Tag: Love

Being Loved

Learning to Live Beloved

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Today the Church celebrates Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist—the one tradition remembers as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” John’s life is marked by a closeness to Christ that feels almost startling in its intimacy. He was there on the mountaintop at the Transfiguration, beholding glory. He was there in the garden at Gethsemane, keeping watch in the shadows of fear. And at the Last Supper, he rested his head upon Jesus’ breast, listening to the heartbeat of God.

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Being Loved

When the Shoot Blossoms

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On Christmas, Isaiah’s ancient promise feels startlingly fresh: “A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse.” Out of what looked dead, cut down, and hopeless, God brings forth new life. A tender shoot. A fragile bud. A Messiah who carries the Spirit in all its fullness—wisdom, understanding, counsel, strength, knowledge, holy awe.

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Being Loved

The Night of Christ’s Descent

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On this holy night, the Church gives us a canticle that feels like a deep breath before dawn—Philippians 2:6–11, the great hymn of Christ’s self-emptying love. It’s the story beneath every Nativity scene, the truth hidden in the quiet of Bethlehem: the eternal Word, born of the Father before time began, emptied himself for our sake.

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Being Loved

Your Magnificat: An Advent Reflection with Mary

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Windsock Visitation, Oblate Brother Mickey McGrath

In these final days of Advent, I keep returning to Mary’s song in Luke’s Gospel, the Magnificat, her great cry of joy and surrender. It is, in so many ways, the perfect Advent prayer. Before Jesus is born, before the shepherds arrive, before the world knows what God is doing, Mary stands in the quiet of her own hidden life and proclaims:

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Being Loved

Lord, May Your Kingdom Come

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Advent is a season of waiting, of longing, of preparing our hearts for the coming of Christ. In the quiet rhythm of prayer, two petitions from the Liturgy of the Hours have struck me with fresh urgency:

“Bring low the mountains of our pride,
— and fill up the valleys of our weakness.
Lord, may your kingdom come.”

“Break down the wall of hatred that divides the nations,
— and make level for mankind the paths to peace.
Lord, may your kingdom come.”

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Being Loved

Do You Listen Like Joseph

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In this Sunday’s Gospel, Joseph receives a dream that changes everything. He’s confused and afraid, caught in a situation he never expected. Yet in the quiet of sleep, God speaks: “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.” When Joseph wakes, he doesn’t overanalyze or second-guess. He trusts and he acts.

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Being Loved

Believe: Rediscovering Awe in Advent

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Christmas is a season that calls us back to wonder. Recently I was listening to Josh Groban’s Believe, written for The Polar Express, and it reminds us that faith is not just for children—it is the heartbeat of hope itself. The song insists that belief opens our eyes to beauty, joy, and resilience, even when the world feels weary.

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Being Loved

Rejoice, Rejoice: Emmanuel Shall Come

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The ancient hymn O Come, O Come, Emmanuel carries the longing of Israel and the longing of every human heart. It is a song of exile, of waiting, of yearning for God to break into the loneliness of our world. “Ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear.”

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