Written On Our Hearts

‘What day is it?’ ‘It's today,’ squeaked Piglet. ‘My favorite day,’ said Pooh. ~A.A Milne A few years ago during the Christmas Season my family sat down to watch old videos of previous Christmas day celebrations. One of the more memorable moments was watching the video where my brother and I opened the original Sony PlayStation console. There was a lot of screaming, celebrating, dancing and merrymaking as we received the hottest gift on the planet from Santa. Today, that PlayStation is long forgotten, its games are outdated and neither my little brother nor myself can remember whether we sold, misplaced or buried the console in a box marked “basement”; but watching that moment on film was a lot of fun for my family as we laughed at our original excitement and childhood exuberance. Our joy was a greater gift than the PlayStation.  As I reflect upon the readings for today , I can’t help but notice how the scriptures are reminding us to recognize how spiritually rich we are in the ...

“In Him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” ~ John 1:4-5 Each hour of sunlight is precious in December and as the days get shorter we seem to treasure those hours we are able to walk in the light. We eagerly await the advent of the longer days that begin after the winter solstice. It is during these darkest days on the calendar that we celebrate the solemn arrival of the Lord’s incarnation. Simply, a cold winter night provides the perfect backdrop for the arrival of the Light of the World. Nightfall in Bethlehem will be the canvas in which Christ paints the light of His love upon a world clothed in darkness. Soon, the King of Kings will hold court in a manger, clothed in rags surrounded by shepherds and wise men; His arrival like the dawn of a new day is filled with a fresh hope. The imminent messiah’s arrival brings hope to us and generation after generation of God’s chosen people but what amounts...

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 ...

Savior 8 Hotels and Celestial Signs Promotions present the Gaudette Sunday Main Eternalweight Event. Introducing to you first the Challenger, standing to my left, wearing the secular sapphire trunks weighing in at nine letters, three vowels with a record of zero souls satisfied the world’s best imitator of bliss…Happiness. His opponent in opposite corner, wearing the victorious violet shorts, weighing in at three letters, one vowel with a record of over 2000 years satisfying souls your everlasting Eternalweight champion of the universe…Joy. I’ll admit, I definitely got a bit carried away with that boxing-style introduction channeling my inner Rocky Balboa (but it is a right I possess as a Philadelphia native). Putting Rocky and the sport of boxing aside for just a moment, it is truth that Joy is greater than Happiness. So let’s take a look as to why. We’ve been seeing all the signs of the secular celebration of the “holidays” for about six weeks now. The ads we see on TV and commercia...