Catholic Church

By Church Militant - here fared a mother driven forth Out of an inn to roam;  In the place where she was homeless All men are at home. The crazy stable close at hand, With shaking timber and shifting sand, Grew a stronger thing to abide and stand Than the square stones of Rome.

By Fr. Paul D. Scalia, The Catholic Thing - Most of us know today’s Gospel scene (Lk 2:22-40) as the Fourth Joyful Mystery: The Presentation in the Temple. But it is also one of the Seven Sorrows and Seven Joys of Saint Joseph. His heart is filled with sorrow at Simeon’s prophecy that the Christ Child “is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed.”

By Robert Morrison, The Remnant - One small group has the distinction of being both the most likely to have their beliefs especially rejected by the world and, for that reason, the most likely to grasp the realities we now face: faithful Catholics. Just as the Holy Family discovered on that first Christmas, though, being rejected by the world is sometimes among the greatest blessings one can have.

By Christopher Manion, The Wanderer - “Christmas markets closed in Austria and Germany this year.” The headline this week went by quickly, but then a pause. . . . And a memory... It was December 18, 1988. I had a free afternoon on a business trip to Austria that had brought me to Salzburg, so I naturally gravitated towards the Kristkindlmarkt at the Domplatz. ..