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Christmas is commonly abbreviated as X-mas, X being a symbol of Christ. This X actually comes from the  Greek letter  chi , the first letter of  Χριστός   —    Christós  or “Christ”.  This abbreviation makes a lot of sense. Nowadays, however, I have a growing feeling that for many people, this representation has been somewhat lost. The symbol X  now means "to cross out" or "leave out" or, in recent jargon, "to cancel".    Amidst the whirlwind of Christmas activities  there is a tendency to leave out Christ in Christmas . Crazy as it may sound, it is even crazier that some people do not even know that it is actually happening.   We concern ourselves so much with Christmas preparations  —    decorations, reunions, gifts, and the  noche buena    —     that we forget about the real reasons why we are doing them.  Obviously, the solution is not to do away w...

The seasons of Christmas and Holy Week are good occasions for availing of the sacrament of confession. This video is a step by step guide on how to go through the process. See also my related blog entry on Peace and Joy in a Box : Why you should no longer neglect, delay or fear confession . Notes on this video 1. I first saw the Spanish-subtitled version of this video on Patrick Madrid's blog . 2. I don't know what the video means by indicating ¨Conscience¨ as one of the things you'll need for confession. Perhaps it refers to ¨sorrow for sins¨ which is the most important part of confession, but then I think this was covered by the other items ¨Desire to seek forgiveness¨ and the ¨Will to be better.¨ 3.Below is the text of the Act of contrition. You don't have to memorize it. You may bring a copy when you go to confession. Act of Contrition O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss ...

Download a PDF copy of this article   I.Introduction All men desire peace and happiness, but many do not realize that true peace and happiness could come in a box- in a confessional box that is. Many Catholics neglect, delay or fear going to confession for various reasons. In this article, I will try to answer common objections on why one needs to go to confession and why one needs to go soon. I neither presume that I have covered all possible questions and objections about going to confession, nor that I have answered completely the questions I have posed. I am convinced that, more than rational arguments, what are needed for conversion are the grace of God and the person’s humility, faith and trust. Nevertheless, I still dare to tackle these questions in the slightest hope that even just one reader decide to avail of this great sacrament and enjoy the presence of God at the center of his soul. II.Objections to Confession Going to confession for the first time, o...