The Midpoint Today is the midpoint, the end of the beginning and the beginning of the end. Which is to say, today is the Feast of the Presentation, a perfect microcosm of both/and. The official Christmas Season ended a couple weeks ago on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. The Presentation of the baby Jesus … Continue reading The Midpoint Between the Nativity and the Passion
Faith vs. Power: Epiphany
Where the Magi embody trust in God, Herod is the man of action who puts his trust in his own worldly power . . . It’s all to no effect. With all his worldly power he can’t stop the coming of the Messiah, or even save his own life . . .
The Wrong Shall Fail, The Right Prevail: 11th Day of Christmas
Longfellow, who had very powerful incentives to turn to despair, instead created a poem that shows us that the joy of Christmas is not a denial of the brokenness of this world, but God's answer to it.
Let the Children: 10th Day of Christmas and St. Genevieve
But who can we trust if we can’t trust the God who became a little child among us, and showed us how to say, even in the final extremity, “Into Your hands, Lord, I commend my Spirit” (Luke 23:46)?
God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways: 9th Day of Christmas
God's Ways God's ways are not our ways. We hear a lot of Isaiah through the seasons of Advent and Christmas, but the passage below expresses with particular clarity one of the most striking and curious things about Christmas: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord.For as the … Continue reading God’s Ways Are Not Our Ways: 9th Day of Christmas
One of Us Yet Mother of God: 8th Day of Christmas
If Christ isn’t born of a human woman, He’s not fully human himself, in which case how can He die and redeem humankind? Mary is the guarantor that Jesus, while He truly is God, is truly one of us.
The Paradox of Christmas and St. Thomas Becket: 5th Day of Christmas
Today, on the 5th Day of Christmas, we find ourselves celebrating yet another martyr, St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, murdered by knights in the service of King Henry II of England on December 29th, 1170.
Holy Innocents and the Saving Power of Christmas Carols: 4th Day of Christmas
Herod's worldly strength was no match for the might of the little baby born in Bethlehem. Likewise, the Holy Spirit working through sacred Christmas songs changed hearts that were not moved by human arguments.
The Beloved Disciple at the Foot of the Cross: 3rd Day of Christmas
John is beloved because he is a disciple who himself loves much - so much that he alone of the Apostles follows Christ all the way to Calvary and stands with the Blessed Mother and Mary Magdalene at the foot of the Cross. He is our model in loving discipleship.
St. Stephen and Good King Wenceslas: 2nd Day of Christmas
Just as our Christmas joy is tempered by the realization that the child lying in the manger must someday hang on the Cross, St. Stephen reminds us, a mere day after the Feast of the Nativity itself, that following the Child of Bethlehem can mean our own Calvary.