As I’ve written before, I grew up in a ranch house with a full basement. A lot happened down in the basement, including some spectacular floods. The washing machine and clothes drier were down there, along with a chest freezer and a second refrigerator. My parents stored frozen vegetables and […]
Sylvester was the Bishop in Rome when Emperor Constantine issued the edict of Milan, ending the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. Sylvester sent representatives to the Council of Nicaea and did not personally attend, but he agreed with its conclusions. Because of the freedom given Christians under Constantine, […]
The season of Christmas will be half-over tonight, but the radio stations have already stopped playing Christmas music. The stores and malls that were decorating for Christmas in early November and even late October are now removing all their decorations and putting them into storage for the next ten months. […]
Thomas Becket was named Chancellor of England by King Henry II in 1154. Eight years later Thomas was elected Archbishop of Canterbury. The relationship of king and bishop was tumultuous. Church and state in Europe were embroiled in a fight for power called the Investiture Controversy. (The failure of Henry’s […]
Older versions of the song called them “colly birds,” among other things, but most versions of the song published in the last hundred years have named them “calling birds.” At any rate, the fourth day of Christmas is also the festival of the Holy Innocents. Like the festival of St. […]
The third day of Christmas is also the festival of St. John. This John wrote one of the four Gospels, three epistles (including two of the shortest books in the Bible), and the Apocalypse or Revelation, the last book of the Bible. He presents himself in his Gospel as Jesus’ […]
The second day of Christmas is also known as St. Stephen’s Day and Boxing Day. In Britain people give gifts and privileges to their servants. Some American families try to mark this day by leaving small presents for mail carriers, newspaper deliverers, and even those who carry off the garbage. […]
Christmas Day—the first day of Christmas—the Feast of the Nativity–the Festival of the Incarnation of our Lord: by any name, this is a special and holy day. For weeks people have been preparing to celebrate this day. For centuries, traditions and stories have been shaped around this day. Charles Dickens, […]
When I was a little boy, Santa Claus brought our Christmas tree along with the stockings filled with small gifts and candy. The whole family would go to church on Christmas Eve for the Sunday School program, and when we got home my parents would hurry me off to bed, […]
Of the dozens (if not hundreds) of movies that are connected with Christmas in some way, a few have become family favorites and holiday classics. I’m sure everyone who celebrates Christmas has his or her own list of favorite Christmas movies. These happen to be six that my family and […]
Christians believe in God, but can we prove that God exists? Christians believe that God is known only through Jesus Christ, but can we prove that our religion is right and that all other religions are wrong? Christians believe that the Bible is God’s Word, the only reliable source of […]
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