December 2020

A few years ago, a young friend of mine gave me a card during Advent. He had drawn it himself. On it were three mountains and bannering across the top in bold childhood writing was the word LOVE. That simple card triggered for (…)
December 17-23 marks the Advent days of the O Antiphons. These Antiphons make up the verses of the Advent Carol “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” These Antiphons have been observed since the eighth century and are drawn from the ancient biblical images of the (…)
Some people know. Some are doubtful. Some don’t want to see it. Yet poverty, homelessness, precarious employment and food insecurity are very much with us here in Canada. The pandemic has only exacerbated this trend. Across the country, youth, families, workers and seniors (…)
The world received a much-desired Christmas present: Vaccines that promise to halt the COVID-19 pandemic. It is astonishing that they were developed, tested, and approved within just one year. The first vaccines were made with entirely new technology, never before used in clinical practice. (…)
During my stay of a few weeks in South Korea, at the beginning of November 2011, I received a gift that pleased me very much. It was a Korean book on floral arrangements published by the Institute of Research on Liturgical Floral Arrangements (…)
The world received a much-desired Christmas present: Vaccines that promise to halt the COVID-19 pandemic. It is astonishing that they were developed, tested, and approved within just one year. The first vaccines were made with entirely new technology, never before used in clinical (…)
Some may have started their Christmas baking already, even if this year’s Christmas celebrations are drastically different than previous years. Whether baking gives you comfort and peace, a sense of fun and excitement, or inexpressible stress, we would like to venture in the kitchen (…)
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice” is the line from Philippians 4 which echoes in my ears over and over again. Rejoice always – even in all of this? Even in all that is going on? Even in restrictions and limitations (…)
Advent hues of purple, pink, magenta and blue fill the morning sky. As the moon set sends fading shimmers of brilliant light upon the land, these soft Advent colors emerge in the East as dawn begins to break. I pause. I breathe in, (…)