by Peter James | Dec 12, 2024 | Ethelwold
Nativity plays for children have long been a staple of churches during the Christmas season. I participated in nativity dramas as a child. I was never chosen to play the lead role of Joseph since I couldn’t be trusted to remain at Mary’s side through the...
by Peter James | Dec 11, 2024 | Cyril Winterbotham
Connie Ruzich was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to research lesser-known poetry written in England during World War I. The irony is not lost on me that soldiers endeavored to write beautiful poems despite the ravages of war. One poem Connie researched in recent...
by Peter James | Dec 10, 2024 | Veit Dietrich
John’s gospel doesn’t commence with a baby in a manger or angels singing glory to God, or shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night. John’s starting point is creation itself, “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1.2). Genesis begins...
by Peter James | Dec 9, 2024 | Gerald Manley Hopkins
We need to talk about depression during Advent. December brings diminishing daylight and colder temperatures to drive us indoors. Add to it unrealistic expectations about Christmas or nostalgia about holidays from long ago. Despite the traditional song,...
by Peter James | Dec 8, 2024 | Ephrem the Syrian
The Christmas story is full of paradoxes. You may recall from English class that a paradox is a seemingly contradictory statement that, upon further reflection, makes sense (the Greek word for paradox means “to think beyond”). Consider the paradox that the...
