This article first appeared at: catholic.com When I converted from Evangelical Protestantism to Catholicism, I made a lot of theological changes in my life. I expected this, but I didn’t expect that I would be making a lot of sociological changes, too. Every group has...

The Fourth Sunday of Advent marks a switch in focus from John the Baptist (on the previous two Sundays) to the events immediately leading up to the birth of Christ. 

The Fourth Sunday of Advent marks a switch in focus from John the Baptist (on the previous two Sundays) to the events immediately leading up to the birth of Christ. 

Two words about Mary from the Bible describe most of our lives in December: “in haste.”

We run in haste to the mall, post office, grocery store. In haste, we rush to the office parties and pageants. We pack the bags, pack the car or race to get the house clean and ready. There are only 24 days left to fit everything in, so all must be done with haste. While the month of December has moments of joy, for many, words like “stressed” and “overwhelmed” more adequately describe the norm.

But if there was ever a woman who had an excuse for feeling overwhelmed and needing to be “in haste” in the days leading up to Christ’s birth, it would be Mary.