The Feast of the Holy Family…

December 30, 2019 By Mark Shea

…was yesterday: “Waiting for the Wise Men” by Lee Kaercher pic.twitter.com/FHgfYJMh5W — Ron Joseph (@questar1959_ron) January 2, 2019 The biggest assault on Catholics taking place on US soil is not the suffering of white conservative Catholics ginned up into their yearly round of butthurt by liars shrieking about the “War on Christmas”. It is the sadistic assault on refugees by conservative (not orthodox) Christians–Protestant and Catholic–in their idolatry which declares that Trump was chosen by God but the pope was... Read more

Nothing Says “Christmas” like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” in 9th Century Gregorian Chant

December 28, 2019 By Mark Shea

You’re welcome! Read more

Feast of St. John

December 27, 2019 By Mark Shea

There are two ways to read Scripture. One is to strap on skis and take off over the surface. It’s a perfectly legitimate approach. Get the story and learn what happened, because the insistence is that something did indeed happen. God broke into history and did stuff–as a human being–in places that you can still locate with a GPS, like this well in Nazareth, which has served that town for time out of mind, and where Jesus of Nazareth had... Read more

Seynt Stevene Was a Clerk

December 26, 2019 By Mark Shea

SEYNT Stevene was a clerk in kyng Herowdes halle, And servyd him of bred and cloth, as every kyng befalle. Stevyn out of kechoun cam with boris hed on honde, He saw a sterre was fayr and bryõt over Bedlem stonde. He kyst adoun the bores hed, and went into the halle, ” I forsak the, kyng Herowdes, and thi werkes alle. I forsak the, kyng Herowdes, and thi werkes alle, Ther is a chyld in Bedlem born, is beter... Read more

Christ’s Nativity

December 25, 2019 By Mark Shea

Awake, glad heart! get up and sing! It is the birth-day of thy King. Awake! awake! The Sun doth shake Light from his locks, and all the way Breathing perfumes, doth spice the day. Awake, awake! hark how th’ wood rings; Winds whisper, and the busy springs A concert make; Awake! awake! Man is their high-priest, and should rise To offer up the sacrifice. I would I were some bird, or star, Flutt’ring in woods, or lifted far Above this... Read more

Ring Out, Wild Bells

December 24, 2019 By Mark Shea

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light: The year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die… Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in the common love of good. Ring out old shapes of foul disease; Ring out the narrowing lust of gold; Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring... Read more

Annunciation

December 23, 2019 By Mark Shea

‘Hail, space for the uncontained God’ From the Agathistos Hymn, Greece, VIc We know the scene: the room, variously furnished, almost always a lectern, a book; always the tall lily. Arrived on solemn grandeur of great wings, the angelic ambassador, standing or hovering, whom she acknowledges, a guest. But we are told of meek obedience. No one mentions courage. The engendering Spirit did not enter her without consent. God waited. She was free to accept or to refuse, choice integral to humanness. Aren’t there... Read more

You know, I could have Rick-Rolled You

December 21, 2019 By Mark Shea

But instead, I chose to do something even joyous and wonderful on this, the last Saturday before Christmas. You’re welcome! Read more

Brushes with Fame

December 20, 2019 By Mark Shea

I did this over on Facebook and it was fun, so I thought it would be fun to try here too. Here are my brushes with fame. Put your brushes with fame in the comboxes. I once shook hands with Jimmy Carter at a high school mock political convention in 1976. I stood in line next to Tom Skerritt at Sherry Weddell’s graduation. I once walked down the Ave in the U district while they were filming An Innocent Love... Read more

The Rise of Cleverdumb

December 19, 2019 By Mark Shea

One of the fun things to contemplate is how little more than our ancient ancestors we laypeople know about the science and technology from which we benefit. As Michael Flynn once challenged his readers, prove to me right now, without recourse to books or media resources that the earth is in motion orbiting the sun and turning on its axis. Good luck with that. Or, alternatively, as Milton Friedman used to love to challenge people, explain to me how a... Read more