Christmas is a Time for Jubilation! On the Seventh Day of Christmas, Exult with Mozart Exsultate, Jubilate!

Rejoice, resound with joy,

O you blessed souls,

singing sweet songs,

In response to your singing

let the heavens sing forth with me.

My Very Favorite Classical Piece -- Perfect for Christmas!

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Johann Sebastian Bach

-- Merry 6th Day of Christmas. 

Time to Cut Your Ties with Church Militant (CM), If You Still Have Any!

....And I would suggest that you avoid the staffers who fled the sinking ship and handed out rose-colored glasses to cover up their own culpability in the CM fiasco. Neither Christine Niles or Dave Gordon deserve your support. They participated in the cover-up and now pose as persecuted reformers. Prudence dictates caution!

Facing defamation lawsuit, Church Militant confronts prospect of shutting down

You Haven't Taken Down Your Tree and Your Crib Have You?

On the fifth day of Christmas, I offer this beautiful gift from Bach, my favorite classical composer. Listening to a little Bach every day is guaranteed to make your season brighter. And what better time to do it than during the 12 days of Christmas! Enjoy listening as you read this brief excerpt from the Christmas Oratorio:

On this Feast of the Holy Innocents...

...please pray for the defenders iof our modern innocents imprisoned for trying to rescue them from our modern Herods!

THE HOLY INNOCENTS

And today, the 28th of December, the Church marks the Feast of the Holy Innocents, who were martyrs in deed though not, being infants, in will.

The horrific slaughter of children at the command of King Herod is a jarring contrast to the peace and innocence of the birth of Jesus we celebrated just three days earlier. [Read more here....]

Feast of St. Stephen, the First Martyr

 Holy Mother Church, in her wisdom, doesn't let us spend too much time with Baby Jesus and the angels singing around the crib. The very next day after welcoming Jesus, she reminds us that the spiritual life is more than a precious smiling baby. She gives us St. Stephen, stoned to death for his fidelity to our crucified Lord. 

You can read all about him in Chapters 6 and 7 of Acts of the Apostles. 

After giving the Sanhedrin a history lesson about Moses, he accuses them with these words:

Merry Christmas! And Here's My "Tiny" Camp Kreitzer Christmas Gift to You!

Our oldest daughter gave us a delightful little book for Christmas titled Tiny Ridge with almost no words, just photos.  The brief introduction reads:

Deep in the mountains of North Carolina, my daughter Josephine and I imagined a tiny world coexisting just under our feet. All of these images were created in-camera (with lots of balancing and not Photoshop alterations.) The series is designed to reflect how our organic farm and the residents of Tiny Ridge wake up over the seasons.

Do yourself a favor and visit the author/photographer's page to see the incredibly delightful and creative photos. Then let your imagination run rampant! 

Gaudete Sunday Meditation: A Brief Break from My Advent Fast for an Exhortation

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice." (Phil 4:4)

Have you made a holy hour this Advent? Have you made many? No matter your answer, I urge you to make one more this week as a gift to lay before the manger. Many people suffer at this time of year. If you are one of them, run to Bethlehem, the "house of bread." There the Lord waits for you to pour out his love in an infinite flow of consolation and peace. If you have only a drop of love to give Him, He will pour out an ocean of love in return; if your love is only the size of grain of sand, He will offer you all the sands of the desert that Moses and the Israelites passed through on the way to the Promised Land.