December 25, 1878 as recounted in the local paper: Christmas! The day of all days in the calendar! The one day of the three hundred and sixty-five observed by all, religious and worldly, Christian and pagan; and so it was observed yesterday in Saint Paul. As there were people of many minds, the day was observed in variety of ways, each following the bent of one’s inclination. When the somber toll of the bell warned that the Day of Days was about to dawn, people of all ranks and conditions hastened from their homes and out into the piercing cold air hied them to houses of prayer—they … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – December 24, 2023

As appeared in the Pioneer Press in 1951: “The good city of St. Paul became the Christmas City of the nation. Christmas is not just a “day” in St. Paul. Nor is it merely a week or the traditional twelve days. Early in November, store windows begin to display Christmas ‘suggestions’. Christmas tree ornaments appear on the counters of ‘dime’ stores. The familiar tinkle of the Salvation Army bells is heard on the street corners downtown. About the tenth of November, Santa Claus arrives in St. Paul and is paraded through the loop by the Mayor and other city officials, attended by Boy Scouts and … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – December 17, 2023

In many homes, the festive decorating for Christmas is underway. A tree festooned with lights, baubles and tinsel bathes the living room in soft magical light. As a child, I delighted in falling asleep in the light of the tree. It is time to prepare the Christmas crèche. The crèche invites us to set out on a spiritual journey, drawn by the humility of the God who became one of us to encounter every woman and man. The crèche depicts this mystery of His great love for us so that we might become one with Him. Coming into the world, the Son of God was laid in the place where animals feed. Hay … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – December 10, 2023

The earliest record we have of the observance of Advent comes from the 5th century. Just as the season of Lent was the preparation for the Easter Feast, so the season of Advent was the preparation time for the Feast of Christmas. In both Old Testament times and in the history of the Church, more often than not, agricultural civic events were taken over and imbued with a religious significance. In northern Europe, the season of Advent began on the feast of Saint Martin of Tours, November 11th. The harvest was in, and weather was turning cold. It was time to take the livestock to slaughter. … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – December 3, 2023

Next Sunday is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is that yearly opportunity to prepare for the remembrance of the birth of the Savior. The birth of the Child of Nazareth, the Son of David, and Son of God, stands at the very center of human history. It is this Jesus who makes visible the merciful face of God. Advent is a time to celebrate beginnings, which are also endings. T. S. Eliot: in the last of The Four Quartets, written in the early part of World War II in London: “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – November 26, 2023

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. This a “civic holy day” in which we remember with gratitude all that we have received. Nothing is so ennobling in a person as a life of gratitude, the ability to say and think “thank you”. Cicero, the Roman philosopher-politician, declared gratitude as the parent of all virtues. He used examples to defend his belief and posed questions as relevant today as when he asked them 2,000 years ago. “Do we really love our parents if we are not grateful to them for what they have given us? Are we good citizens if we don’t recollect the kindness received from our … [Read more...] about Reflection from Father Steve – November 19, 2023