Father Cantalamessa's Advent Sermons and Commentary on the Readings

Zenit is providing English translations of the Advent commentaries and sermons given by Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, Preacher of the Pontifical Household:

Life Is Expectation - A commentary on the readings for the first Sunday in Advent.

Chosen to Be Holy and Immaculate - A commentary on the readings for the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

John the Baptist: Prophet of the Most High - A commentary on the readings for the second Sunday in Advent.

Rejoice Always! - A commentary on the readings for the third Sunday in Advent.

The Lord Is on High but Cares for the Lowly - A commentary on the readings for the fourth Sunday of Advent.

Blessed Are You Who Weep Now! - The first of a series of sermons for Advent given on the Beatitudes, Friday, Dec. 15, 2006, in the presence of Benedict XVI and members of the Roman Curia.  Zenit's translation of that sermon into English also appears on Father Cantalamessa's website. 

Blessed Are the Peacemakers - The second sermon on the Beatitudes, Friday, December 22, 2006.

Father Cantalamessa's website also includes a photo from the sermons to the Roman Curia.

Comments

[Maribeth]

I am wondering, why is it that some people only go to Christmas and Easter Mass? And why is it that they actually even go to these two Holy Days? what is it that says, we have to go to Christmas Mass? Obviously people have good in their hearts...but why not continue to go throughout the whole year?

[Teresa Polk]

For a few years while I was a child, my family went to church (usually a Baptist church) only a few times a year. Part of the reason probably was my mother's discomfort after a divorce in the early 1960's. Part of the reason was that we fell out of the habit of going to church regularly while she was in graduate school in another state, with no familiar church nearby and very busy. I am glad she kept that tie to faith for me and my brother. Later, when I was around 14 years old and had a conversion experience, I wanted to go to church regularly. The first months of going back to that Baptist church, where everyone knew me as one of the kids who didn't go to church much, and I felt that I knew very little about the Bible and little about Christianity in comparison to the other kids my age, I felt awkward and out of place at first, but I am glad that we kept the tie to that church at least as much as we did over the years.