Interpreting Dreams

by 11 Comments

Epiphany House Blessing

In the wee hours of the morning my daughter came running out of her room, crying and visibly shaken by a dream. She said that “a witch turned into a witch,” and that her daddy Joel and I turned into starfish. Alrighty, then, my dear child. What an imagination! But while we’re on the topic of dreams, I’m feeling called to share a few thoughts about a very recent one I had. While I don’t believe every dream has a powerful spiritual message to uncover, my daughter's one case in point, I do … [Read more...]

Giving Epiphany a Little Respect

by Leave a Comment

Source: extraordinarymomsnetwork.wordpress.com/

Epiphany is the Rodney Dangerfield of Christian holidays. It gets no respect; most of us are done celebrating Christmas by New Year’s Day. However, beginning with the Annunciation, so much of the liturgical calendar is pointing directly at Epiphany. Let’s take a look at how we get there in 10 easy steps. March 25, Solemnity of Annunciation of the Lord: At the hour of midnight, while absorbed in prayer, the Blessed Virgin Mary receives a visit from the Archangel Gabriel. “Hail, full … [Read more...]

On the 3rd Day of Christmas, the Gifts Keep Coming

by 2 Comments

The Last Supper, fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio, 1480.

Holy Mother Church gives more gifts to unwrap today Today, we celebrate the feast of Saint John the Apostle, a true gift to the Church who is traditionally considered the author of the Fourth Gospel, three Epistles or New Testament letters (1 John, 2 John & 3 John) and the Apocalypse or Book of Revelation. His writings are very personal accounts and are considered some of the finest in the New Testament. And because of his depth, John is often referred to as the “eagle of theology,” … [Read more...]

Adoration of the Magi

by Leave a Comment

Adoration-of-the-Magi

Happy Epiphany! This is the cover of the English-language January 2012 edition of Magnificat. It features "Adoration of the Magi," an illumination from the Hours of Henry VIII, Tours, France, circa 1500. ©  The Pierpont Morgan Library / Art Resource / Scala, Florence I found the commentary by Pierre-Marie Dumont quite enlightening: "In the fourth century, Byzantine art begins to differentiate the ages of the Magi; the first becomes an old man with a long white beard; the second a mature … [Read more...]

The Purpose of A Journey is its Destination

by 1 Comment

A Bumper Sticker Society

It's the journey, not the destination. Our society loves to churn out bumper sticker philosophies, doesn't it? Someone coins a phrase, someone screens a t-shirt; and bing, bang, boom a life philosophy is born. I'll admit that at first blush, that phrase has a certain existential charm, an overall "groovy" feel to it. In my 20's, that type of thinking dovetailed nicely with my other guiding philosophies - party like it's 1999 and it's all good! At some point along my aimless journey, God, … [Read more...]