"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" ( Mt 3, 2 ) As we move further into Advent, Isaiah’s words take on a fresh glow. It’s as if he’s standing among us, gently pointing ahead and saying, “Look—hope is coming.”  He dreams of the Messiah who will rise from the root of Jesse, the long-awaited descendant of David, the one God promised. This hope, of course, is fulfilled in Jesus, whom Matthew reminds us is truly the Son of David. Isaiah imagines the Messiah as someone completely filled...

So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." ( Mt 24,44 ) Advent opens a season of promise.  It invites us to move forward with hopeful and peaceful hearts  and with the gentle expectancy that accompanies waiting. Yet, this waiting is not passive: it is joyful, alert, and filled with wonder. We wait for the coming of the Lord — for the Child whose birth reveals the depth of God’s love for us. As St Augustine of Hippo wrote, “God loves each of...

"Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." ( Lc 23:43 ) In celebrating the Feast of Christ the King we conclude the Church's liturgical year. This glorious feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to celebrate the Jubilee Year and the 16 th  centenary of the Council of Nicaea. We celebrate that Christ is King of the kingdom in which we already live. To the question, what does this kingdom look like? Gerald Darring (St Louis University's Centre for Liturgy) offers this...