Silent Night

Does your family have Christmas traditions? Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration. I think every family should have its own Christmas traditions, passed down from generation to generation. It’s one way of fulfilling the Fourth Commandment, “To honor your mother and father.” I hav…

Gaudete Sunday

I remember how the crowds rejoiced and cheered when the helicopter carrying St. John Paul II approached the stadium. Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration. It was World Youth Day in Denver in 1993, and Mile High Stadium was overflowing with young people. Suddenly, on the far side …

Christ Was Laid in a Manger

Do you know what a manger is? Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration. When Christ was born, he was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. But what is a manger? A manger is a wooden implement you’d find in a barn where hay is placed so the cows can eat it. The word “man…

The Nativity Scene

What do you call it?  The Nativity scene?  The manger? Or the crèche? Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration. No matter what you call it, you have to have one inside the house and outdoors on your front lawn to remind all passersby what Christmas is all about. When you go to your C…

Stocking over the Fireplace

How do we know that Jesus was born on December 25?

How do we know Jesus was born on December 25th? Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration. Everyone knows that Christ was born on Christmas Day, December 25th, but how do we know that? That’s an important and fascinating question, and I’ve spent the past twenty years searching for the…

The Christmas Tree

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches! Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration. Everyone loves a Christmas tree, and no two trees are the same. Growing up in my family we would put up the tree around December 13, the Feast of Santa Lucia and the ancient fe…

Do you have a favorite Christmas carol?

Do you have a favorite Christmas carol? Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration. There must be hundreds of Christmas carols, from many countries and in many languages. St. Josemaría’s favorite is in Spanish, and it’s based on a beautiful medieval tradition of providing shelter for t…

Christmas Cookies

Somebody asked me, “Father, what’s your favorite Christmas cookie?” Hmmm … what’s my favorite Christmas cookie? Now, that’s a hard one because there’s so many to choose from. And the very thought of it reminds me of the kitchen in the home I grew up in with my mother wearing an apron and putting t…

St. Nicholas Day

Jolly Old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way! Hi, this is Fr. Rocky with another Advent Inspiration. December 6th is the Feast of St. Nicholas. You know who he is, don’t you? That’s St. Nicholas of Bari, a small town on the Adriatic Coast of Italy. Some of his relics are in a Church there, but …