Kicking Over My Traces

Sarah at Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering gifts us with “Chore Time”: The hour that we sacrifice when it’s our turn to do barn chores is a reminder of all that we take for granted in our lives. The work we do in the barn is a physical outlet for the pent-up energy our lives demand us to forget. The sheep are the metaphor He used, and in tending them – in being the shepherd – we can’t help but think of the Gospel examples, and how much we have in common with the flock.

Jack Yoest at Reasoned Audacity reminds us of the basics: “The Nativity Story. One family. One journey. One child who would change the world forever.” A review of the new movie, The Nativity Story.

Phil at Phil for Humanity tiptoes downstairs with a complaint before Christmas Eve: “My Personal Gripes with the Ten Commandments”. Is he allowed to do that during Advent?

Esther, a Catholic Mom in Hawaii, reminds us of “Easy Ways to Evangelize During Advent” by examining the National Catholic Register’s article on 30 ways to evangelize and to grow deeper in our faith, during Advent.

Kevin at HMS Blog goes all dramatic on us with “The Beginning of the End”: A reflection on the Mass readings for the first Sunday of Advent, focusing on the relationship between Christ’s first and second comings, and on how we ought to prepare for the celebration of his first coming, and for his second coming. Golly, Kevin acts as though Advent were meant for more than checking that there’s enough curling ribbon and Scotch™ tape in the house before the gift-wrapping marathon after the kids go to sleep on Christmas Eve.

Steve Janke who is Angry in the Great White North, explores a puzzle presented to the Archbishop of Canterbury: The Anglican Church: Secession and blurred lines of authority. Unlike the Catholic Church and her well-defined heirarchy, the Anglican Communion is a collection of co-equal churches. This week, a diocese in the US has bypassed the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and appealed to the Archbishop of Cantebury, seeking to secede. The Archbishop is considering the request. Will the US church confront the Archbishop on the matter of his authority to consider this question? What does Bishop Kate think?

Mikala at The Magdelene Diaries is “Thinking about bosoms”: Bosoms are good things. Hey, wipe that grin off your face and say a Hail Mary.

The start of a new liturgical year finds Moneybags at A Catholic Life inviting us to join a “2007 Saint for the Year Devotion”: everyone is invited to participate. In her time, St. Faustina participated in this devotion.

Feeling overwhelmed? So is Father. Remember Fr. Jeffrey Keyes (and your own parish priests) in your Advent prayers — he has to cut $91,000 from the parish budget, somehow, somewhere. And he hasn’t started on his Christmas cards yet!

The Recovering Dissident Catholic takes time out of Advent activities to ask “Where is He?”: an attempt to explain how the “We are Jesus” crowd and the absence of the Tabernacle in the Sanctuary all lead to a arrogant belief in the lack of the need for Confession or to be in a State of Grace before receiving the Holy Eucharist.

Steve Bogner at Catholicism holiness & spirituality reminds us of a Christian virtue in “Hope”: Advent is the season of hope, and hope is a reflection of God’s presence in our lives.

John Gedbaw, a disciple at A Grain of Wheat, points out that faith needs daily renewal in “Seven Habits of Faith” — and provides a handy fill-in-the-blank form.

At Ales Rarus, Guest blogger Stuff, a mother of three, talks about the calling to be

Eponymous blogger HerbEly is distracted and looking for advice. He finds help and encouragement in a tale from legends of the 18th century Eastern European Jewish tradition, in “On Distractions in Prayer: Advice from the Hasidic Jewish Tradition.”

Gen at Real Clear Religion gets contemplative about “Calvinism, Materialism & The Temporal vs The Eternal”.

Danny Simkin at Samson Blinded cuts through the fog of tolerance to underlying natural law in “Too much left isn’t right”.

Elena at My Domestic Church suggests movies for the first week of Advent.

Jay (who’s running late like many of us) at Living Catholicism recommends that we watch Mother Teresa, no available on video.

Finally, The Kitchen Madonaa in the Glorious Heart of Dixie packs two gifts in one post with “KM Soup Kitchen Beef Stew Recipe and How to Improve Your Skin At the Same Time.”