The Immaculate Conception is About Mary

Last updated on: December 1, 2023 at 1:50 pm By Christine Schmertz Navarro

Catholics will observe the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. What does this feast day celebrate? While the day does involve Jesus, the feast day is about Mary. Many people think that the term “Immaculate Conception” and its corresponding feast day refer to Jesus’ conception by the Holy Spirit. The term “Virgin birth,” is actually the term that describes this mystery. Mary herself was conceived without sin. The Immaculate Conception is about Mary. The Origins of the Feast... Read more

Advent is a Time for Hope

Last updated on: November 30, 2023 at 5:13 pm By Christine Schmertz Navarro

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The Catholic Church celebrates several liturgical seasons throughout the year. My favorite is the season of Advent in the weeks before Christmas because Advent is a time for hope. A Review of Church Seasons The Church year begins at the end of November or early December. This year it begins on December 3. Advent: Advent is a time for hope and waiting for Jesus at Christmas. The season lasts four weeks. Christmas: Christmas celebrates Jesus’ birth. Ordinary Time: The first... Read more

Thanksgiving Needs Change. Indigenous Peoples’ Day?

Last updated on: January 18, 2024 at 10:38 am By Christine Schmertz Navarro

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I wrote an article about why I love Thanksgiving. I am all about giving thanks for God’s blessings, spending a long weekend with friends and family, and eating significantly more than usual. The Thanksgiving holiday, however, needs an overhaul. The holiday must be severed from its pilgrim and Native American roots. Additionally, the United States needs a Genocide Remembrance Day to teach people how the European settlers and the U.S. government treated native peoples and to honor the many indigenous... Read more

I Love Thanksgiving!

Last updated on: November 22, 2023 at 6:09 pm By Christine Schmertz Navarro

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Although I often question the initial narrative that underlies the holiday, there are several reasons why I love Thanksgiving. Giving Thanks is Always Good Whatever my current circumstances, identifying reasons to be grateful always enlivens and humbles me. I am a person who can focus on what is not going “just so,” situations that could be better, and so on. When I take time to reflect on the blessings in my life, I put this critical mindset to the side.... Read more

Mount Rainier Reminds Me of God

Last updated on: November 20, 2023 at 4:38 pm By Christine Schmertz Navarro

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From the moment I saw Mount Rainier live and in person, its majestic beauty wowed me. Mount Rainier reminds me of God. Beautiful Places I had seen some fantastic natural beauty before viewing Mount Rainier. The Atlantic coastline is beautiful. Acadia and Shenandoah National Parks and Assateague and Cape Cod National Seashores were preserved because they are lovely. Before my move to Washington, I had been to Santa Fe and seen some of that terrain. as well as Mt. Lassen... Read more

Why I Need to Outgrow Stereotypes

Last updated on: November 18, 2023 at 4:25 pm By Christine Schmertz Navarro

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I like to think that at this point in my life, I can accept my strengths and weaknesses, and know that I am OK as I am and that God loves the real me. Now and then, however, I find a crack in my self-perception that challenges me to do some reflection. My outing today reminded me that I still dislike fitting a stereotype. I need to outgrow stereotypes. Another Patheos.com author has an interesting article about stereotypes. Stereotypes About... Read more

Vocation II: Abraham’s Call and “Field of Dreams”

Last updated on: November 17, 2023 at 2:58 pm By Christine Schmertz Navarro

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After watching some dark series on Netflix, we recently decided to rewatch one of our favorite, uplifting movies: “Field of Dreams”. Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t watched this film, you should stop reading this and do so immediately. I do not want to ruin the movie for you. I used the movie to help students understand Abraham’s call. Abraham’s Call and Vocation When I taught high school students about God’s call to Abram (Abraham), I found that it was difficult... Read more

Vocation I: Where Does God Call Me?

Last updated on: November 15, 2023 at 1:35 pm By Christine Schmertz Navarro

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I began writing about the way that I taught high school students about God’s call and vocation, only to realize that beginning with my own story made more sense. A question that I continue to ask is “Where does God call me?” Catholic Education I started going to a Catholic school in the fifth grade. I attended a different Catholic school for seventh and eighth grade and although there were elements I liked, I wrote about the attack of scruples... Read more

To Lay Down One’s Life: Gratitude for an American POW Veteran

Last updated on: November 11, 2023 at 2:12 pm By Christine Schmertz Navarro

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This Veterans’ Day, I feel grateful for a particular veteran of a North Korean POW camp. This soldier endured captivity primarily to ease the minds of a fellow soldier’s family. This story gives me another way of understanding what it means “to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn. 15:13, NRSVCE) The Korean War Like many Americans, I know little about the Korean War. It is sometimes called the “forgotten war” because World War II and Vietnam receive so... Read more

We Need Nuance in an Either/Or Culture!

Last updated on: November 8, 2023 at 5:11 pm By Christine Schmertz Navarro

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For the number of choices Americans have for food, clothes, cleaning products, worship, social media, etc., one would think we could move beyond either/or thinking. Either/Or Questions I Hear These Days Most recently, the question of whether one supports Israel or the Palestinians has been asked. Choosing one over the other, unless one is Israeli or Palestinian, is difficult. If someone asked me that question, I would say that I do not support terrorist attacks or attacks on civilians, so... Read more