Breadbox Media

Okay, I admit that the title for this article is a little startling. We are celebrating Christmas, right? Check your calendars. It is still December. Look outside. The liturgy is talking about Christ’s birth and the stores are boasting Christmas specials.

But I couldn’t resist not sharing with you an insight into the glory of Christmas that I discovered in a very old book The Mass Through the Year by Aemiliana Lohr.

Sharing this is important to me because after reading the reflection, I am finding myself saddened that our Christmas celebrations never stretch us beyond “remembering” and “re-enacting” the first Christmas or drawing some comforting or, less often, a challenging application from the Christmas narrative for our own lives. Many present-moment Christmases disappoint as we recall the memories of Christmases of happier years or sorrow through Christmases that now are marred by anniversaries of losses we still regret.

We are not the shepherds who were startled from sleep by choruses of angelic delight eagerly awaking a slumbering world to the unexpected and truly wondrous news that the mighty Savior lay waiting for them in a manger. No. We have read the Gospels. We know Jesus’ story. We’ve heard his parables over and over again. Each Lent and Easter we’ve commemorated his death and resurrection, and in Baptism we’ve died with him and have risen with him….

The Church can’t see the child in swaddling clothes laid in a manger without remembering the memorial of his other birth from the tomb.

The solemnity of the birth of the King Christ was in view of the day on which his power and rule would be solidified as he rose from the dead and ascended to his place beside his Father in heaven. ...

Category: Dealing with AngerTag: anger, Bible reading, holy spirit, Old Testament

Everyone feels unappreciated and overlooked sometimes. The prodigal son has an older, clearly responsible and obedient brother. Scholars tell us this brother represents the Pharisees, with whom Jesus shares this parable. How does God deal with our resentment when we feel our efforts are unacknowledged?

Today, I speak about the reading from Colossians during the feast of the Holy Faith. Families are not just built on blood but also virtue. We are called to cultivate virtue in our families. Reflecting on this call means asking ourselves an important question I bring up in the episode today.

If you like my podcast, please make sure to subscribe to the podcast it really does help me. You can find more of my content at my website www.thefrankfriar.com and my YouTube at www.youtube.com/c/thefrankfriar

The Director of Catholic Youth Ministry for the Diocese of Providence, up in Rhode Island. She played softball, volleyball, and basketball, and in her current role is hands-on with the Catholic Athletic League, including the creation of Cooperative Parish Teams. She is a strong supporter of the intersection of faith and sports, as heard during this interview.

When you are surfing you have to paddle out and then you wait. There is something extraordinary about that waiting. While floating you are held by this greatness, this power. We are waiting  but not alone. We are suspended, held and embraced all at once….by God. Father Eric Cadin joins me this week to discuss how surfing and the ocean symbolizes Christianity.

There is a relationship between personal and professional success, and every organization is made up of people who come from and go home to families. Yet most don’t recognize or value the fact that family is important to them, but they should.

Year-end brings some hard deadlines set by accountants and the IRS, but let’s not confuse those things with the rest of our lives. If you’ve missed your goals for the year, keep going.

Patience is a virtue that is misunderstood, if not undervalued and underdeveloped in the workplace. It is not a quality that is typically honored in business. We are always being pushed to get things done and get them done faster.

Virtue of Virginity

If you enjoyed this episode of The Catholic Man Show on craftsmanship and patience and are looking to protect your family from the dangers of the internet, go to Covenant Eyes and use promo code “Catholicman” for a 30-day free trial of keeping y0ur family safe.

We are looking for a few men who are taking their faith seriously.

If you enjoyed this episode with our wives then join us on Patreon: Extra content, great thank you gifts, exclusive access to Adam and David, private FB page, and much more.

Become a Patron!

Don’t listen to us, read what St. Thomas Aquinas says about virginity.

About our drink: Deveron 12 Year Old Single Malt

About the gear: Wood Glue

About our topic: The Virtue of Virginity