Tags: Christmas, Kissing the Face of God
Archive | December, 2013
no pickled peppers on “Joy Sunday”
14 DecThe third candle of the wreath is lighted today. It is rose. Most often we say that it is pink. This week’s color: rose, pink – whatever. It is Gaudete – Rejoice – Sunday!
The most recent official writing of Pope Francis, released November 24, the first that comes directly and solely from his mind and heart, has the Latin title, “Evangelii Gaudium,” which translates “The Joy of the Gospel.” With me find it helpful to ponder the fact he calls it “the joy of the Gospel” and not “Gospel joy.”
Here is a much quoted sentence from that apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis: “One of the more serious temptations which stifles boldness and zeal is a defeatism which turns us into querulous and disillusioned pessimists, ‘sourpusses.’”
At his morning Mass on May 10 Pope Francis talked about the joy that Christians have deep within them from knowing that Jesus is with them and that they are loved by God: “Sometimes these melancholy Christians’ faces have more in common with pickled peppers than the joy of having a beautiful life.” Sad Christians hinder the witness and mission of the Church.
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.”
it’s (not) looking a lot like …
13 Dec
It may snow a lot at Christmas where you and I live, but snow in Bethlehem is rare, anytime of the year.
But this Christmas ….
… is not like the rest.
It is not looking a lot like Bethlehem, but it is looking a lot like Christmas!
Christmas For Home Come
12 Dec
Noticed that scenes in this video scroll right to left, not left to right, as I would tend to move the camera. Probably has to do with the fact that Arabic reads right to left. The scan of the message at the end works great for those who read the banner in Arabic, but has me seeing, “Christmas For Home Come.” But no matter how anyone backs into coming home for Christmas, it is a good and welcome move. Ask any parent or pastor if s/he is concerned about “why” a child or parishioner comes home for Christmas, and you will get a response that the fact that they came home is all that matters.
Ya gotta love the countdown to the tree lighting. When the crowd screams, “Wahid,” there is that Advent, expectant, “is it going to work?” moment – and then the cheer. For me, the real “Christmas cheer” is the one that we enjoy at Midnight Mass, as Christmas Eve becomes Christmas Day, “Today is born a Savior.”
The woman speaking in the video is the Mayor of Bethlehem. By Palestinian law the Mayor of Bethlehem must be a Christian! I guess that means that, if there were only one Christian left in Bethlehem, that person would have to be the mayor. Probably also true that, if you were the only person who would ever believe in Jesus and be saved, God would have been born anyway, just for your sake!
The Mayor of Bethlehem speaks some words in English at 2:58.
when we hear snow is coming
7 Dec
What effect might it have, if we were to prepare for the coming of Jesus into our lives, as we do when we hear that snow is coming?
With Open Doors 