Column

To qualify as hope, our aspirations must be towards the good. It sounds so obvious, but I meet folks every day, sometimes in the mirror in the morning too, who are wide open to all sorts of negativity, who live in dread and sure expectation that the worst is just around the corner. That we often feel despondent and hopeless is not really much of a mystery, is it? Obviously there are many life situations that we do not personally control, but the thing that is always in our control is our response to those situations, and the hope-filled person is devoted to choosing a positive response.

Marching through Lent

Historically speaking, Groundhog Day is a direct descendent of Candlemas, which, for early Christians, was a day to bless and distribute candles— a hot commodity in the days before electric light, especially during the cold, dark winter. This celebration, halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, had been founded by the pagans and eventually given a new spin by the Church, marked by the blessing of candles by the local priest, and giving them to all the parish homes. Together they would kindle the Christ light, chasing the cold and shadows of winter temporarily away. Nice custom, yes?