Written On Our Hearts

During the Advent season there are many people, events, causes and activities that demand our attention. Amidst the many distractions, we mostly spend our time and money this season in a worthwhile way. We tolerate the long lines, big crowds and an abundance of junk email in an effort to find something special that demonstrates our affection and love to those closest to us. Many of us also seek out ways brighten and warm the hearts of the poor, hungry and lonely as the days grow darker and colder by donating our time and resources to bring souls in need joy. Although our schedules become increasingly hectic, we are in some ways living with more purpose and direction as we prepare to welcome friends and family into our homes and show our love. Throughout this time of preparation, we grow both in joy and grace as we anticipate the coming celebrations and gatherings. While it is very important to enjoy these special moments with family, friends and serve the poor, they should not be ...

You know, I think the first Commandment doesn’t get enough attention. We find ways to gloss over this commandment as a “given” in our prayer life. Most Catholics I know, myself included say “I know that one...I am the Lord your God, you shall not make any graven image of me...yadda, yadda, yadda...good I’ve done that...now moving on to the more interesting things I’ve done or not done on the list of ten.” I mean after all, even if we wanted to do so, most of us don’t have enough precious metal laying around the house to make a molten calf. It is a pretty safe bet though that God didn’t deliver the first commandment to Moses and his chosen people with a “Seinfeld-esque” attitude, therefore we too shouldn’t approach it lackadaisically, but we at times can be lazy and fall into this trap. I think the issue is two fold. First, we believers take God’s love, power and grace for granted (I mean He is always present and knows everything...maybe if He wasn’t constantly hanging around with us we...