Advent and Christmas Poetry 3: Conversion – T.S. Eliot’s “Journey of the Magi”

We all know the story of the Three Kings, even if only from the chorus of “We Three Kings of Orient Are.” However, Holy Scripture does not call these men kings, but rather magi, “wise men from the east” (Matthew 2:1) who journeyed from a far-off land to offer gifts to the baby Jesus. But why did they make the trip? What did they hope to find – and what did they find?...

Advent and Christmas Poetry 2: Penitence and Patience – Gerard Manley Hopkins’ “Patience, Hard Thing!”

Christmas is a joyous season, for love, fellowship, giving, and relaxation – or at least we recognize that it ought to be, even if we get caught up in the snarls of everyday life, trying to shape  impossible expectations, family relationships, and Christmas shopping into something recognizably festive. Advent strikes a different note. Advent is about anticipation, but also penitence – and patience....

Advent and Christmas Poetry 1: Tension – Christina Rossetti’s “Sunday Before Advent”

During Advent we are called to experience the tension between Right Now and Not Yet. We look forward to celebrating the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, an event in history, but we also look forward to a future event, the Second Coming of our Lord in glory, to judge the living in the dead....

The Call to Repentance and Conversion

The Advent message is of repentance and conversion, a call to turn away from sin and self-will and turn toward God. It is an ongoing call. I can point to the day, even the hour, when I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. Christ has made me His own. And yet, each day – each hour – still calls all of us to a new conversion....

Christ the King: A Meditation on George Herbert’s “The Collar”

I write this in the waning hours of the Feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday before Advent. It is a day to focus our attention on our Lord as the King of kings and Lord of lords, the Alpha and the Omega....