The Twelvetide is an open gate to benevolent magic, to mages and faeries, a time in which we may recognize what is exalted, as the wise men did, by exchanging gifts and thereby seeing exaltation in each other.
Carlos Perona Calvete —
Christmas
Are Nativity scenes deprived of their spiritual essence even worth preserving or is a cultural Nativity scene not apt to just become another aspect of a commercialized Christmas, preserved primarily for atmosphere, nostalgia, and economic value?
Bridget Ryder —
Many MEPs did not hesitate to make jokes during their speeches, wishing their colleagues a “Merry Christmas.” Former Parliament President Antonio Tajani recalled the original meaning of the European flag—the crown of stars of the Virgin Mary and the blue of her mantle.
Hélène de Lauzun —
The Queen chose to pay tribute to childhood and its carefree nature, able to seek and find joy in all things. In a sober and discreet allusion, she recalled the original meaning of Christmas—namely the arrival of the baby Jesus in the manger: “[Children] teach us all a lesson—just as the Christmas story does—that in the birth of a child, there is a new dawn with endless potential.”
Hélène de Lauzun —
In peace or war, the Church Year was a large factor in the home life of the Imperial family, as it was for many of their subjects from Tyrol to Transylvania. Charles and Zita loved Christmas; during Advent Charles taught his children to make small sacrifices. For each of these they could put a straw into the empty manger of the Nativity scene. By the time the Christ Child would be installed on Christmas Eve, there was generally a good supply of straw!
Charles A. Coulombe —
They shed tears of gratitude, knowing themselves unworthy of the boon they were making off with. Joined by the forty-seven pilgrims, the crew now departing totaled sixty-four, eight groups of eight, and like the eight reindeer pulling his sleigh, they set sail with Santa Claus among them.
Carlos Perona Calvete —
On a single silent night when all was still and all was bright, Christian Germans and Christian Brits sang together and then climbed out of their trenches to greet each other—and celebrate the birth of Christ.
Jonathon Van Maren —
In it, von der Leyen seeks to ameliorate the EU’s relationship with the Pope after a proposed internal directive for EU officials not to use Christian language was leaked, causing outcry across Europe. The document has since been withdrawn.
Tristan Vanheuckelom —
A group of Catholics were attacked and subjected to vicious, anti-Christian verbal abuse in a Parisian suburb last Wednesday during a torchlit procession that had been organized to celebrate the Virgin Mary’s Immaculate Conception. The Marian procession, which took place in Nanterre and saw a group of thirty Catholics walk from the chapel of Saint-Joseph-des-Fontenelles […]
Robert Semonsen —
When asked about the EU’s intention to excise the word ‘Christmas’ from all official documentation, the 84-year-old head of the Catholic Church denounced the idea, borne of a “watered-down secularism,” saying that “in history many, many dictatorships have tried to do this kind of thing. Think of Napoleon … think of the Nazi dictatorship, the communist one,” reminding them that “it is something that throughout history hasn’t worked.”
Tristan Vanheuckelom —
“We know that Europe owes its existence and its identity to many influences, but we certainly cannot forget that one of the main influences, if not the main one, was Christianity itself,” Cardinal Parolin said.
Often referred to as “the most vaccinated place on earth,” the British-owned territory, which is situated on the southernmost tip of the Iberian peninsula, has witnessed the number of COVID-19 cases consistently rise throughout the fall months, leaving many questioning the vaccine’s efficacy in preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission.