Cold and raw the north did blow,

Out on a blogwatch early…

Agenda Bender: I don’t rightly know how to describe this. I only know that I laughed, a lot. (Not really sure how his permalinks work. It’s the post that starts, “Twas the night before Christmas…”)



Dappled Things:

To the eyes of the world, that dark night, the infant would have seemed nothing remarkable, but with eyes of faith the shepherds recognized Him as their Messiah and Lord. Humility and faith — the same gifts that enable us to look upon the Host, mere bread to the eyes of the world, and see with eyes of faith our Lord and our God, the Word made Flesh who gives His Flesh for the life of the world.

Old Oligarch: More praise for “The Last Supper” (although I should note that it was actually recommended by a bunch of different people–including, I think, Julian Sanchez–rather than by Netflix’s recs system); also loneliness in the Christmas crowd, and seeking solitude with God. Cacciaguida adds more, including a fascinating description of a carol I’d never heard of before. (And thanks for the package! Did you get yours?)

Unqualified Offerings:

Even if dogs, sexual humiliation, or sleep deprivation don’t rise to one’s particular uninformed definition of torture, I assume we can all agree that being dropped on barbed wire or having a lit Marlboro jammed in your ear does.

That’s a quotation from a post by Thomas Nephew. You should read Nephew’s post in its entirety. I’m citing UO instead so you can see his framing of the quote, which is absolutely right.

And: How Christmas 2004 looks to new Christian converts. Neat. Via GetReligion.