Prayer

Emmanuel: Welcoming God with Us into the Heart of Advent

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

A reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 1:18-24

My friends, as we continue our journey through Advent, the Church invites us to look deeply at what it means to welcome Christ into our homes and our hearts right here and right now. Advent isn’t simply a time of waiting; it’s a season of recognizing that God is with us, even before the manger, and even in the messy and mysterious corners of our lives.

Let me begin with a story about a man named Jared. Maybe some of you can relate. Jared never thought of himself as a “church guy,” let alone someone who mentors children. He kept his life tidy and God at a respectful distance — present, but not too close. But when a friend asked him to become part of the “Big Brother” program as a mentor to Marcus, a quiet twelve-year-old whose father wasn’t around, Jared’s first instinct was to say no. He wasn’t good with kids, and his own childhood wounds still hurt. Despite his hesitation, he said yes.

Their first meetings were awkward and silent. Jared wondered if he was wasting anyone’s time. But gradually, things shifted. They fixed bikes together, swapped jokes, and looked at books about dinosaurs; and one evening, Marcus looked up at him and asked, “Why do you care?” Jared answered honestly: “I needed someone once too. And I think God cares, even when it’s hard to feel it.”

By stepping out of his comfort zone, Jared discovered something remarkable — Marcus found steadiness and friendship, and Jared’s own heart began to heal. Through his willingness to show up, with all his doubts, both Jared and Marcus were changed. God was with them — present in every hesitant step, every awkward pause, and every act of uncertain kindness.

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How to Prepare for Those Who Attend Christmas Mass

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By: John Tuttle

Years ago, a copy of a Chicago Tribune magazine arrived at our house. It came around the holidays, and in it I read a rather upsetting article. It has stuck with me ever since. If that was the writer’s intent, he certainly succeeded.

In his article “Why I declared war on Christmas”, Christopher Borrelli dismissed any real threat to Christmas with a sizable dollop of sarcasm, yet remained true to his word in that he was “undermining” the authentic meaning of the season. It’s not all about happiness and good feelings. The joy of the season comes from the message of salvation: that there is such a thing as evil in this world and that God is not only more powerful than it, He comes to vanquish the devil, sin, and death. That is where the Christian’s joy comes from.

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Walking the Way of Formation: How Pilgrimage Shapes Seminarians

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Sponsored: This article is made possible by Follow My Camino, supporting quality and engaging Catholic content.

I have felt a deep pull toward pilgrimage for years. There is something powerful about walking ancient paths, praying where saints have prayed, and placing one’s intentions before the Lord in places shaped by centuries of devotion. Yet as a husband and father to four energetic children, long-distance pilgrimages are not possible in this season of life.

Still, God finds a way.
My “micro-pilgrimages” have become unexpected moments of grace: visits to our cathedral, celebrating feast days at home, praying novenas and litanies, and uniting our intentions with the Holy Father. These small steps, taken in the ordinary rhythms of family life, remind me of the truth expressed in the Catechism: “The Church…will receive its perfection only in the glory of heaven, when she will appear in splendor…toward which she is hastening” (CCC 769).

We are all pilgrims, whether we walk the Camino or pray in our living rooms. Some pilgrimages, however, shape a person for life, especially those preparing to become priests. This is why the mission of the Camino Pilgrim Foundation matters so deeply. They provide seminarians with a structured, prayer-filled, and transformative experience along the Camino de Santiago, the kind of formation that can remain with them for decades.

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Rejoicing in Hope: Welcoming Christ with Patience in Our Waiting

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Guest Post by: David Tonaszuck

Reflection on the Gospel of Matthew 11:2-11

Today, I want to share with you not just a message, but a story. It’s a story that could belong to any of us. It’s the story of James, a husband and father of three whose life was upended just days before Christmas. For sixteen years, James worked at a factory, building a future for his family. Two days before what should have been a season of joy, his company announced layoffs. Just like that, he was out of a job, his last paycheck barely enough to cover the rent. He watched the lights go up in his neighbors’ windows and heard families sing and celebrate, but instead felt the heavy shroud of anxiety and sadness descend on his home.

Waiting in the Dark: When Advent Feels Heavy Instead of Hopeful

James tried to stay brave for his wife, Amy, and their children: twelve-year-old Allie, who grew serious and careful almost overnight; eight-year-old Ben, still stubborn enough to believe in Christmas magic; and little Sophie, who just wanted her father to smile. But at night, James would lie awake, staring into the darkness, wondering how to say there would be no gifts, not even a tree. He felt a different kind of emptiness, a pressure he’d never known before, questioning not just his future but God’s presence.

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Gaudete Sunday: Joy in the Nearness of Christ

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There’s a moment in every long race when everything quietly changes.

You’re not finished yet. You’re still tired. Your legs still hurt. But you know something important. You’ve passed the halfway point.

In high school, I ran cross country. Most of our races were 5Ks, and every course had landmarks, trees, hills, and turns that helped you pace yourself. The midpoint was one of those silent checkpoints. You didn’t suddenly feel great. You weren’t magically faster. But hope crept in. You could see the finish line, not clearly and not fully, but you knew it was coming.

That’s Gaudete Sunday.

The penultimate Sunday of Advent is the turning point. The preparation is still needed and the waiting continues. But the Church, like a good coach, leans in and says: you’re past the halfway mark. Keep going. Rejoice.

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When God Becomes Our Safe Place: Attachment, Faith, and the Healing of the Heart

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Sponsored: This article is made possible by The Elijah Institute, supporting quality and engaging Catholic content.

There’s a quiet moment that happens sometimes in prayer. It’s that pause when the words dry up and what’s left is something simpler: a reaching out. We may not even know what we’re reaching for, only that we need Someone.

Psychologists have a name for that reaching: attachment behavior — the human drive to seek closeness, safety, and reassurance from someone we trust. It’s the instinct that makes a child run to her father after scraping her knee or a friend call someone they love when grief hits hard. But it’s also at the heart of our spiritual lives.

According to attachment theory, developed by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth and expanded in later research, our earliest relationships with caregivers shape the patterns of connection that follow us into adulthood. The secure, anxious,avoidant, and fearful avoidant ways we bond with others don’t disappear when we start praying. They often reappear in how we relate to God, particularly during dark and desolate times.

That’s what Pehr Granqvist and Lee Kirkpatrick explore in “Attachment and Religious Representations and Behavior” from The Handbook of Attachment. Their work invites us to see that the God we love is also the God we attach to. Grace often works through the same relational pathways that once taught us how to love, fear, trust, or withdraw.

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The Joy of Anticipation: A Catholic Reflection for Advent

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By: Elisabeth Williams

Preparing the Way of the Lord

Each year, as Thanksgiving dishes are barely cleared and Black Friday sales flood our inboxes, the season of Advent quietly arrives. It doesn’t shout. It doesn’t demand. Rather, it simply invites: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”

For years in our family, this meant going to every holiday function, dragging the kids around the city to make memories while also losing sleep hoping that we checked off everything on their Christmas activity wish list. It was imperative to arrive early enough to get seats at their Christmas pageants, to complete the Jesse Tree, and read from scripture nightly. It was tiring, overwhelming, and left the kids and us cranky and too tired to celebrate the actual Octave of Christmas when it finally arrived.

More recently, Advent has become less about checking off traditions like parties, LEGO calendars, and candy-filled shoes and more about listening. What is Christ asking of me in the waiting? How can I make space in my home and in my heart for Him? And is it possible for me to offer that simple invitation to others as well?

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