Monthly Archives: December 2022

First Christmas Post (Hopefully a New Tradition!)

Posted on by

So the point of this website is to keep all of my work in one organized space. Before this post, I have limited this website to that. This morning I woke up and was very happy to find an email from my alma mater; it contained a Christmas reflection from one of my favorite bishops. I thought to myself, “Should I share this… breaking with the tradition of maureenkday.com?” I realized that I could reframe this not as breaking tradition, but instead starting a new one! So, to begin the first of our twelve days of Christmas, I’ll share some items for you to reflect on and perhaps incorporate into your twelve days of celebrating the in-breaking of God into our world. Here’s this reflection, plus a few things (both new and old) that have informed my Advent or will be a part of my Christmas:

Christmas Highlights, 2022

Excerpt from Bishop John Stowe’s reflection on today’s gospel (Lk 2:15-20):

The humble site of a stable with a homeless couple and a newborn is quite a contrast from the heavenly spectacle of angels singing in the night sky.  Angel choirs seem appropriate for announcing the coming of the Messiah, but was it a letdown to encounter such an ordinary-looking baby, wrapped in rags and surrounded by beasts?  Did they expect the Messiah to look so much like them?  To be as poor as they were?  Was their encounter a disappointment or did they get a glimpse of the kind of Messiah Jesus is, one who is in solidarity with the lowly and the outcast?  Mary said that the mighty would be toppled from their thrones and the lowly would be exalted.  Here was the depiction of lowliness.

Waiting in Joyful Hope: Daily Advent Prayer from the Jesuit School of Theology (December 25, 2022)

Image:

“Jose y Maria” by Everett Patterson

Movie: The Nativity Story (2005)

Children’s Book: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson

Christmas Song (Spiritual): O Holy Night

Christmas Song (Secular): “Twelve Days of Christmas” by Straight No Chaser

Short/Episode: “Santa ’85” in Amazing Stories

Organization: Alderson Hospitality House

Consumable: Trader Joe’s Decaf Candy Cane Green Tea

Merry Christmas!

Article on OLG and a new OFM province

Posted on by

Just wanted to let you know that my new article in The Way, “Our Lady of Guadalupe: What’s in a Name?” is out. It explores the significance of Our Lady of Guadalupe and shows what an apt patroness this is for our the new province emerging from six of the current OFM provinces in the United States. The four points of overlap of Our Lady and the Franciscan charism I lift up are: 1) she gathers and includes everyone, 2) she wants a deep encounter with us, 3) she is tender toward the most vulnerable, and 4) she opts for the poor. Happy feast day on the 12th!