Monks and priests from the Greek Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic Churches went at it once again at the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the church which marks where Jesus was born.  An estimated 100 monks began to hit each other with brooms while others launched them across the nave.  The Palestinian Authority police had to intervene to end the altercation. Custody of the basilica is shared by the Greek, Armenian and Catholic Churches.  The relations between these churches is oftentimes tense... Read more

When considering the Holy Innocent who died at Herod’s command after learning the King of Judea had been born in Bethlehem, a very important issue regarding martyrdom arises. These children, unlike the many martyrs who have died for the faith, never knew Christ, they were not baptized, they were not followers of Christ.  The Holy Innocent never made a conscious decision to follow Christ, nor were they martyred because they refused to renounce their faith.  How come they are considered martyrs? When... Read more

There is an old Roman tradition that Saint John the Evangelist was condemned to death in AD 92 by the Roman emperor and ordered to be burnt alive in boiling oil.  Miraculously surviving the ordeal, the emperor exiled him to the Greek island of Patmos where he lived the rest of his days becoming the only apostle to die from natural causes (not martyred).  From Patmos he maintained communication with the churches in Asia Minor which were under his care. Between Rome’s Porta... Read more

I found this year’s Christmas message of Queen Elizabeth II insightful.  England is a polar society where secularism reigns and from which some of the most ardent contemporary atheists emerge, yet the Queen still plays a spiritual role for the English people as the head of the Church of England. Below is a quote bearing the core message of the Queen’s address.  It is simple, yet meaningful. “Finding hope in adversity is one of the themes of Christmas.  Jesus was... Read more

I came across an interesting Wall Street Journal article by David Gibson, a fellow Catholic Furman alum.  It addresses the mind-boggling situation (mind-boggling to me) of many Protestants not going to church on Christmas, especially when it falls on Sunday.  I had assumed all Christians went to church on Christmas until a few years ago when I learned otherwise. It’s an interesting read… click on link below. No Church This Sunday – It’s Christmas Read more

Today we pause along with the whole Church to recognize that Jesus Christ is not just one more teacher among great teachers. That he is not just one more prophet among great prophets. The little boy born in the stable in Bethlehem 2000 years ago is God made man. When we contemplate the newborn child, we behold the face of God. The invisible God of the Old Testament of whom images were forbidden, has come to Earth and shown us... Read more

What the angel announced to the Virgin Mary is finally fulfilled!  Above is a curious detail from the high altar of the Carthusian Monastery of Miraflores in Burgos, Spain.  It depicts the Annunciation, Gabriel stands on the left and the Virgin Mary on the right.  Between them, coming from above is a ray of yellow light and in the middle of this light is baby Jesus diving from heaven into the Virgin Mary’s head.  You don’t see it?  Look below... Read more

En el cuarto domingo de adviento de 1511, exactamente hace  500 años, Fray Antonio de Montesinos predicó un sermón en la isla de Española (actual Republica Dominicana y Haití) en contra del maltrato de los indígenas por los españoles.  Este famoso sermón le cambio la vida a uno de los que asistieron a esa Misa, Bartolomé de las Casas, español encomendero que tenía a su disposición gran cantidad de tierra y esclavos indígenas en Española. Fray Antonio de Montesinos predicó:... Read more

Five hundred years ago the Spanish Dominican friar Antonio de Montesinos preached a sermon in Hispanola (modern day Dominican Republic and Haiti) that eventually changed the course of history in the new world.  He preached against the slavery and ill-treatment of the native Indians by Spanish conquistadores.  One of his listeners was Bartolome de las Casas, a man who had received land and natives as part of the Spanish encomienda system.Montesinos preached:“I am the voice of one crying in the... Read more

Yesterday I watched a National Geographic documentary on North Korea filmed undercover by an American reporter a few years ago.  The reporter traveled with her camera crew as part of a medical mission led by an eye surgeon from Nepal.  The doctor performed over one thousand cataract surgeries in ten days, giving sight back to many people. Throughout the video, locals speak of Kim Jong Il and relate to him almost like a deity.  When visiting the apartment of a... Read more