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Day 12: Lights

Editor’s Note: For day 12 of our Advent series,  “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” Darleen Pryds discusses how an icon of the Nativity has become more than a simple Advent or Christmas decoration. Years ago, a friend gave me a small icon of the Nativity.  I wasn’t sure what to do with it until…

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Day 4: Brilliant: Why Let There Be Light?

Editor’s Note: For day 4 of our Advent series “The Day of Joy Drew Near,” DC Service Corps member Jennifer Eburuoh compares the image of light disrupting darkness to the Advent season and the mystery of Christ’s Incarnation. Light can be a disturbance–even a nuisance. Many of us have experienced an interruption of sleep due…

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Day 26: Light

Editor’s Note: Executive Director Elizabeth Hughes discusses the light that has contrasted the darkness of this past year. On this Christmas Day, she reflects on the power of Christ’s light within us.  One of my favorite websites is NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day. Each day, NASA features a different image of the cosmos, along…

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Advent Day 1: Enkindled

Editor’s note: Associate Director Meghan Meros opens the 2019 Advent blog series, “Enkindled,” with a story from childhood and a reflection of the value of persisting in our efforts to enkindle goodness and light in the world–even in the midst of a storm. The winter and spring of 1998 was an “El Niño” time in…

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A Light in the Darkness

Editor’s note: Missioner Cindy Mizes reflects on the beauty of creation as a manifestation of Christ’s redeeming light. There is a beautiful night blooming cactus on the grounds where I live that has an abundance of flower buds. This particular cactus is massive with its long green tentacle-like arms stretching over 10 feet into the…

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Millennial Lenten Reflections: Light! Love! Joy!

Editor’s Note: The following is the final installment of our Millennial Lenten Reflections blog series in collaboration with Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. We thank you for sharing your faith journey this Lent with us and all who contributed. Peace and all Good.  Just as those first rays of sun illuminated the empty tomb…

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The Light of Belen

I went to my first misa de la luz de Belen (mass of the light of Bethlehem) in December. I went with a new friend from Poland and found out that this Girl and Boy Scout tradition happens around the world, and that the light is actually being passed from city to city as well.…

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Advent 2013: The Light of One

Today’s beginning of Advent coincides with World AIDS Day. The 2013 World AIDS Day theme is “Shared Responsibility”. As we learn the facts about HIV and put that knowledge into compassionate action, we also recommit to our shared responsibility this Advent. We return to the very source of our compassion: the Incarnation. “I want to…

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Franciscan Friday’s on Ramadan: Preparing for the Light

To celebrate interfaith friendship and St. Francis’ history with Islam, Fr. Michael Calabria, OFM is guest blogging about Ramadan every Friday though August 17. A shop in Cairo displaying Ramadan lanterns for sale. Dates – the sugary sweet fruit of the palm tree. They are the first food traditionally eaten after a day of fasting…

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“Where there is darkness…” God’s light in Africa

May the following reflection by one of our first missioners, Megeen White Testa, help us ponder today’s plea from the peace prayer that we might bring light to the darkness.Megeen served in Zimbabwe and Zambia from 1991 to 1993 as part of our first class of lay missioners. After returning to the U.S., she served…

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Prayers for Christmas: Justice and Peace

In today’s Mass readings, we are reminded of a future where “Justice shall flourish in his time, and fullness of peace for ever.” Our missioner Catherine Giller echoes this hope in her prayer for Christmas. “My prayer in this Christmas season is that the true light of the world will shine for all to see…

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