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Friday, March 29, 2024

Mark Azzara

Mark Azzara spent 45 years in print journalism, most of them with the Waterbury Republican in Connecticut, where he was a features writer with a special focus on religion at the time of his retirement. He also worked for newspapers in New Haven and Danbury, Conn. At the latter paper, while sports editor, he won a national first-place writing award on college baseball. Azzara also has served as the only admissions recruiter for a small Catholic college in Connecticut and wrote a self-published book on spirituality, "And So Are You." He is active in his church and facilitates two Christian study groups for men. Azzara grew up in southern California, graduating from Cal State Los Angeles. He holds a master's degree from the University of Connecticut.

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come

As an old year ends a new year begins. And sometimes the hope it brings with it is stunning.

Is Christmas a time of love, joy, peace … or terror?

According to the same old sermons we hear at this time of year, Jesus is always coming into our hearts in a new way. But if we really believe that then we should be preparing ourselves for something bold, exciting, unusual and risky.

One week until Christmas. Then what?

Christians are preparing to receive the greatest gift ever. The question is: What will we do with that gift?

Surprise, surprise! God knows more than I do

Repeat after me the lesson he still teaches: There is no heaven on Earth. There is no heaven on Earth.

Why not ‘just do it?’ Let me count the ways

During Advent we come to appreciate more deeply why we need a Savior by learning what we need to be saved from.

Give others a reason to be thankful

If all of us were to regard every other human being on Earth with the same respect we reserve for ourselves we would have no problems.

Pope Francis is gone but his message remains

If I had tried to consume the full contents of Pope Francis' massive six-day spiritual feast as it was being dished out I would only have developed the spiritual, intellectual and emotional equivalent of a walloping bellyache.

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