A year ago I visited Bethlehem, where residents can claim to celebrate Christmas every day. For those who have never traveled to the region, the city holds a number of surprises. For one, Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity (believed to be the place where Jesus was born) and the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem (containing the ...read more

In the latest encounter of Nothing More Beautiful, Hamilton, Ontario’s Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI, offers the catechesis talk.  He shares a story from a retreat he was directing for students and professors at a university in Eastern Canada.  The story begins: At noon we celebrated Mass in the boardroom. The room was packed, people standing ...read more

Whether we like it or not, gift-giving has become characteristic of how we celebrate Christmas. When someone asks us “are you ready for Christmas?”, we automatically translate this to “do you have all of your shopping done?” Somehow, the message behind giving a gift has been lost in the exchange; the language has been distorted ...read more

We all have dreams. We all have goals. But  how many of us would say we are on a mission? But, yes, ultimately, that’s what we’re doing here on earth: carrying on the mission of Christ.On this upcoming episode of Word for Word, we meet a couple who embraced mission work as part of their ...read more

There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ. There is nothing more beautiful than to know Him and to speak to others of our friendship with him. Those words are from Pope Benedict XVI’s homily at the Mass inaugurating his Pontificate It’s also the inspiration for ...read more

Yesterday morning, one of my colleagues came looking for advice from the S+L producers. As a parent facilitating a children’s catechism class, she wanted to know how to get kids excited about the spiritual meaning of Christmas. Soon, we were able to extract the root problem: she wasn’t feeling very enthusiastic about it herself. I ...read more

I know your works. You have the name of being alive, and you are dead. Awake, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep that, and repent. That is an ...read more

First of all, this week’s episode of Perspectives is the first one to ever merit a “viewer discretion” advisory at the onset! And not without due reason; we have come to discover that many people have strong opinions about Santa and about the version of Christmas that he represents (particularly those under 12 years old). ...read more

It’s an interesting idea. Perhaps some would fear it borders on – at the very least – disrespect, if not sacrilege: Mary, tired after nearly 2000 years of immersing herself in other people’s prayers, finds a quiet home, owned by a quiet woman, and kicks of her Nikes to stay for awhile. But this idea ...read more

Over the past few days, I have heard some of the most moving and meaningful Advent homilies of my life. As a result, I felt inspired to share some of what I have been learning and so “The Word: Still becoming flesh” a new Advent episode of Catholic Focus is born! As a child, Advent ...read more