old Testament. He presents Jesus as a rabbi who entered rabbinical debates with those who opposed him.

Matthew had a great love for his Jewish ancestry, and he naturally began his gospel with Jesus’ family tree, starting with Abraham, the father of the Israelite nation. God promised Abraham that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars. The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as the Son of God and the Son of David, as he wished to show that Jesus is truly the expected Messiah promised throughout the Old Testament. Matthew shows that the family line of Jesus came to him through Joseph, the husband of Mary. According to the custom of the day, an adopted child had the right to claim the family line of the adopting father. Also according to Jewish custom,

the family line came through male ancestry. When Joseph accepted Mary and Jesus into his life, he also accepted Jesus into his family lineage. Matthew centered his infancy narrative on Joseph and wrote nothing about the family line of Mary. A

Prayer

Christ is the vine, and we are the branches. As branches linked to Jesus, the vine, we are called to recognize that Scripture is always being fulfilled in our lives. It is the living Word of God, living on in us. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your divine wisdom, knowledge, and love.

SAINT MATTHEW, BY PETER PAUL RUBENS / WIKIMEDIA

Spirituality of Emptiness

The holidays, on the surface, are about “fullness.” Our calendars are full, we fill our plates and bellies with food on Thanksgiving, and we fill our cups with “Christmas cheer.” But there is also a painful side of the holidays: emptiness. The empty seat at the table that was once occupied by a loved one. The sadness and fatigue that come from realizing it’s not the “most wonderful time of the year,” as the song proclaims. Mental health experts tell us that addictive behavior, depression, seasonal affective disorder, and suicide all spike at this time of year.

A few years back, we received a Christmas card that included a lovely poem by Barbara Germiat, a gifted Catholic poet from Appleton, Wisconsin, who died in January of this year at the age of eighty-eight. The poem was entitled “On How to Be a Manger,” and it outlined the qualities needed for a manger to be prepared to hold the Baby Jesus, which are the same qualities required of the receptive human heart: Be empty. Be sturdy. Be soft inside. Be still. Be ready.

The poem inspired us. “Emptiness” describes deeper aspects of our faith experience, connoting both a negative and a positive condition. There is feeling empty , and there is accepting or acknowledging emptiness. Feeling empty during the holidays, with all its loneliness and pressures to be jolly, is an epidemic in our society. But emptiness—being not full of oneself—is needed to cooperate with grace, as one can see in the lives of all the saints. Mary’s fiat— “May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 2:38)—and the Suscipe prayer of St. Ignatius Loyola—“Take, Lord, and receive”—are statements of emptiness.

Emptying ourselves of society’s expectations is a starting point for authentic spirituality. The idea of making our hearts a manger, a receptacle for God’s life, sheds new light on the painful reality of the hidden anguish of this season.

TIM AND JULIE SMITH

Be empty. Be sturdy. Be soft inside. Be still. Be ready.

Inspired by Germiat’s poem, we wrote a liturgical song, “How Can I Be a Manger?”

How can I be a manger, can my heart be your home?

Can hope be born within us upon a stable throne?

I long to hold you, Jesus, embrace your loving will.

Lord, make my heart a manger: sturdy, strong, and still.

We sang it throughout Advent that year. The verses had the assembly repeat the word empty… empty… empty…. It was a strange way to ritualize Advent, but it seemed to resonate with people. A few months later, we received a letter from a parishioner who had experienced a recent miscarriage. She told us she had been dreading the holidays, but the song had allowed her to embrace the loss within her, to grieve and ponder her emptiness in a new light.

May your Christmas celebrations make room for meaningful emptiness and joyful fullness. A

To listen to “How Can I Be a Manger?”, visit our website, timandjuliesmith.com, and find it under Free Stuff.

November Mission

A jardinière of mums Against a Mission

Wall and bench

To lean against or sit Upon a Sunday Morning, mourning

KATHLEEN GUNTON

The Stuff of Gratitude

Gratitude is the fruit of long practice. When we approach the Thanksgiving holiday, we may or may not give thanks. We don’t simply decide that we’ll be thankful today. Perhaps we will speak thanks. But genuine gratitude requires more from us.

Robust gratitude is fueled by information, and much of that information arrives in the form of memory. I remember a beautiful day, or a helpful conversation, or a disaster survived, and my response is gratitude. If, however, I have a measly store of specific memories, my gratitude grows thin.

This is why it’s crucial to embrace the present moment and pay attention to the day’s details. How I live this morning stores up material for this afternoon, and next week, and next year. How I respond to life right now will—or will not—prepare me to express thanks later.

The Israelites were once instructed to build a monument in the middle of a river. It would remind them that this was where they had crossed from one life into another, led by God’s mercy and power. They would see that monument, and they would remember and tell the story to their children and grandchildren.

I’m not an avid journal-keeper (or monumentbuilder). But I have chosen to keep records over the years for the sake of remembering what happened, and how I got through it, or how much joy I experienced, or what I learned. Since my husband’s death six months ago, I’ve been reading through thirty years’ worth of memories, a partial record of our life together. This spiritual practice has provided fuel for gratitude during a time of sadness and loss. The details I paid attention to and recorded have become the stuff of my present thanksgiving. I preserved the details of very difficult times as well as happy and easy times. I put into words the micro-lessons I learned about how to love and be loved. All of it helps me give thanks now and holds my memories in a healthy perspective.

Redemptive Living

VINITA HAMPTON WRIGHT

If you want to practice gratitude tomorrow, then pay attention today.

Let’s drop the cute phrase “Have an attitude of gratitude.” A person doesn’t simply have an attitude; a person builds a way of thinking and being over years and does it intentionally in good times and bad.

So, if you hope to have a truly grateful Thanksgiving this year, engage as fully as you can with what’s going on in your life right now. Figure out how to preserve the moment: a trinket you buy on a day out with friends; a photo of you and a loved one having dinner or sitting by a lake; a few notes in your journal about what the trees looked like when you were drinking your coffee this morning in the backyard. This is the stuff that gratitude is made of. A

FIZKES / SHUTTERSTOCK

The Catholic Observer

Pope Leo Calls for Day of Fasting and Prayers for Peace

Pope Leo XIV urged the faithful to observe a day of fasting and prayers on Friday, August 22, for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine, and other war-ravaged parts of the world. Noting that Catholics celebrate the feast of the Queenship of Mary on August 22, Pope Leo said during his weekly general audience, “Mary is the Mother of believers here on earth and is also invoked as Queen of Peace, while our earth continues to be wounded by wars in the Holy Land, in Ukraine, and in many other regions of the world.”

“We must always seek a cease-fire; the violence, the many deaths must stop…. We must always rely on dialogue, on diplomatic work, and not on violence or weapons.”—Pope Leo XIV

Speaking to about 6,000 people in the Vatican’s Paul VI Audience Hall, the pontiff added, “I invite all the faithful to devote the day of August 22 to fasting and prayer, imploring the Lord to grant us peace and justice and to dry the tears of those who suffer as a result of the ongoing armed conflicts. Mary, Queen of Peace, intercede so that peoples may find the path to peace.”

Since his election on May 8, the Pope has repeatedly appealed for peace in Ukraine and the Holy Land. He told reporters at the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo outside Rome that negotiations aimed at ending Russia’s war on Ukraine inspire hope. “But, we still need to work hard, pray hard, and truly seek the way forward to find peace. We pray and try to move forward,” the pope added, the day after

President Donald J. Trump met at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders for talks aimed at ending the conflict.

Ahead of Trump’s August 15 meeting with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin in Alaska, Pope Leo told reporters at Castel Gandolfo, “We must always seek a cease-fire; the violence, the many deaths must stop…. We must always rely on dialogue, on diplomatic work, and not on violence or weapons.”

Pope Leo also delivered an urgent call to end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. “The humanitarian crisis must be resolved,” the Pope told reporters during the impromptu press conference. “We cannot go on like this.”

While repeating his demand that the Islamist militant group Hamas free Israeli hostages, he added that “we must also think of the many who are dying of hunger” in Gaza.

To sign up for The Catholic Observer newsletter at no cost or for a paid individual or group subscription, please type this line into your web browser and follow the instructions.

thecatholicobserver.substack.com

Gary Gately is the founder and editor of The Catholic Observer, a subscription-based newsletter. Gately, a lifelong Catholic, is an award-winning journalist who has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, the National Catholic Reporter, America: The Jesuit Review, Newsweek, The Baltimore Sun, The Boston Globe, the Center for Public Integrity, CNBC.com, and United Press International. Please email news tips or suggestions to Garymichaelgately@gmail.com.

ANTONELLA

The Catholic Observer

Trump Says Brokering Ukraine–Russia Peace Could Be His Ticket to Heaven

President Donald J. Trump says that he hopes to get into heaven and that brokering peace between Ukraine and Russia could help him do so. Speaking on Fox and Friends the day after his White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders for talks aimed at ending the conflict, Trump said, “I just want to end it. If I can save 7,000 people a week from getting killed, that’s pretty good. I want to try and get to heaven, if possible. I’m hearing that I’m not doing well. I hear I’m at the bottom of the totem pole. If I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said later that day that the seventy-nine-year-old Trump wasn’t joking. “I think the president was serious,” she told reporters. “I think the president wants to get to heaven—as I hope we all do in this room as well.”

Trump—who won the Catholic vote by the largest margin of any presidential candidate in more than a half-century, according to exit polls—has invoked God often since taking office for his second term in January.

Father James Martin, the Jesuit priest, author, and journalist, wrote in America: The Jesuit Review, “Dear President Trump, As a Catholic priest, I take seriously your recently stated desire to get into heaven.”

But Martin urged Trump to consider Jesus’ message in the Gospel of Matthew, which states that when we didn’t care for the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked person, and the imprisoned, we didn’t care for Jesus. (See Matthew 25:31–46.) Martin said, “You’ve got to walk the walk. That means walking beside those who are poor, sick, naked, hungry, strangers, or in any way struggling. I’m trying to do the same thing, imperfectly.”

US Bishops’ Conference President Calls for Special Collection to Aid Gaza

Saying “Gaza is starving,” the president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) urged his fellow bishops to hold a special collection to provide desperately needed humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave and surrounding areas. “It is with great pastoral concern for the ongoing crisis in Gaza that I write to you today,” Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, president of the USCCB, wrote.

“Our Church mourns the terrible suffering of Christians and other innocent victims of violence in Gaza and surrounding areas.”

Broglio said the money collected could be channeled through two Catholic aid agencies: the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the overseas humanitarian relief agency of the Catholic Church in the United States. “The situation in Gaza and across the Middle East cries out for the assistance of the Catholic community of the United States,” wrote Broglio, who also leads the US Archdiocese for the Military Services.

The United Nations and more than twenty affiliated aid organizations have warned that famine is playing out across Gaza. The UN reports that starvation and malnutrition in Gaza have reached their highest levels since the war began after the Hamasled Islamist militants killed more than 1,200 Israelis and took more than 200 hostages on October 7, 2023.

Israel imposed a blockade in March, preventing most humanitarian aid to Gaza, according to more than 100 international aid groups. More than one in three Gazans go days without food, and 20,000 children have been treated for acute malnutrition since April, the UN says. And the Gaza Health Ministry has reported at least 266 hunger-related deaths, including 122 children.

To read this story in its entirety, go to thecatholicobserver.substack.com.

President Donald J. Trump THE WHITE HOUSE

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio US ARCHDIOCESE FOR THE MILITARY SERVICES

From Saintly Bites for Children: Mixing Faith, Fun & Family Time in

Mexican Hot Chocolate

AROUND THE TABLE

Just as Juan Diego’s tilma carried the miraculous image of Our Lady, this rich and comforting drink, with its blend of chocolate and spices, reminds us of the warmth and sweetness of our Mother Mary.

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, cocoa powder, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and cayenne pepper. Place over medium heat, occasionally stirring until steaming, about 5 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil.

2. Add the chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.

3. Pour the hot chocolate into heatproof mugs.

4. Top with whipped cream or marshmallows, sprinkle with a dusting of cocoa powder, and serve immediately.

Ingredients (serves 3 to 4)

3 cups whole milk

3 tablespoons cocoa powder, plus more for serving

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch cayenne pepper

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Sweetened whipped cream or marshmallows, for serving

Tools Checklist

Measuring cups

Measuring spoons

Medium saucepan

Whisk

Mixing spoons

Heatproof mugs

Saintly Bites for Children: Mixing Faith, Fun & Family Time in the Kitchen by Shelby Siegfried; illustrations by Ted Schluenderfritz.

Includes 66 recipes, each with a bite-sized story of a saint.

Product Code: 828744

Hardcover / 7.25 x 9.25 / 192 pages / $29.99

To order, visit Liguori.org or call 800-325-9521. Available November 2025.

Saint Juan Diego

The Miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe 1474–1548 * Feast day: December 9

Patron of Indigenous people

Saint Juan Diego’s story is one of simple faith and extraordinary miracles. Born in 1474 in what is now Mexico, Juan Diego was a humble man who lived a quiet life as a farmer. Although he wasn’t wealthy or powerful, Juan Diego was rich in his love for God and his devotion to the Virgin Mary.

One cold December morning in 1531, while walking to Mass, Juan Diego heard beautiful music and saw a radiant figure on Tepeyac Hill. It was the Virgin Mary, who appeared to him surrounded by light and dressed in clothes as bright as the sun. She spoke to Juan Diego in his native language and asked him to tell the bishop to build a church on that very hill. Juan Diego, though humble, faithfully carried her message.

When the bishop asked for a sign to prove the apparition was real, Juan Diego returned to the hill. The Virgin Mary appeared again and instructed him to gather roses, growing miraculously in the cold winter soil. Juan Diego carefully collected the flowers in his tilma, a simple cloak made of agave fiber. When he presented the roses to the bishop, they fell away to reveal the image of the Virgin Mary imprinted on the fabric of his cloak. This miraculous image, known as Our Lady of Guadalupe, became a powerful symbol of faith and unity in Mexico and is still venerated today.

To celebrate St. Juan Diego and his encounter with the Virgin Mary, enjoy a warm cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate. Just as Juan Diego’s tilma carried the miraculous image of Our Lady, this rich and comforting drink, with its blend of chocolate and spices, reminds us of the warmth and sweetness of our Mother Mary.

Saint Juan Diego, pray for us!

ILLUSTRATION BY TED SCHLUENDERFRITZ

November 1

All Saints’ Day

Kindness Calendar

HELPFUL TIPS TO GROW AND LIVE YOUR FAITH DAILY

In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “Dare to be a saint!” Do something today that a saint would do. Make November a month of thanksgiving, each day sharing with family or on social media one thing for which you are grateful. All you holy saints of God, pray for us.

November 2

All Souls’ Day

Call to mind your dear departed ones and pray: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

November 11

Veterans Day

Pray for those who served, for those mourning the loss of loved ones, and for an end to war.

November 16

Jubilee of the Poor Pray for those who are living on the margins. Plan a way to offer your time and treasure to a charity serving the poor.

November 20

World Children’s Day

Pray today for children, especially those in harm’s way.

For the safety of every mother’s child, we pray.

November 22–23

Jubilee of Choirs

Thank a parish musician today.

November 27

Thanksgiving Day (USA)

Call to mind your blessings and share your gratitude with those around your table.

November 30

First Day of Advent

Each day of Advent, pray: Lord Jesus, be born in us; be born in our world.

“Gratitude can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. It makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

Melody Beattie

December 6

Saint Nicholas Day Surprise someone today with a little treat.

December 12

Our Lady of Guadalupe Pray today for the friendship and cooperation of all the countries of the Americas. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

December 13

Saint Lucy

Today, ask St. Lucy, patron saint of the blind, to intercede for us that we might see ourselves and others as God sees.

December 14

Jubilee of Prisoners Pray today for those in prison, for the grace of repentance for the guilty, and for justice for those falsely accused.

December 16–24

Las Posadas

As Christians in Latin America remember the Holy Family seeking shelter for the Christ to be born, pray that all who are searching for a home find a generous welcome.

December 24–25

Christmas

May all that is gentle, peaceful, kind, and lovely this day inspire our lives every day of the coming year. Let us pray again: Lord Jesus, be born in us; be born in our world.

December 28

Holy Family

Do something together as a family and plan to reach out to family members who are absent or estranged.

December 31

New Year’s Eve

Look back on 2025, making note of the moments of grace you experienced, and give thanks.

A New Type of Pilgrimage

Each Advent, we are presented with an opportunity: a pilgrimage that takes us all the way to the manger in Bethlehem. It’s a season of watching, waiting, and hoping as we prepare for the coming of Christ. Yet, in today’s world, that journey looks a little different. The watching and waiting have moved away from quiet deserts and candlelit chapels and now include our screens. There is a journey happening on our social media pages.

Is this surprising? We might think of social media as a means of distraction, as something that creates a barrier between ourselves and God. It can certainly consume our attention, trap us in the habit of comparison, and be an enormous waste of time, but, if we allow it, social media can also guide us toward Christ, our Redeemer.

Think about the Magi and their own journey to Christ. They didn’t start out in a church or a synagogue. Rather, they watched the sky and saw the star that would lead them across a vast distance toward the King of Kings. Many people today gaze at a new kind of sky—the glowing screens they hold in the palms of their hands.

What if, this Christmas, we became stars for others, pointing them toward Christ through the content we share? The internet is one of the most traveled roads today. Could it not also be a pilgrimage? The Church can meet people where they are and learn to walk this road. This doesn’t mean preaching in every post. It means witnessing by sharing truth, beauty, and love. It means sharing the quiet moments of Advent, offering prayers, and reminding others that true joy is not found in curating perfect photos but in the things that come from God.

What if, this Christmas, we became stars for others, pointing them toward Christ through the content we share?

Social media has the ability to stir our hearts if we let it. Whether it is a video of a choir singing Christmas hymns, a priest’s reflection on the Christmas story, or a reel showing nuns decorating their convent for Christmas, all of these are hints of light that draw us ever closer to Christ, just as the star drew the Magi to him. Our challenge is to follow that light all the way to the manger and move into a closer communion with God.

This Christmas, let’s find a different purpose for our devices. Let’s use them not solely for entertainment, but as instruments to encounter the Baby Jesus. Find pages that uplift and nourish your soul. Post something that points to Christ. Leave comments that encourage others. And, of course, don’t forget to pause—to take a step away from all the noise of the world and allow God to speak to you in the silence.

We, like the Magi, are being guided. The manger is waiting. It calls to us—not just from a church or Nativity scene—but in every heart that makes room for Christ. A

NAMPIX / SHUTTERSTOCK

Forever

Fruit cake

AN ANNUAL BAKING TRADITION YIELDS A SURPRISE IN THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS

Fiction

KENNETH NEUSER, PhD

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JIWSURREAL / SHUTTERSTOCK

The day started without incident. On the kitchen table, well dusted with flour, lay the holiday cookbook. Late November with its cloudy sky invited staying home and getting a start on Christmas baking.

Marge credited herself with being a good cook, and she was not bothered by the occasional teasing during her annual fruitcake production. Some joked that there was only one fruitcake in the world, passed from one person to another. Others joked that fruitcake had evolved as an intended gift for someone not on the giver’s “favorites” list. Then came the suggestion of using fruitcake as an alternative doorstop. For Marge, though, the sight and feel of flour offered her warmth and passion for all things family. The world for Marge began at the kitchen table.

“My fruitcake will be dark, moist, and rich, yet light in weight—a delicacy,” Marge self-affirmed. “My fruitcakes are baked with love.”

Marge’s inventory from the previous evening had yielded carefully measured ingredients, varying from baking soda to a mixture of fruits and nuts, now sitting on the sideboard. “It’s all there except for enough molasses to hold the batter together” she said. “I can’t be short on molasses.”

The world for Marge began at the kitchen table.

Fruitcake preparation began weeks before Christmas. The nuts had to be chopped in perfectly sized pieces. The dark cake called for brown sugar and the right proportions of allspice and mace. This year, the cakes were going to be sprinkled with brandy rather than whiskey, and the intended batter would be so thick that she would have to mix it by hand.

“I need to get more molasses, or it will never work,” reaffirmed Marge.

Grabbing her coat and car keys, Marge’s next mission was to take a ride to Alice’s house. “I owe Alice a visit, and I’ll check to see if she has extra molasses. Knowing Alice, she’ll want to do a quick run for groceries. I can always simply buy more molasses.”

Making her way to the car parked in the shed, the nowimpatient baker was greeted by a flurry of snowflakes. She wanted to get home, molasses in hand.

Brisk north winds pulled at the wooden screen door as Marge entered Alice’s house. The door spring jangled loosely, flapping

1 E (Is 6:5–7)

2 C (2 Kgs 2:9)

3 F (Mk 3:17)

4 O (Est 2:5–7)

5 L (Lk 1:26–28)

6 H (Jn 21:10–14)

7 J (Jn 13:29)

8 A (Am 7:14)

9 Q (Dn 2:28–35)

10 D (Lk 10:29–37)

11 I (Gn 50:26)

12 G (Acts 17:1–7)

across the screen door like a spanking from an angry Mother Nature. Suddenly, a cat hissed and then chased a mouse across the enclosed porch.

“What do you want?” came the gruff voice of Alice.

Seeing Marge, Alice softened her voice.

“I was hoping you would come today.”

Then came the authoritative positioning, typical of Alice. “I want you to do some errands with me before the snow gets worse. We can visit in the car. Cemetery and Greeley’s Grocery. I have my shopping list ready.”

A special relationship existed between Marge and Alice, despite their differences in disposition. As far as Alice was concerned, she had all she needed: a driver with a car and her list of errands.

“I get forgetful,” Alice complained. “My memory isn’t what it used to be. I used to try to laugh it off, but I wonder now if my memory is getting worse.”

Marge knew this was not the time to request the favor of possibly borrowing some molasses.

13 S (Mk 14:72) 14 W (Acts 21:39) 15 P (Jn 1:48)

B (Jn 1:44)

V (1 Sm 28:8–11) 18 T (Jos 2:1–6–16) 19 M (Jn 20:11–18) 20 K (Lk 10:38–40) 21 U (1 Kgs 11:43) 22 R (Acts 24:1–5)

Through the years, Marge had begun to accept the fact that complaining was Alice’s only way of communicating.

In a kind tone, Marge asked, “Did you make the doctor’s appointment like we talked about?”

“None of that doctor business for me. Both of my folks lived well beyond ninety. Our only side trip today is to the cemetery to get the summer wreaths off the graves. They’ll be good enough to use for another year.”

As expected, the task of salvaging the wreaths fell to Marge, the wooden stakes snapping in the frozen plots. Alice watched as Marge—growing ever more impatient because of how much time they were taking at the cemetery—placed the wreaths in the trunk of the car.

“Now to the grocery store,” Alice directed. “I need a few stamps for what Christmas cards I will be sending. Coffee is on my list, and I’m hoping Old Man Greeley still carries mouse traps. I’ve been having mice in my pantry.” She snapped her fingers, emphasizing the much-needed traps.

Marge found a parking spot right in front of Greeley’s Grocery. The

23 X (Prv 10:7) 24 N (Prv 15:1) 25 Y (Prv 10:1) BE LL S GR AB CO IN

Catholic Crossword answers (puzzle is on page 45)

Bible Quiz answers (puzzle is on page 44)

winds were picking up, the snow drifting on the steps. Marge bit her lip, analyzing the limited progress on her intended agenda for the day. “As long as I am here, I’ll quickly buy some molasses.”

Alice completed her shopping quickly. “It’s getting nasty out there. I want to get back home for lunch,” commanded Alice, never giving Marge a chance to purchase the needed molasses.

Pulling into Alice’s driveway, Marge’s irritation was reaching the stage of anger, but she caught herself. The fruitcake would need to wait for tomorrow. Today, she would have to be content with making some raised dough.

The thought of making bread brought Marge comfort—the smell as it bakes, the hollow tap that signaled it was done, the first bite.

The two trudged through the snow, Marge wanting to make certain Alice got into the house safely.

“Marge, you come in a minute. I have something for you.”

Entering the house, Alice again issued her directives: “Make sure both doors are shut tight. I want no mice in the house.”

Alice shuffled into the pantry, returning with an oversized tin. As she removed the tightly closed lid, powdered sugar puffed in the air, scenting the kitchen. She unwrapped the foil, then the linen soaked in brandy, and the aroma of the liqueur instantly filled the air.

“This is for you,” Alice said, her voice softening.

Fruitcake. Dark, moist, rich fruitcake. Baked by Alice with love. A

New from Liguori Publications

In Sacramentals: Liturgical Symbols t hat Surround U s, author Johan van Parys takes us through the symbolism of various elements used in Catholic liturgies, bringing u s greater understanding of the s acredness associated with objects when they’re used in a religious manner. He reviews sacred spaces that exist within church buildings and walks through the history of how they developed from ancient times. This fascinating exploration of sacramentals and symbolism is bound to inspire greater reverence for C atholic churches and liturgies.

Sa cr am entals: Liturgical Symbols t hat Surround Us

Johan van Parys, PhD

192-Pages / 8 x 10 Paperback / $29.99

Kenneth Neuser, PhD, is a retired educator and a freelance writer who is committed to keeping the printed word alive.

Ken lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with his wife and enjoys spending time with his three children and nine grandchildren.

Prod u ct C ode: 828850

Mention Offer Code 26305 and save 20%. Offer expires 12/31/25.

Following the Star of Wonder

The story of the Magi as it appears in Matthew’s Gospel is, in a way, more noteworthy for what it doesn’t include than for what it does include. It doesn’t say there were three visitors. It doesn’t say they were kings. Nor does it let us know their names or exactly where they were from. Yet, because the inclusion of the Magi in the story of Jesus’ birth communicates an essential truth of our faith—that the Christ came for all, Jew and Gentile, wealthy and poor, powerful and weak—a rich tradition developed over the centuries around the mysterious visitors from the East.

“We Three Kings of Orient Are” was composed in 1857 by John Henry Hopkins, an Episcopal deacon from Pennsylvania. In it, the Magi tell their own story. The first and fifth verses are in their collective voice, while the middle three verses are sung individually, with each king telling of the gift he brings to the Christ Child. The song resonates with us, perhaps because it helps fill in the details of the Magi in our imaginations. It also helps us better understand the symbolic meaning of the three gifts, which represent Jesus’ majesty (gold), divinity (frankincense), and mortality (myrrh).

The story of the Magi, like much of Matthew’s infancy narrative, points to the cross and reminds us that there should always be a little Good Friday in our Christmas.

“

HEAVEN AND NATURE SING:

“The Church’s mission is not only to proclaim Christ but also to defend life, care for the poor, and protect the vulnerable.”

The candy cane around 1670 in Germany and was designed to help children sit still during long Christmas services.

The candy was shaped like a “J” to represent the crooks of the shepherds that visited Baby Jesus. Around 1900, the red stripes and peppermint flavoring were added. Christians believe that the red stripes represent the blood that Jesus shed on the cross, and that the peppermint flavoring represents the hyssop plant that was used for biblical purification.

—POPE LEO XIV

Another Reason to Join the Choir

Listening to the right music can reduce stress and anxiety and motivate you to exercise or complete a dreaded task. According to a 2023 study by scientists at McGill University in Montreal, listening to your favorite music can also reduce physical pain by at least one point on a tenpoint scale. If listening to music is good for you, making music is even better. Singing in a choir can improve breathing, posture, and even the immune system.

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Bible Quiz

Rate yourself on your knowledge of Scripture. Match the first column with the second. Answers are on page 40.

1. An ember was touched to his lips ______

2. Asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit ______

3. Brother of John ______

4. Cousin who adopted Esther ______

5. Gabriel said she was the Lord’s favored one ______

A. Amos

B. Bethsaida

C. Elisha

D. Samaritan

E. Isaiah

6. He cooked breakfast for Peter and the disciple ______ F. James

7. He held the money bag ______ G. Jason

8. He said, “I am not a prophet.” ______ H. Jesus

9. He saw a vision of iron and clay feet ______

I. Joseph

10 He took care of a stranger ______ J. Judas

11 . He was embalmed ______

12 . He welcomed Paul and Silas in Thessalonica ______

13 . He wept when he heard the cock crow ______

K. Martha

L. Mary

M. Mary of Magdala

14 Hometown of Paul ______ N. Mild

15 . Jesus saw him under a fig tree ______

16 . Philip, Andrew, and Peter were all from here ______

17. Saul asked a medium to conjure up this man ______

18 She saved Joshua’s spies ______

19. She thought the risen Jesus was a gardener ______

20. She was unhappy with her sister ______

21 . Son of Solomon ______

22 Tertullus called him a pest ______

O. Mordecai

P. Nathanael

Q. Nebuchadnezzar

R. Paul

S. Peter

T. Rahab

U. Rehoboam

V. Samuel

23 . Their memory serves as a blessing ______ W. Tarsus

24 . This kind of answer turns back wrath ______

X. The just

25 . This kind of son gives his father joy ______ Y. Wise

QUIZ RATINGS

“Catholic Crossword” and “Bible Quiz” are produced by Gabriel Publications. Liguori Publications is not responsible for their content. Please direct questions or comments to Gabriel Publications at info@wordgamesforcatholics.com.

ACROSS

1 “The ______ of St. Mary’s”

6 Latch on to

10 “Show me the ______ that pays the census tax.” (Mt 22:19)

14 The ______ suspects

15 Mary, the Mystical ______

16 St. ______ de Beaupre

17 Light Brigade weapon

18 The Wise Men came from here

19 In this place

20 Like some popcorn

22 Jesus, on the third day

24 Mimicked

25 Chalice covering

26 The television, sometimes

28 Not a republican, in the United Kingdom

32 Second-century pope

33 Jewish month of Passover

34 Flightless bird

35 In baseball, three of these and the side is retired

36 Easter ______

37 Smear

38 One, to Marie

39 Number of beatitudes

40 Religious offshoots

41 A street in Damascus (Acts 9:11)

43 Conjurer

44 “True ______”

45 Actress Theda ______

46 Wife of Jacob

49 Card game

53 Singer with Louis and Duke

54 Middle Easterner

56 From the ______ of Peter

57 Monkeys

58 Founder of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper, Fr. John ______

59 Goddess of tillage

60 Attic

61 “…and a ______ for every matter under heaven” (Eccl 3:1)

62 Writer of lyric poetry

1 Globular bud

2 He brought 400 men to meet Jacob

3 Fontanne’s theater partner 4 Produces milk

5 Railroad car

6 One of the seven deadly sins

7 ______ to Damascus

Balaam spoke to one (Nm 22:28)

Judas’ act

Color associated with martyrs

Shepard, in space

Fido’s brand?

The Lighter Side J

Silent Security

Our children were having fun rearranging the figures in the manger scene. When evening came, and the children were preparing for bed, I looked at their final rendition. Every item was there, in the correct place. But, behind the cattle, at the edge of the crèche, was an action figure in a suit of armor with an uplifted sword. He had a piece of duct tape covering his face. It really made no sense to me.

Tucking the kids into bed, I commented on how much fun it was to remember the Christmas story through the manger scene. Then, I casually asked my seven-year-old about this odd, hidden character. In a quiet voice, he told me that he had put him in there to guard Baby Jesus, and that he was really part of the Christmas story anyway: “He’s the Silent Knight.”

A Child’s Wisdom

Mary was watching her mom and dad get ready to go out for a gala evening on New Years’ Eve. As she watched her dad tie his bow tie, she said, “Daddy, you shouldn’t wear that suit tonight.”

“But why, sweetheart?” asked her dad.

Mary explained, “Because you always get a bad headache the next morning when you wear that suit.”

The Red Wagon

It was the day after Christmas. The pastor of the church was looking over the Nativity display when he noticed that the Baby Jesus was missing from the cradle. Immediately, he went outside and saw a little boy with a red wagon, and in the wagon was the figure of the Infant Jesus. Somewhat irritated, the pastor asked the boy, “Well, where did you get him, my fine friend?” The little boy replied, “I got him from the church.”

“And why did you take him?” asked the pastor.

The boy said, “Well, I prayed to the little Lord Jesus, and I told him if he would bring me a red wagon for Christmas, I would give him a ride around the block in it.”

Br. Raymond Pierce, CSsR, supplies the text for “The Lighter Side.”

To receive his complimentary weekly emails, “Morning Smiles,” email him at raymondcssr@gmail.com.

If you have jokes or amusing stories you’d like to

NORM JUNG

GREAT BOOKS FOR GOOD MEN

Reﬂections on Literature and Manhood

Joseph Pearce presents brief but stirring re ections on how great literature—including even poetry—can help every Catholic man striving for virtue and holiness.

Drawing on luminaries such as Homer, Dante, Chaucer, Tolkien, Chesterton, Newman, C. S. Lewis, Pearce shows that literature, far from being a dead relic of the past, tackles crucial questions which are directly relevant to modern men. What does Shakespeare say about the dangers of lust? How does God pursue the sinner like a “Hound of Heaven”? What does it mean to be soldiers of Christ on active duty in the Church Militant? What sort of men do we want our sons to become? What does a great poet-saint teach us about the power of the sign of the cross to exorcise demons? How can we nurture a faith which is fearless?

In a culture that fosters toxic masculinity on the one hand and e eminacy on the other, the literary giants of the past o er an inspiring alternative vision of true manhood, one that Catholic men are called to embrace as they “work out their salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil 2:12).

GBGMP Sewn So cover, $17.95

“ is great book is long overdue. Pearce has dipped into the rich treasury of the very best of the Catholic literary tradition and has brought out some true gems that elevate and inspire masculine virtue.” Bishop James Conley, Lincoln, NE

“Catholic men who truly desire to be Catholic men should make their way through Pearce’s masterfully curated collection of the best literature for men. You will learn that manliness has nothing to do with self-indulgence. Manliness is about total self-giving.”

— Christopher Check, President, Catholic Answers

Also by Joseph Pearce

“A refreshingly masculine perspective on some of the greatest literary works ever. No stone is le unturned: spiritual fatherhood, virtue, su ering, holiness, and relativism are treated with de ness and skill. Insightful and intelligent. A creative tour de force.”

— Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, Author, Behold the Man: A Catholic

◆ THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

Human history—including Church history—is a tapestry of three threads: the good, the bad, and the beautiful. Drawing on the insights of how Benedict XVI saw the goodness of the saints and the beauty of art as the true antidotes to the dark thread of evil in history, Pearce shows how goodness and beauty work to conquer the bad. GBBP Sewn So cover, $19.95

◆ TOLKIEN: MAN AND MYTH — Pearce enters the world that Tolkien created in the seven books published during his lifetime. He explores the signi cance of Middle Earth and what it represented in Tolkien’s thinking. Myth, to this legendary author, was not a leap from reality but a leap into reality. TMANP Sewn So cover, $17.95

◆

CLASSIC LITERATURE MADE SIMPLE

Pearce takes you on a guided tour of y great works of literature, showing the moral dimension of each work, and how the work presents a mystical mirror to the reader, o ering insights into the meaning of life itself. CLMSP Sewn So cover, $17.95

SOLZHENITSYN: A Soul in Exile

SP Sewn So cover, $22.95

Based on exclusive, personal interviews with Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Pearce's biography of the renowned Russian dissident provides profound insight into a towering literary and political gure.

Saintly Bites for Children

Mixing Faith, Fun & Family Time in the Kitchen

Saintly Bites for Children brings faith, food, and family together in the kitchen, blending the engaging narratives of saints with easy-to-follow recipes that were crafted with young chefs in mind. The result is a collection of dishes that not only nourish the body but also feed the soul, making every meal a journey of faith with flavor.

Author Shelby Siegfried, Catholic writer and mother of five, invites families to gather and prepare delicious meals while exploring the extraordinary lives of saints. The book features:

• More than 65 recipes, with ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinks, sweet treats, and baked goods

• “Bite-sized” stories of well-known and lesser-known saints to accompany each recipe

• Culturally diverse recipes from around the globe and across the centuries

• Helpful tips, tools, glossaries, and guides for young chefs

By Shelby Siegfried

192-Pages / Hardcover

Product Code: 828744

$29.99

Mention Offer Code 26305 and save 20%.

Offer expires 12/31/25.

Illustrated by Ted Schluenderfritz