by Peter James | Dec 20, 2024 | O Key of David
During spring break, two college friends and I drove to Florida to stay with my parents, who were vacationing there. My buddies and I drove my dad’s car to a beach two hours away to meet up with friends. I went swimming in the ocean with the car keys in my...
by Peter James | Dec 19, 2024 | O Root of Jesse
When I was young, my Uncle John, the family genealogist, told me that Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Robin Roberts was my ninth cousin. As an avid baseball fan, I was over the moon about it. For the record, a ninth cousin means that Robin and I share an eighth...
by Peter James | Dec 18, 2024 | O Adonai
I introduced in yesterday’s Prayers from the Cloud the first of the seven Great Antiphons. These “O Antiphons,” as they are sometimes called, originated in the ninth century as titles for Jesus sung and recited during Advent as monks remembered...
by Peter James | Dec 17, 2024 | O Wisdom
“O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is a Christmas carol that originate from our great “cloud of witnesses.” The hymn dates to the ninth century or earlier when monks chanted the Great Antiphons or O Antiphons in evening vespers during Advent to prepare for Christ’s...
by Peter James | Dec 16, 2024 | Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli
He was born into a poor sharecropping family in a small Italian town. He was one of fourteen children who joined their parents in the fields to earn their keep. Angelo Guiseppe Roncalli (1881-1963) was never a rich man. At the time of his death, he left his personal...
