Jeanie Hannaman

By Fr. Paul D. Scalia, The Catholic Thing - In the 12th and 13th centuries, monks developed some of the first fully mechanical clocks. Their purpose was simple. The monks would come to chapel seven times a day to chant the praises of God and intercede for the world. Clocks enabled them to do so in a more precise, disciplined, and uniform way. With these time pieces, they could, in effect, harness time and better place it at the service and praise of God.

By Carl E. Olson, Catholic World Report - Perhaps you’ve never thought of it in that way. But the readings for this first Sunday of Advent are revealing. I say “revealing” because the word “apocalypse”, from the Greek word apokalupsis, means “to reveal” or “to unveil”. Unfortunately, it has become primarily associated with destruction and violence. But even while that understanding is somewhat accurate, it only hits part of the target.