If you are snowed in, you have time to indulge me, but even if you are scurrying around, I urge to take a few minutes to read Deacon Greg’s meaty homily on what we Catholics call “The Visitation,” – the moment in the Gospel where Mary, confronted by Gabriel and overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, has gone to visit her elder kinswoman, Elizabeth, who was also with child. Writes Greg: [Elizabeth] knew that she was greeting her Messiah. Pope Benedict... Read more
Because someone remembered that I had done this last year and requested it, here is the podcast. It’s dreadful. I don’t know what inspired me to start singing -it certainly could not have been heaven- but there you go. If you want to listen as you wrap presents, or whatever, be my guest. Read more
Source Once again, our friends the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist provide a lovely background to today’s glorious antiphon: The title “Adonai,” was originally used by the Israelites instead of pronouncing the name of God as revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Not only did God tell Moses His name, but He also gave him the Law, which paradoxically sets us free. Although our culture tells us that freedom is for doing whatever we like, our... Read more
This looks terrific. The two little boys in the beginning remind me a bit of what it was like around here 20 years ago, with Elder Son and Buster. Right down to one of them being a biter. Yes, that would be orally-fixated Buster. H/T Margaret Cabaniss, who also sees family memories in those two adorable kids. Read more
Finally, we come to the last week of Advent and the gorgeous O Antiphons which precede the Magnificat at Vespers. I like the description here. O Wisdom, O holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation. I love this U2 song, which re-states the Magnificat, and the video with it; the wind (on which rides the Holy Spirit) comes over what is hidden, revealing what... Read more
This is from last year, and I think it includes one of my “little talks.” Excuse the singing. I’m only posting this by request. :-) Read more
Thumbing through Benedictus last night, I read two excerpts from the pen of our good pope, Benedict XVI, in succession. The second nearly took off the top of my head. It’s not that Pope Benedict is saying anything that -on some level- we don’t already know. It’s that he fleshes out these truths in such a way that heightens the sense of revelation: By calling ourselves Christians, we label ourselves as followers of the king, as people who recognize him... Read more
Oh, my! This is certainly news you knew I would push! (H/T) The study, which appears today in Archives of Internal Medicine, is a meta-analysis of 457,922 people in 18 studies published between 1966 and 2009 that looked at the link between drinking coffee and diabetes risk. After analyzing the research, the study authors concluded that every extra cup of coffee consumed in one day was correlated with a 7% decrease in the excess risk of diabetes. Even better results... Read more
So, the Obama administration’s “smart diplomacy” on Iran is not working. And this is very troubling, indeed. Iran is test-firing increasingly advanced missiles at a time when, as Ed Morrissey notes, the B+ President Obama has awarded himself includes having both “made progress toward halting” nuclear weapons in North Korea and um…cancelling our installation of missile shields in Eastern Europe. Read all of Ed’s piece, and then consider for a second how difficult it is to be president, particularly when... Read more
Earlier I wrote of President Obama’s distant chill: Perhaps Obama, turning inwardly protective, rather than outward, has kept himself so hidden for so long that he is not sure where there is, anymore. When you are living in a shell – or behind a mask – it’s easy to imagine you are somewhere when you are in fact, somewhere else. Dusting a bookshelf today I came across a book I like very much – and have recommended to you before:... Read more
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