This reflection on True Grit contains a multitude of spoilers True Grit is a biblical movie from the beginning to the end not just in terms of biblical citations and hymns which mine the biblical landscape but in terms of characterization themes tone and feel The Coen brothers rsquo film

If it is true that God is the end to which we are all called the source from whom all life emerges and the goal for which we yearn and strain then it is so for all people The knowledge of God is not simply something which becomes known with the coming of Christ it was known before his coming and

Happy New Year Or is it The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas December 31 has readings from 1 John 2 18-21 and John 1 1-18 the first a little chilling the second very heart-warming nbsp Just like winter in the frozen north when you step into a warm house from the frigid outdoors nbsp

When I was 5 or 6 years old I convinced my mother that I should sleep under the Christmas tree so that I could wait for Santa and greet him when he arrived at our house I don rsquo t recall much of the rest of that night but I have always been a fitful sleeper and I rolled into the tree and crash

The claim that Christians chose December 25th as Jesus' birthday because it coincided with pagan celebrations is probably incorrect.

In the midst of this blog s focus on Advent properly I might say and the liturgical year in general which is the focus of the Catholic Church s activities the year round an interesting challenge of sorts comes from the blog nbsp Inhabitatio Dei in the post The Impotence of the Liturgical Year

The blog Messy Jesus Business has a post on Advent and our Christmas habits called the disturbing poor baby Jesus by Sister Julia Walsh FSPA Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration Here is an excerpt I am even more disturbed when I read the Christmas story in the bible and let it challenge

Because we are so used to the Incarnation of the child who came to live among us and the manner in which it happened nbsp I think we take for granted its inevitability It was not necessary God could have redeemed humanity in some other way with more might more power more fireworks - think Holl

I am not certain that I understand lolspeak or its origin though I think it must have started at some point with texting teens I do understand that LOL is laughing out loud I am quite certain that I do not understand the online phenomenon of lolcats but they seem to be everywhere Now howev

Anticipation Preparation Waiting Waiting Each of the three readings for the Third Sunday of Advent speak of waiting in one form or another Isaiah 35 which hearkens the coming Messiah describes that the ldquo desert and the parched land will exult the steppe will rejoice and bloom They