Merry Christmas! And here's ne of my favorite Christmas hymns for your holy day.

 Out of the mouths of the young to touch our hearts with the true meaning of Christmas. 

May you and your family be blessed on this holy day.

Padre Pio's and Don Dolindo's Christmas Messages

These two holy men offer messages for Christmas that every soul needs to hear. Let us turn to Jesus on this holy night and comfort Him in the cold. Let our hearts not be like the piercing cold of the cave in Bethlehem. Jesus sends an invitation this night. Will we accept it and respond? Let us abandon ourselves to Divine Providence.  O Jesus, I trust in You; take care of everything. "The soul that surrenders becomes the warm cradle."

The Christmas Eve Miracle of 1914

The Christmas Truce of 1914: When the guns fell silent

Suzanne Cords

https://p.dw.co/p/55

Weary of fighting: Historic group photo of German and British soldiers standing together
Image: Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Thinking about the Big Things!

When our children were little we had a picture book about a little dragon. (NB: I'm not in favor of making dragons cute and cuddly. They are meant to represent evil. The dragon in the Book of Revelation is anything but friendly. So I'll switch the image to elephants.) 

At any rate, the elephant was little in the beginning, like a lap dog. The young son kept telling his parents there was an elephant in the house, but they wouldn't believe it. So the elephant kept growing, trying to get their attention. Finally, he was so big he could walk off with the house. At that point, the parents acknowledged the existence of the elephant and he began to shrink back to his initial little doggy size. Obviously, the story was about problems being ignored that just get bigger unless they are acknowledged. 

Of Jargon, the Jabberwocky, and New Year's Resolutions

 I was thinking about jargon today. There's a lot of it floating around in the ether, and in the cloud, and on social media, and on college campuses. In fact, jargon is everywhere. 

Now the word jargon has a couple of different meanings:

The specialized language of a trade, profession, or similar group, especially when viewed as difficult to understand by outsiders.

That definition is rather reasonable and not pejorative. A computer geek may use language about his work that is Greek to me. But then Greek is Greek to me as well, though it's perfectly comprehensible to someone raised in Greece. I don't understand Russian or Gaelic either. In fact, the only language I speak fluently is English. I have a smattering of French and Spanish, but not enough to converse, and that's about it. 

Another Fun Tradition for the Season -- Building Candy Houses

Everyone has traditions that they repeat again and again over the years. One of ours is decorating graham cracker houses. We usually do it during the Christmas season, but if we miss it we can play catch up on Valentine's Day or have a Christmas in July event. One of our granddaughters is a tremendous artist and her houses are always exquisite. She's grown up now, but still enjoys the project when she's around for it.

How Well Do You Know Your Bible? My Trivia Quiz Christmas Gift.

The Bible has fascinated authors throughout history and many have adopted its themes pretty explicitly in their fiction. Rosemary's Baby has an inverted birth of Christ episode near the end when the devil's baby is born and three men come to visit. The inversion is pretty obvious in the film as well as the book.  

A number of authors have used bible phrases as their book titles. It's interesting to me that every now and then when I'm reading the Bible I come across a phrase and think, "That would make a great title for a novel." The one I saw yesterday was in the book of Isaiah which I'm reading for Advent. The phrase was "abode of jackals." Now wouldn't that make a great title for a story about a dysfunctional family that are consuming one another through greed, jealousy, and hate. What a challenge to figure out how to redeem one or all of the characters. Sigrid Undset could have done it. She was a master of the human dilemma and the impact of sin and grace. Or how about a spy novel with a hero trying to prevent a terrorist attack by a cell of foreign agents working for an enemy country. And then again couldn't Agatha Christie turn that title into a fascinating murder mystery!

A Christmas Family Tradition from the Past -- One Worth Re-Discovering

Every family has traditions associated with special days: Christmas, birthdays, Easter, etc. One tradition of our family when our children were growing up was celebrating a birthday party for Jesus on Christmas Eve. We generally went to the vigil Mass and then came home to a big dinner: roast beef, mashed potatoes, an assortment of sides, and a big birthday cake. After dinner we would have a procession around the house singing Christmas carols and ending at the nativity scene. The youngest carried Baby Jesus to place in the manger. The other children carried candles. I think we may even have carried the cake. Did we sing Happy Birthday when we reached the stable? I can't remember, but we always sang Away in the Manger as the youngest placed the baby in the crib. What a happy evening that was with candlelight and song, and a big slice of birthday cake.

Focus the Microscope of Christmas, The O Antiphons

Today begins the last prep for Christmas, the seven O Antiphons. They bring the holy day into focus in a big way. O Come Emmanuel is the hymn of the O Antiphons. Today is also the first of the December ember days. So we have abundant opportunities to make this last week before Christmas a time of magnifying our preparation. Even if we've had an Advent with too much emphasis on the secular preparations with decorating and baking, we can spend this last week decorating our hearts and turning up the heat of love for the little King.

Is God Trying to Get Our Attention?

I received an email from Fr. Tom Collins which sent me on a search about coronal ejection masses and what they can do? I'll post Father's email at the end. 

First, a definition. A coronal mass ejection according to Britannica is:

Who Am I? Who Are You?

Did you ever take one of those personality tests? Please Understand Me was all the rage back in the 80s and 90s. It identified four character traits (eight really) with a possibility of 16 types. This was the breakdown:

• E or I (Extraversion vs. Introversion)
• N or S (INtuition vs. Sensation)
• T or F (Thinking vs. Feeling)
• J or P (Judging vs. Perceiving)

When I was on the parish council at St. Louis in Alexandria, the pastor wanted us all to take the test. I think I came out as an ENFJ, although, if I remember correctly the N and S and the T and F were pretty close. But I'm definitely an extrovert and I like closure, so the J was accurate as well. That put me at odds with the pastor who came out with the same letters except he was a P. He was also a liberal so clashes between us were inevitable. But one of the most frustrating things was that he seemed never to care whether the council decided anything or not. We talked a lot at the meetings (yadda yadda), but rarely decided anything. 

In Anticipation of Gaudete Sunday

"Shout, O Israel: be glad, and rejoice with all thy heart."

This is the first year I've set up the Christmas tree before December even started. I justified it by painting a dozen Jesse tree ornaments and putting on signs of creation like birds and some beehive ornaments, bright red apples, etc. Today, though, I went crazy and finished decorating the tree. As I posted earlier this month, "We need a little Christmas right this very minute!" And I just couldn't wait any longer for the glitz and glitter.

"Am I Not Here, I Who Am Your Mother?"

I love Our Lady of Guadalupe. In the early 90s my husband, my mom, and I traveled with a Catholic group and visited the basilica. The old basilica was closed because of structural issues and I can't say I admired the architecture of the new basilica, but seeing the tilma up close was a grace and blessing. I bought a banner of the image which hangs in my office where I can look at her often and beg her intercession.

Year ago a friend sent me a Christmas ornament of Juan Diego. Today I put him and a small metal image of Our Lady on the Christmas tree. I love to reflect on the tender words of Mary to her little son:

“Listen, put it into your heart, my youngest and dearest son, that the thing that frightens you, the thing that afflicts you, is nothing: do not let it disturb you…Am I not here, I who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need something more? Let nothing else worry you or disturb you.”

Advent and Christmas: The Season of Friends

Today my husband and I will travel over the mountain to visit friends in Luray for lunch. Our friendship grew out of our connection through the Chesterton book club. Over the years it has deepened and we always laugh a lot and commiserate a little when we get together. 

Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

Do you pray to a God who is in heaven and distant from you? When you receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist or go and worship Him in the tabernacle or monstrance, do you see Him as out there and over there? 

On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Remember This....

 

Mary, Co-Redemptrix and Mediatrix of All Graces, is the Scourge of the Demons and Destroyer of all heresies. She is our twelve-star general and God has given her immense power against evil.

DELIVER US FROM EVIL: The Achilles Heel of Vatican II

Fr. Collins always cuts to the chase and his observations on the flawed attitudes that accompanied Vatican II certainly have been born out in its implementation whether intended or not by the council fathers. Despite efforts to reform the reform, the faithful continue to see serious desecrations of the holy sacrifice of the Mass, for example the recent "vampire Mass" in Germany. Even more scandalous, in February, at the installation of the Archbishop of Chapecó in Brazil, a female Anglican minister "concelebrated" and received Holy Communion. [Source] She wears the blue stole in the above photo. How can one fathom the faithlessness of all the Catholic priests who participated in that grievous sin against Christ?

Sunday Meditation: St. John the Baptist, Rock not Reed!

St. John the Baptist is a major Advent voice preparing the way for the birth of Jesus on Christmas day. Today, we heard in the Gospel (TLM) the moment, when in prison, John sent his disciples to ask Christ a question. "Shall we look for another?" I have no doubt that John already knew the answer to that question. So why did he ask it? I think he wanted to wean his disciples from himself and turn them to Christ. His "voice in the wilderness" was about to go silent and he wanted his little band of brothers to follow the One whose sandal he was not fit to unloose. 

First Couple Lights the National Christmas Tree Praising Jesus Christ!

The tree came from the George Washington National Forest in Virginia. I live walking distance to the national forest so it had a special feel to me. 

The Coming of the Antichrist: Cardinal Manning -- Lecture 4

This post examines the final lecture by Henry Edward Cardinal Manning about the Crisis in the Holy See. Remember, he was writing near the end of the 19th century during the nationalistic upheavals in Europe, but history tends to repeat itself. Much in these four lectures can easily apply to our own time although the threats are coming from within the Church these days as much as outside.  Check out my previous posts and read the entire document. The cardinal's prose is easy to understand and he turns often to the doctors of the Church and to well known theologians. 

Lecture 1 - Introduction to the Crisis: the Revolt

And so it begins: Spanberger's Appointment Doesn't Bode Well for Catholics!

I received this email yesterday from former General Assembly delegate Bob Marshall. Remember when the Richmond FBI sent agents out to see if those evil traditional Catholic terrorists were planning anything? Well, now the head spook is in charge. It looks like a tough four years coming. I haven't read the report yet, but plan to. Expect persecution; it's biblical! It's 1984 on Animal Farm and Big Sister will be the boss sow in the pigpen. Nevertheless, Pray, hope, and don't worry. With struggle comes strength. 

"Results Speak Louder than Slogans" Victor Davis Hanson

I'm a fan of Victor Davis Hanson, although I don't always agree with him. In this video, we parted company when he began talking about the Civil War, but that's a topic for another post. On the whole, I find him a trustworthy historian with clear insight. If you want to understand the future, you need to understand the past. But, like Big Brother in 1984, the servants of deceit are destroying and rewriting the past. When they tear down statues of the Founding Fathers and deface and burn historic buildings, you know they hate our heritage. What they want to erect in their place is a utopia of evil. 

Time Out for an Ad just in Time for Christmas!

Did you ever hire someone to do a job and found out later that it was slipshod or cut corners? Unfortunately that's happened to us more than once, sometimes, sadly, with a person we knew personally and thought was a friend. A rotting window sash was "replaced" by just covering up the rot. A paint job was so embarrassing I still look at it and shake my head. 

Advent Attitude? Gratitude!

I try to remember every morning -- when I sit up in bed and plant my feet on the floor -- to begin the day with a litany of gratitude. It was easy today. I thanked God for central heating (It's really cold this morning.) and for giving gifts to the inventors who've make our modern life so comfortable. 

Do You Still Think the COVID Vaccine Saved Lives?

BREAKING STUDY: Anomalous Amyloid Microclots Found in 100% of the COVID-19 Vaccinated

Every vaccinated individual participating in the study had amyloid microclots circulating in their bloodstream. "94% of all participants were vaccinated. 100% of these vaccinated individuals had amyloid microclots — including every 'healthy control.'” 

No tests were done to determine whether subjects ever had the actual COVID disease according to an article about the study by NICOLAS HULSCHER, MPH. The authors simply presumed it. But the data is inconclusive on that score because:

God Loves Us! Don't Let Satan Rob You of the Truth!

What's a post about the crucifixion doing in Advent? Well...just think...God sent His Son to save us. That was His whole purpose in coming to earth. Even in that stable at Bethlehem, the crucifixion was symbolized. Jesus lay in a wooden manger, a place where animals eat. He died on a wooden cross in an area that served as a garbage dump. How many bones of dead animals cluttered the ground there? The joy of Christ's birth has in it the challenges and signs of future sorrow. Jesus was unwelcome in the town and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords had to find a borrowed stable to rest his head. Later He would be rejected by almost everyone and lie in a borrowed tomb. The love Jesus showed for us through His suffering and death and being pierced by a lance was mirrored in miniature in the piercing cold of the winter night in Bethlehem. Thank you to Fr. Collins for this reminder of what God did for us by sending His divine Son, the Word made Flesh. May we spend every day of Advent thanking and praising Him!

WHY JESUS HAD TO UNDERGO THE AGONIES OF HIS PASSION

by Fr. Tom Collins

Let us pray to love as God loves! He Loves Us Now -- Just the Way We Are!

God loves us "just the way [we] are." Does he want more from us? Absolutely! He wants us to be saints. He wants us to "be perfect" even as our heavenly Father is perfect. And he gives us all the tools we need to grow more and more into that perfection.