Dianne Bergant

It is likely that while we were growing up many of us wore clothing or played with toys that had been handed down to us from an older member of the family At such times we grew into the clothing or took possession of the toys making them our own Now as independent as we adults might like to thi

How can a message that was intended for people who lived thousands of years ago have any meaning for us today Some of the stories in the Bible certainly make exciting action movies but are we expected to live like that To think as they did To cherish the same aspirations Isn rsquo t the newspap

The title of a highly acclaimed musical comedy ldquo I Love You You rsquo re Perfect Now Change rdquo describes some of the dynamics found in many human love relationships We can genuinely love someone and be captivated by that person rsquo s charm and wit intelligence and sensitivity unsel

Today we move from one beginning to another from Jesus rsquo coming among us in the flesh celebrated during the Christmas season to his coming among us in ministry remembered during Ordinary Time His baptism by John inaugurates this ministry and it is commemorated today The Gospel says that th

The readings for this Sunday provide us with two distinctive themes a new reality characterized by a wedding and the challenge of life in the Spirit Everyone loves a wedding It is a public manifestation of commitment the beginning of a new family with all its promise and a great time for a party

Honor thy father and thy mother rdquo We all know the Fourth Commandment We learned it as children and we may think that it was intended for children It was but probably more for adult children than for younger ones The Commandments were part of God rsquo s covenant pact made with the Israeli

Did Mary understand how amazing her child was Does any mother We love our children and celebrate every little thing about them but no one really knows the potential hidden deep within that squirming bundle of humanity True whenever a child is born there are always those who gather around and m

We have just passed the winter solstice the shortest day of the year We will now enjoy a little more light each day Christmas itself is a feast of lights Trees are brought into homes and made radiant with brilliant lights yards are also illumined In other ways too our lives are aglow with lig

The feast of Christmas is so rich that we need three sets of readings to throw light on its meaning Even then we only scratch the surface At midnight we are struck by the contrast between a child in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes and the Wonder-Counselor of whom Isaiah speaks He who was th