Many times one's success in fulfilling his or her New Year's resolution(s) depends on the nature of the resolution and the determination of the person making the resolution.

The gifts to Jesus of frankincense and myrrh from the wise men were practical forms of dentistry. Even today, gifts of dental healthcare for those in need continue to be vital.

While the Pope may have a vested interest in attempting to validate the historical accuracy of the stories of Jesus' birth, I think we misunderstand their intent by doing so.

Let us sing lustily of the God who comes in the vulnerability of a baby but whose love will not abandon us even in the face of death.

When you know this kind of oneness with Mystery -- or, this kind of oneness with yourself -- what would be the point of words? As Ram Dass says, "The more silent you become, the more you hear."

What Francis of Assisi said of preaching is equally true of voting: do it without ceasing, and do it on Election Day only when necessary.

Some people -- some children -- are born at the starting line without shoes, without warm-up pants, and without a nice bowl of pasta-carbs and a bed to sleep on the night before.

God doesn't expect us to be perfect -- we are human. If we were perfect, there would have been no reason for God to give God's Son for us. But God does expect us to forgive and to seek forgiveness.

Matthew thinks that the church is fundamentally a missionary church, and he conceives of its mission concretely as a "going" to all nations in not being a fuel of domination and power but in making disciples.

Just like Jesus, you and I know what it's like to be tempted. We know what it's like to have a hunger for something we want, something that others might say we need, but that we know will serve only to distract or derail us.

Whether it's across the street, across the church pew or across the world, all of us have the power to reach just one needy person.

If we spend our borrowed time here on earth striving for upward mobility or trinkets of success and abundance, then we have missed the boat. Chasing money is a surefire path to loneliness, depression and emptiness.

Career-conscious Christians, listen up! Is Jesus calling us to re-evaluate how we are spending our time, our lives and our careers? Is he challenging us to break down and bust up the barrier between office and vocation?

Is Serge Etele and Congregation Beth Yeshourun the vanguard of a new and surprising revitalization of Judaism out of Africa?

In Matthew, we find the story of a woman who is healed merely by touching Jesus' cloak so that she can lead a new life. It's a beautiful story, and even more so if we consider her affliction: she had been bleeding for years.

How many Christians misunderstood the meaning of Jesus's teaching today? They may have walked home thinking that as long as they were not like those hypocritical other people, they would be OK before God.

I found myself thinking about an aspect of Dickens easily overshadowed.. I refer to his subtle use of biblical literature.

For my family, the biggest celebration has always been that of the Día de los Reyes Magos or Epiphany Day. The tradition is for kids -- and adults too -- to write a letter to the Wise Men with their wishes.

I've been struck by the ads and billboards atheists have purchased this year suggesting that Christmas is a myth. Struck. Not offended or angered. Just struck. And they may be right.

Angels direct, as it were the narrative traffic of both those infancy stories but there is one very special case of angelic intervention found only in Luke. This involves not just a single angel but the entire heavenly choir who descend to earth...

This is exactly how I feel. I love the language -- anguish, terrors, fear, trembling and horror. I'm not afraid of being dead. It's getting dead that bothers me.

Whatever the final outcome of #OWS, it's encouraging to find ourselves in dialogue about the common good once again. Our neighbors are starting to have faces, and that's crucial.

It couldn't hurt for Jesus to show up and weigh in on America's current economic and political challenges. It might be helpful if he issued a declaration about who should pay taxes, and how much.

Much in this country's political landscape has centered on equal access and opportunity for all. First century C.E. New Testament literature points to similar struggles.