So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:16-20 NIV) Mary remembered … [Read more...]
It’s Christmas. Call Your Mother
Christmas is a good time to remember the words of Our Lady to St. Juan Diego: "Am I not here who Am Your Mother?" Those are tender words of a Mother to her baby, to that defenseless human being who cannot survive on his own. Recently, I saw a well intentioned poster depicting the Holy Family. Next to the image, in Spanish, were the words: "Navidad es ternura" (Christmas is tenderness) and that is true if we only center the attention in those cute images of baby Jesus under the gaze of his … [Read more...]
The Final Straw?
I am writing this at a time when a number of attacks have destroyed images of Our Blessed Mother in Europe, the Americas, and elsewhere. I must add a personal note to this: recently I have conversed with ordinary people that suddenly revealed a rather unusual hate for all things Christian. Beleaguered by contagious infirmities, rumors of war, ruinous policies coming from various governments, terrorism of many kinds, crime and a host of maladies too long to be listed, the poor chaps still have … [Read more...]
God, History, and Reason
" ... every great political question always involves a great theological question." --- Juan Donoso Cortés, (1809-1853) An Essay on Catholicism, Liberalism and Socialism, Considered in their Fundamental Principles. Human history can be described as man's quest for order. That elusive goal is at the root of all changes in human society. What is order? We could call a stable order desired by all men as a solution for all human problems, or perhaps a solution to the present human condition. Now, … [Read more...]
Waiting for the 490th Solstice
I am writing much less these days due to some health problems that I hope to resolve as the months go by. For reasons that would be long to explain, I must stay long hours in bed to ease the recovery process. That has kept me away from my computer but at the same time allowed me to revisit certain books and read in depth other works that I had not touched at all before. Please be patient and forgive this meandering article. One can say that God is neat. He orders things in a particular way. … [Read more...]
