What Difference Does Advent Make? Here comes another Advent! But what difference does it make? For some, it may feel like “just another year,” another cycle of Christmas lights, cooking, buying gifts, and decorating the house. These little details can be good and attractive, but they can easily weigh us down and make us lose the true meaning of Advent. For instance, some people do not cherish Christmas because of the burden of having to fix so many things for their family. Im

Each year on this feast of Christ the King, I recall the story of a six-year-old boy who once sat determined to draw a picture of God. His mother said, “But no one really knows what God looks like.” The boy replied, “Once I finish this drawing, they will know.” Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our lives were that kind of picture—if people could look at us and finally see what it means to proclaim Jesus as King? The feast of Christ the King is more than an annual event. It is the c

Personal Witness: Encountering the Lateran Basilica Earlier this year, I was in Rome for the funeral rites of Pope Francis, and one of the profound moments during that pilgrimage was visiting the Lateran Basilica —the Mother and Head of all churches in the world. I was struck by its beauty, its history, and its sacred atmosphere. Today’s feast is a reminder that the Church is not just a building—it’s us . The Lateran Basilica is the Mother Church because it symbolizes the un