National Catholic Reporter: Content by Fr. Eddie Siebert, S.J.

What is it about the most wonderful time of the year that also makes it the most stressful time of year? Sure, there’s all the buying and wrapping of gifts, the effort required to decorate our homes with effective cheer, and who can forget the amount of time needed for baking

In 1989, five months before the Jesuits were assassinated, my friend Karl Kiser, S.J., and I managed to talk our way into El Salvador. At the Salvadoran embassy in Guatemala (where Karl and I were studying Spanish) we tactfully impersonated tourists hoping to visit the beautiful Salvadoran beaches.

I’m wondering if sophomoric humor appeals to me because I never really acted like a sophomore in high school. Let’s face it; I was the guy volunteering to help Sister clean the chapel, not the guy pulling detention-worthy pranks.

A few months after I was born, my great-uncle Fr. Edward Timmons, S.J., dropped dead in the middle of reading the Passion at Palm Sunday mass. Quite the Halloween image, eh? Though I never met my namesake during the short time our lives overlapped, I feel like I have a relationship with him.

When asked to declare a religion, one in three Gen Xers and Millennials respond with “none.” I’m sure this doesn’t surprise you — it’s pretty standard to be Catholic in 2014 and have brothers, sisters, children and even spouses who are “nones.” Now more than ever, being Catholic is a choice, not a given based on cultural and family background.

Have you noticed how much Hollywood seems to be into spirituality these days? I’m not talking about those paparazzi photos plastered all over the tabloids of Gwyneth and Madonna walking into the Kabbalah Centre or promotional videos of Tom Cruise talking about his devotion to Scientology.

A priest and nun meet at a bar…no, I’m not starting a joke. This is actually how I met Sister Judy Molosky. We struck up a conversation while I was trying to decide which holiday libation to order at a Christmas party thrown by the Specialty Family Foundation,

In elementary school at St. Rita’s in Solon, Ohio, I always looked forward to the May Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM for short). Sure, a lot of that excitement probably had to do with getting outside in the middle of a school day after a long Ohio winter. But there were other perks, too.

It was a frigid, gray February morning, and we huddled alongside thousands of pilgrims packed outside St. Peter’s Square waiting for the pope. Heeding smart advice, my colleague Kathleen Kelly and I arrived just before 8 a.m. to an already massive crowd for the 11 a.m. General Audience.

The studio executive politely listened as I finished my television pitch, took a deep breath and said, “Father, I love your idea, but it’s just too inspirational. Have you considered doing a show about Jesuits with machine guns?” I wish I could say that was the first time I heard that response. OK, the execs don’t always recommend I think up a series about Jesuits with machine guns.