We rode the bus to the mall to see Santa. Rosie brought along her teddy bear, Ribsy, whom she pretends is a dog. I took my jacket, because it was too warm for my coat. The sky was that odd piebald mix you get so often in the Ohio Valley– brilliantly clear overhead and a sheet of gray-black to the west. The bus was full of pleasant people discussing Christmas plans: the woman to the front of me was going... Read more
It’s just now being reported that Cardinal Bernard Law has passed away. Law was pressured to resign from his position as the archbishop of Boston in 2002 when his horrendous mishandling of multiple cases of pedophilia in the diocese was made public. Law repeatedly moved a pedophile priest to different assignments instead of notifying the authorities; the priest was later convicted of molesting more than 130 children. Law apologized, but words are cheap. He fled to the Vatican and was assigned to a... Read more
Darkness covered the land, when Christ gave up the Ghost. Darkness was coming again, when they brought His body to the cave. Dark had settled for the night, when they left. For Miriam, it had been dark all day long, and her heart stayed in the tomb. She had given birth to Him in a cave and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths; now, she laid him in a cave and left His lifeless body there. For the first time... Read more
I recently read an article by my former fellow Patheosi, Father Dwight Longnecker, where he details his objection to the Vatican’s Nativity scene. It’s a thoughtful piece, and I agree with him on some of it. However, some of his notions seemed so strange that I’ve decided to examine his piece paragraph by paragraph in the form of a dialogue. Far be it from me to join the Catholic prudes who are being negative about the Vatican nativity scene.... Read more
A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more. She carried Him into Egypt and raised Him in hiding from Rome, but eventually, Rome won. Rome always wins. Run, and Rome runs faster than you ever could. Hide, and Rome finds you. Fight, and you die by the sword. Preach to the people the love and mercy of God, and they will turn you over to Rome to... Read more
The first time she beheld Him, He was naked, soaked in her amniotic fluid and smeared with her blood. This last time, thirty-three years later, He was naked again. He was covered in sweat and the spittle of those who pushed Him to the place of execution. The blood that coated His body was not hers, but His. She wished it were hers again. She would have done anything to make it hers. To find that it was all a mistake–... Read more
It is not going to be all right. It is not going to be all right. Mothers: recall to yourselves how it feels when your child is suffering and you can’t make it stop. Now remember that Miriam was the perfect mother. Miriam loved her only Son with the fierceness, the tenacity, the ardor of all the hearts of all the mothers in all the world. There has never been a mother who loved as she loved. There... Read more
I don’t usually read magazines like Better Homes and Gardens, Country Living or Good Housekeeping. I have nothing against them. They’re fun, they’re just not my thing. Yesterday, however, I was stuck in a small dental waiting room a few feet from a television blaring one of those supremely annoying shows where a rich couple fret over whether to spend $450000 on this luxury home or that one. I buried my nose in magazines to get away from the angst. I learned three... Read more
It was bitterly cold, and the bus was a little late. I was so grateful when it arrived that I barely had time to register that the driver was Old Scratch. Old Scratch no longer shaves his head; he’s growing it out on top in one of those Richard Spencer haircuts, which does not flatter him. He was arguing with an old woman downtown when I boarded the bus. As far as I could gather, the topic of their argument was Donald... Read more
I never knew how I’d broach the truth about Santa to my daughter, Rosie. I don’t really remember how I told her the myth about Santa in the first place. I think I told her “a lot of people believe that Santa Claus comes down the chimney to give gifts at Christmas, but of course I’ve never seen such a person,” and pop culture took it from there. She firmly believed in Santa. For awhile in there, she also... Read more
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