After reflecting on a hymn that is nearly a millennium old, our focus this week is on a hymn written in the 21st century. “A Hymn of Advent” was written a couple years ago by Matt Scott, one of my ...

This is the third installment of a series on the great hymns of Advent. To learn more about Advent, read the introductory post: On Advent: What It Is & Why You Need It. Part 1 on the hymns of Advent ...

When “Santa Baby” starts playing at the grocery store, I thank God I’m Catholic and try not to hum along! That can be difficult because it is a catchy—if irritating—tune. During the Advent season, we ...

hymn, n [from the Latin hymnus, song of praise] 1: a song of praise to God 2: a metrical composition adapted for singing in a religious service For centuries, Christians have sung hymns in order to ...

Last year, America published “An (unconventional) Advent Playlist,” an article including two playlists by Karen Nielsen and Rogelio Juárez, in response to a friend’s lament that “‘O Come, O Come ...

After the angel Gabriel visits Mary to announce she would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit, Mary receives the news and goes to see her cousin, Elizabeth, who is also miraculously pregnant. The ...

Many Catholic Advent hymns focus on the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus, such as "Rorate Caeli (Drop Down, Ye Heavens)." In recent years, Brett McCraken of The Gospel Coalition network has created ...

Originally composed in Polish, this Advent hymn comes from the same prayers that gave us "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." The immense nature of the Catholic music tradition is boundless in its gifts to the ...

Even St. Augustine admired its lyrics.St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan in the 4th century, was a spiritual giant in his day and has always been regarded as a Doctor of the Church. Among his many ...

Advent for some Christian denominations is a penitential season of waiting and longing in the four weeks before Christmas. The consumer-driven holiday season often overlooks the Advent themes of ...