Whoever honors his father atones for sins, and whoever glorifies his mother is like one who lays up treasure. (Sirach, 3:3-4)
Day: December 28, 2025
In the Bleak Midwinter, Gaudete Christus Natus Est
It’s lovely how the simplest tunes often – perhaps most often, maybe even always – make the most beautiful of melodies. So it is with Gustav Holst’s (1874-1934) carol ‘In the Bleak Midwinter‘ (1906) a very simple F-major progression, all within the octave – of the scale, that is, but also in reference to Christmas.[…]
The Hope of the Holy Innocents
The feast of the Holy Innocents, which we celebrate appropriately enough within the octave of Christmas, might seem a troubling commemoration at first glance. Remembering the wholesale slaughter of all the male children two years and under, in and around Bethlehem? Why would God permit such a sacrifice? Yet this feast signifies certain theological principles[…]
Feast of the Holy Family
BENEDICT XVI ANGELUS St Peter’s Square Sunday, 31 December 2006 Dear Brothers and Sisters, On this last Sunday of the year we are celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth. I address with joy all the families of the world, wishing them the peace and love that Jesus brought us in coming[…]