I stumbled on this today, in a longer piece by Charlotte Allen in The Wall Street Journal:  That supposedly unadorned Starbucks cup still has a religious connotation: Red is a Christmas color because it is the shade of the holly berry, associated with Christmas and its theological meaning since at least the 15th century. As one carol has it: “The holly bears a berry, / As red as any blood, / And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ / For to... Read more

It’s rare to hear a Hollywood star of this magnitude talk so openly about religion. Denzel Washington spoke recently at a Church of God in Christ (COGIC) banquet in St. Louis. Aleteia’s Italian edition has some highlights: In Saint Louis, the actor began: “Although it can not be said that I was always faithful, God has always been present in my life in the world, unconditionally.” said the actor, adding “He never lost faith in me.” Denzel focused in particular on prayer has... Read more

A diaconal bow to my brother Deacon Greg Hall, featured here:  Most of us probably recall the plight of the 33 Chilean miners who spent more than two months in 2010 trapped almost a half mile below the ground. But the story behind their rescue is not well known, especially that the man who spearheaded it, a Catholic deacon from Texas, says that the only explanation for the rescue was a miracle. The word “miracle” is often bandied about in... Read more

From today’s homily: Pope Francis said God is the greatest glory and warned believers against the temptation to deify earthly things and even to idolize our habits. Instead, he said, we should be looking beyond these things to the transcendent, to God the creator, whose glory never fades. The Pope’s words came during his homily at his Mass on Friday (13th November) celebrated at the Santa Marta residence. Pope Francis reflected in his homily on God’s eternal glory and said... Read more

From The Observer, the student newspaper at St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana: Last Thursday [October 29], 1,852 flags were displayed on Library Green at Saint Mary’s as a visual representation of the health services offered by Planned Parenthood. The exhibit was Feminists United’s response to a campus visit from the Planned Parenthood Project on Oct. 15, religious studies professor Stacy Davis said. The Planned Parenthood Project is run by Students for Life of America, a national organization with the goal... Read more

This is different—in fact, it may be the first of its kind in the country: An ambulance recently donated to the diocese will now serve as a mobile confessional. Bishop Michael Jarrell said he hopes this will be a way for more Catholics to confess their sins. “I think many people miss opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation because of busy schedules so here we’re trying to remove that obstacle,” the bishop told KLFY’s Jazmin Thibodeaux. Bishop Jarrel blessed the mobile... Read more

This image above is popping up on social media, and many mistakenly believe it was taken this year. But no: Although this photograph and the policy it conveys are real, the sign wasn’t posted at a Nordstrom store in 2015. The image dates from 2009, when it was first published by The Consumerist. But even then, Nordstrom’s “Christmas after Thanksgiving” policy was old news, and web sites reporting in 2009 that the store had just “announced” a new policy about their Christmas decorating... Read more

Maybe they should replace it with a plain red cup. Details:  A nativity scene that has long been part of the city of Wadena’s Christmas decorations will no longer be displayed, despite a strong showing of support from citizens who oppose its removal. It was the threat of a lawsuit from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, based in Madison, Wisconsin, that led the City Council Tuesday night to vote to donate the replicas of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus to... Read more

From last night’s “Late Show” on CBS: see how Stephen Colbert pours a fresh, strong blend of heavily caffeinated comedy. Read more