With Thanksgiving behind us, we turn our attention towards Christmas. We call this season of anticipation for the coming of Our Lord in the Incarnation, “Advent.” Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas, with each Sunday having its own theme represented by one of the four candles on the Advent wreath. Starting on the first Sunday of Advent, we light the first violet “Prophet’s Candle,” which symbolizes Hope.
TOBET
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving happens in the Fall and coincides with traditional dates of harvest. In fact, many Europeans at the time of the Pilgrims set aside days of thanks to God for successful harvests. The Pilgrims at Plymouth explicitly wanted to thank God for their bounty after having almost starved the prior Winter.
St. Martin’s Day
Today marks the feast of a somewhat obscure saint in the minds of American Catholics: St. Martin of Tours. This particular feast used to hold particular importance in Medieval Europe, as it marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of Winter. The occasion, often called “Martinmas” or “Old Halloween,” saw feasting, the giving of small gifts to children, and even marked the beginning of St. Martin’s Lent.
Your Parents Matter
Our parents give us so much. From our very first heartbeat, they sacrifice no small amount of sweat, blood, and treasure to bring us to full adulthood. They love us unconditionally, and work to give us a good life. We, in turn, trust our parents implicitly, and try to give them the respect and obedience due to them. No other relationships in our lives can compare to the importance of that with our parents.
Habeas Corpus
In biology the term “type specimen” refers to the first sample of a new species. With animals, the type specimen means the first dead body found. Until someone produces a type specimen for bigfoot, we cannot say for certain it exists. Without studying a physical body, all information about the beast will remain speculation. This explains why some people who believe in bigfoot come across a little crazy, they have no bodily specimen to limit their speculation.
Why JPII Gave Us TOB
On this the Feast Day of our beloved Pope St. John Paul II, we at TOBET continue to trust in his
intercession for the Church and for the first organization (TOBET!) established to promulgate the Theology of the Body (TOB), especially geared toward families, children, and youth.
The Body Teaches Friendship
Jesus, the ruler of all things, wants to have a relationship with youI often hear Catholics say, “God made us for relationship.” That sounds great, but what does it mean? What does a relationship look like? And beyond that, what does a good relationship look like?...
Our Comforting Presence
While death is a subject we don’t like to think about, we often make an effort to attend funerals with our bodies, as our physical presence comforts those mourning the dead.
Sunday Best
What does this set of clothes signify?What do you wear to Church? What about to work? To bed? Or the pool? Would you wear the same thing in all of these different settings? Of course not! Wearing a suit in the pool would make it hard to swim and wearing a swimsuit to...
The Uniforms Matter
The author reflects on the significance of school uniforms, highlighting their role in promoting equality, fostering community identity, and enhancing safety. They suggest that uniforms reinforce shared educational purpose and relationships among individuals.