<h2><a style="color: #04619d; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.ncronline.org/spirituality/pencil-preaching/weight-hope">The weight of hope</a></h2><div style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="byline">by Pat Marrin</div><div style="font-size: 19px; font-family: 'Georgia', serif;"><p>Pencil Preaching for Thursday, December 29, 2022</p><
Deacon Greg Kandra is the creator of the blog "The Deacon's Bench," which has garnered more than 20 million readers from around the world since its inception in 2007. Before retiring after 11 years as senior writer for the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, he spent three decades in broadcast journalism as a writer and producer, receiving two Emmys, two Peabody Awards, four awards from the Writer's Guild of America, and three from the Catholic Press Association.
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="max-width: 400px; margin: 0 auto;"><a href="https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/francis-comic-strip/francis-comic-str… style="max-width: 100%;" src="https://www.ncronline.org/files/styles/email_ne
![https://www.ncronline.org/files/styles/email_ne](https://www.ncronline.org/files/styles/email_newsletter_full_width/public/2022-12/francis%2C%20real%20power%201st%20panel.jpg"></a></div></div><h2><a){kind=link}
<h2><a style="color: #04619d; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/ncr-voices/how-christmas-post-covid-p… Christmas is like post-COVID, in-person gatherings</a></h2><div style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="byline">by Daniel P.
<h2><a style="color: #04619d; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/retired-pope-benedict-xv… Francis says retired Pope Benedict XVI is 'very sick' </a></h2><div style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="byline">by Christopher White</div><div style="font-size: 19px; font-family: 'Georgia', s
<h2><a style="color: #04619d; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.ncronline.org/spirituality/pencil-preaching/innocents">The innocents</a></h2><div style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="byline">by Pat Marrin</div><div style="font-size: 19px; font-family: 'Georgia', serif;"><p>Pencil Preaching for Wednesday, December 28, 2022</p>
<h2><a style="color: #04619d; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/ncr-voices/2022-politics-sadly-religi… in politics: Sadly, religion contributed to our smallness</a></h2><div style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="byline">by Michael Sean Winters</div><div style="font-size: 19px; font-family: 'Georgia', serif;
<div style="text-align: center;"><div style="max-width: 400px; margin: 0 auto;"><a href="https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/francis-comic-strip/francis-comic-str… style="max-width: 100%;" src="https://www.ncronline.org/files/styles/emai
![https://www.ncronline.org/files/styles/emai](https://www.ncronline.org/files/styles/email_newsletter_full_width/public/2022-12/francis%2C%20red%20pants%2012.27.22%20panel.jpg"></a></div></div><h2><a){kind=link}
<h2><a style="color: #04619d; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.ncronline.org/spirituality/pencil-preaching/touch-god">In touch with God</a></h2><div style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="byline">by Pat Marrin</div><div style="font-size: 19px; font-family: 'Georgia', serif;"><p>Pencil Preaching for Tuesday, December 27, 2022</p>