Gratitude

Growing in gratitude for last summer days

No one in Minnesota wants to think about back-to-school sales, less sunlight each day, or the sumac beginning to turn red. With last winter still fresh in our minds, we want to hold on to every vestige of summer we can, tucking it away to retrieve in the coming season of snow, cold and ice that awaits us. And then when we hear we must enjoy every moment, we can feel more anxious than energized. But how else can we approach these waning, delightful days of summer?

Preparing for Advent

Early in November, I heard the TV announce: “The holiday season has arrived! It’s time to … .”

Gratitude brews stewardship best, conference speaker says

“I was fortunate to work for the ‘King of Beers’ for 29 years, and now I hope to work for the King of Kings for the rest of my life,” Baranowski told more than 150 people gathered for the Region 8 International Catholic Stewardship Council Conference at St. Ambrose of Woodbury in Woodbury Aug. 17, hosted this year by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Thanksgiving: Time to Count Blessings and Thank God for Gifts

The holiday season moves into full swing at the end of November with our annual celebration of Thanksgiving. It is marvelous when we are able to have an attitude of gratitude. God is our provider, the giver of every good gift, so when it comes to giving thanks, our first expression of gratitude should be directed to almighty God. Jesus stressed the importance of thanking God when he asked the Samaritan leper who had been healed, “Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” (Lk 17:18).

Composer trio hopes Advent concert provides spiritual preparation

To celebrate the season of anticipating Christ’s birth, music is a common element for parishes, schools and other Catholic entities in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Realizing gratitude

High school teachers everywhere know what it is like to have students in class who are only there because it is a requirement. This is why a required speech class can really be an adventure. Public speaking is terrifying! In my experience, there is usually one student who is excited to take the class — and he or she shows up every five or six years.

The season to be grateful

This is the thanks-saying, thanks-doing, thanksgiving season. It begins in late November and runs through Christmas. In the United States, Thanksgiving Day is a secular feast, although many religious congregations mark it with special services and prayers.

Gratitude for God’s goodness in trying times

This past week we celebrated the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, the patronal feast of our archdiocese. It provided for me an opportunity to be grateful for the gift of our archdiocese. I thought of the many incredible priests who serve so faithfully and I am privileged to count as my brothers. I thought of the dedicated lay people and religious who inspire me by their holiness as they try to pursue a life of discipleship with Jesus.

First Sunday of Advent — Christ is the way

I believe God wants us to be happy. I believe God gave us this yearning for happiness that constantly preoccupies our hearts. It seems he has placed this yearning within each human heart as a spiritual navigational instrument designed to lead us to our destiny. God himself is the author of our desire for happiness.

Leper shows us best way to give thanks to Christ

Ten lepers were healed by Jesus, but only one returned. On the surface, this passage is about being thankful to God. But its full meaning goes deeper.

Readers share their greatest Christmas blessings

The Catholic Spirit invited readers to tell us about their greatest Christmas blessing.

Advent beckons us to wait expectantly, just like grandmother

During the season of Advent, while the world around us seems to speed up and become busier than ever, the liturgies of this season call us to slow down and wait — to wait in joyful hope and faith-filled expectation.
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