I WON’T VENTURE into classical Roman literature, which is not my forte, but I will say with assurance that the greatest modern Latin pun was the result of a schoolgirl prank. In 1844, General Charles James Napier, commanding a British army during the heydays of imperialism in South Asia, was ordered to subdue the province of Sindh (now in Pakistan).
IN OUR FAMILY, we leave the Christmas tree and decorations up until the Epiphany, the feast day celebrating the visitation of the Wise Men to the Christ Child. The irony isn’t wasted on me, that on the day Christ received gifts from the Magi, I decide to close up shop and end Christmas.
When Isaiah speaks of a bear and cow being neighbors and a baby sitting aside a viper (Is 11:1-9), what message is he sending for us in 2018?
At first look, his examples symbolize peaceful coexistence. That which seems unlikely is now likely; direct opposites uniting as one.
IN THE 1920S, when the United States had a quasi-Stalinist regime on its southern border, “Viva Cristo Rey!” was the defiant battle cry of Cristeros who fought the radically secular Mexican government’s persecution of the Church. “Viva Cristo Rey!” were likely the last words spoken by Blessed Miguel Pro, S.J., whose martyrdom in 1927 may have been the first in history in which the martyr was photographed at the moment of death. Today, in the U.S., “Cristo Rey” has a different, although not wholly unrelated, meaning – for it’s the name of an important experiment in Catholic education for poor children.
I ENTERED SEMINARY at age 36, quite honestly so that I could save myself from the misery of not being a priest.
DECEMBER IS THAT time of the year when many look back at the previous 11 months for what is worth remembering – or perhaps forgetting!
FOR THE PAST decade or so, I’ve been assembling a mid-sized Judean village of Fontanini crèche figures, including artisans, herders (with sheep), farmers (with chickens and a historical turkey), vintners, blacksmiths, musicians, weavers and a fisherman or two (one awake, another asleep).
EACH OF OUR faith journeys began at baptism. It was nurtured by our parents, respectively, through Catholic education and their continued faith in loving God, family and neighbor. Next April, we will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We minister in the same church where we were married – Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Ridgewood.
Wait in hope, faith and love, the wise ones say. Wait and pray. Slow the rhythm of your hearts to God’s time. We young ones are always impatient – can we be anything else? – but when we listen to their wisdom, we learn. Families are made by waiting. Made for waiting together.
IT’S BEEN A BIT of a different Advent this year. For starters, the season began more than a week after Thanksgiving. When you are used to lighting that first candle of Advent the Sunday immediately following Thanksgiving, this twist in the liturgical calendar was a challenge for many of us.
