Advent always finds Catholics competing with the “holiday hype” in our secular world. Despite the overwhelming emphasis on the commercial side of Christmas, we seek to create a space of reflection and meditative prayer around ourselves during this time. There, we can contemplate the “reason behind the season” and allow God to enter our personal world once more.

At American Catholic Radio, we want to replace your pre-holiday stress with the peace that comes from our liturgical, scriptural and prayerful celebration of the season. Our pre-Christmas lineup of programs also includes saints, spirituality and stimulating guests to inform and inspire you! Our in-house faith-formation director will offer ways to enhance your Advent in our first program of the season.

Peace is a special part of both the expectations voiced by Isaiah in the Advent readings and in the proclamation of the angels to the shepherds: “Peace on earth and good will to all!” It will be a special focus in our second Advent program.

May your holiday preparations be blessed!

Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.

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Highlights from this episode include:

St. Francis Xavier, part of our series of saints drawn from the December liturgical calendar, was a Jesuit and pioneering missionary in India, present-day Malaysia and Japan.

The Sisters of Charities of St. Joan Antida in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, hosted a gathering of Harley-Davidson Motorcycle riders at their Bethany Retreat House. Sister Ann Josepha and Sister Theresa talk about their experience of breaking down stereotypes and making some very good friends.

Father Dan Kroger responds to a question: Must a nurse or other medical professional confess missing Mass because of working a 12-hour shift?

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey
In observance of the Year of St. Paul, we bring you another “Portrait of Paul” from Father Norman Langenbrunner. Paul’s missionary journeys were full of amazing adventures, as told by St. Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. The second of his travels were a mixture of success and failure, as Paul met what would be one of his favorite communities, the Philippians, and experienced mostly disappointment after preaching in Athens.

Jeanne Hunt, resident faith-formation adviser for St. Anthony Messenger Press, is a veteran religious educator on the parish and diocesan level. She has preached parish missions with Isaiah Ministries throughout the world and eventually served as its executive director. Jeanne continues to work part-time as a director of religious education at a parish in the Cincinnati Archdiocese, so she keeps in close touch with what real-life Catholics are thinking. She and producer John Feister talk about how to bring the season of Advent into our homes and families.

Highlights from this episode include:

St. Juan Diego is one of our series of saints and blesseds who appears on the December liturgical calendar. He connects with our Advent focus on Our Lady, associated with one of Latin America’s most beloved images of our Blessed Mother as Our Lady of Guadalupe. After Mary appeared to him, his simple faith brought us another way to approach the mysteries of God’s plan of salvation.

Long-time peace activist Father John Dear, S.J., has just published his autobiography, A Persistent Peace: One Man's Struggle for a Nonviolent World. For Father Dear, commitment to nonviolence is an all-or-nothing proposition that has led him to spend time in jail, and receive death threats. He makes clear that the peace cause is an urgent one that should concern each of us.

Father Don Miller answers a question: Why is premarital sex wrong even for an engaged couple?

Coming to Corinth
In observance of the Year of St. Paul, we bring you another “Portrait of Paul” from Father Norman Langenbrunner. On Paul’s second missionary journey, he visited Corinth, which was to be one of his most important communities. Here, too, he demonstrates a “missionary technique,” which he explains in his First Letter to the Corinthians: Paul would preach the gospel, but leave the task of baptizing to others.

Sister Jean Frisk, a member of the Schoenstatt Sisters of Mary, currently works on art and special projects for the Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute located at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio. With her background in education and theology and a licentiate in sacred theology, she has authored various works on Marian devotion, including writing the meditations for two award-winning works published by St. Anthony Messenger Press: Mary's Flowers, Legends, & Meditations and Healing Plants of the Bible. She also teaches and is a frequent speaker on biblically based Marian devotion. She speaks with producer John Feister about the Blessed Mother and the Christmas story in art and popular devotions.