The Church stubbornly calls us to reclaim Advent, making it a time of profound spiritual anticipation through prayer, sacrifice, and cultural detachment to cleanse our souls and be ready to be welcomed by Jesus on both Christmas Day and Judgment Day.

“O Jesus, be Thou not a stranger/ But make my heart Thy manger.”

Not all birds fly south! Watching beautiful birds during the winter months can be very entertaining. We are fortunate, in our diocese, to have birds year-round. This time of year, as the temperatures drop, they are busy foraging for food and seeking out water. Here are a few tips to help encourage our feathered friends to stick around for a while and survive the cold weather. 

Born in 1192, St.  Juliana of Liège (or of Mont Cornillon) entered religious life as a Norbertine canoness regular. Of her, Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “She is little known but the Church is deeply indebted to her, not only because of the holiness of her life but also because, with her great fervor, she contributed to the institution of one of the most important solemn liturgies of the year: Corpus Christi.”

During a Mass celebrating the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Francis observed, “If [the Church] should fail to rejoice, she would deny her very self, for she would forget the love that begot her,” he said. “Yet how many of us are unable to live the faith with joy, without grumbling and criticizing? A Church in love with Jesus has no time for quarrels, gossip and disputes. May God free us from being critical and intolerant, harsh and angry!”

Increasingly, in social settings like dinner parties, the person I am talking to will take a serious tone and say something along the lines of: “This homelessness seems to be getting out of hand.”  Then, with a manner that is genuine in both concern and resignation, they will ask: “What can possibly be done about it?”

I have found over the years that my answer to that question takes far too long. After a while, there is a glance at a watch or scan the room for other conversations. The reasons for homelessness, and the poverty that causes it, make for bad dinner- party conversation.