Author Archives: Christine Bryan
Expectation, and Our Lady’s Feast
O Lord, Thou has made for Thyself a worthy dwelling-place in the Virgin Mary.” From the Feast of the Expectation of the Virgin Mary, December 18
The Divine Infant of Prague
[By Christine and Cecilia Bryan] The Church dedicates the month of December to the Divine Infancy. In actuality, since the image of the Holy Child isn’t seen until the first hour of the twenty-fifth day, much of the month is spent imagining him quiet in the Ark of the Covenant, already Incarnate, already active on our behalf, but not yet visibly dwelling among us.
María of Guadalupe
In Paul Badde’s recent book about Our Lady of Guadalupe, he writes, “The modern age began with this image. It has changed both the weight and the balance of the earth.” And yet, although she is the most famous woman in the world, represented in millions of images, she “has become the great unknown.” María of Guadalupe: Shaper of History, Shaper of Hearts was written … More →
Posted in Articles, Book Reviews Leave a comment
The Economy of Feeding a Family
I don’t have a business degree and I don’t listen to the news, but there is no need of an expert’s commentary for me to be aware something has happened to the value of the dollar. Every trip to the grocery store or gas station convinces me that my buying power is reduced.
Posted in Articles 3 Comments
Our Catholic Duty of Feasting Well
This Christmas season (yes, it’s still Christmas season!) is a perfect time to pause, between bites of chocolate torte and sips of sparkling wine, and consider if we have learned to feast appropriately. This is less of a financial issue than one of leisure and union with the liturgical year. And it also involves a serious look at how we receive us this day our … More →
A Yoke of Love and Peace
My thoughts are full of the recent wedding of my son. There is a great deal involved leading up to this major event: the prayerful choice of a vocation, the months of courtship, the endless details, the physical and emotional strain. The wedding ceremony and Nuptial Mass last only an hour, the celebration afterwards significantly longer(!), but the journey is only beginning. Supported by the … More →
Posted in Catholic Living, Columns, Marriage and Family, Mass and the Liturgy 5 Comments
The Gift of Bread
Last Sunday, the Gospel was from the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany, transferred on this year’s liturgical calendar to this time just before Advent. Saint Matthew provides us with the vivid image of Our Lord as Teacher, using richly textured parables, taken from the fiber of common life, to teach us about the kingdom of heaven. During the sermon, our chaplain’s thoughts turned to the powerful … More →
Remember: The Holy Souls Need Your Prayers
Every evening we come before our Blessed Mother, bringing her a collection of our day’s efforts. She gracefully produces a gift of value and, in November, we are emboldened to ask if any of it could be applied to the Holy Souls in Purgatory. November is the month dedicated to the Holy Souls, and they are then especially, during these thirty days, entitled to the … More →
