Christmas Day - That They May Have Life

 

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them a light has shined."

Isaiah 9:1

"And the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.'

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.'

So they left in haste, and found Mary and Joseph and the baby, who was lying in a manger. After they had seen the Child, they spread the message that they had received about Him. and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

And Mary treasured up all these things, and pondered them in her heart."

Luke 2:10-19

"Lost friend, lost child, lost parent, sister, brother, husband, wife, we will not so discard you.  You shall hold your cherished places in our Christmas hearts, and by our Christmas fires; and in the season of immortal hope, and on the birthday of immortal mercy, we will shut out nothing."

Charles Dickens, What Christmas Is As We Grow Older, Household Words, 1851

“Man has places in his heart which do not yet exist— and into them enters suffering, so that they may have life.”

Léon Bloy

“Love endures everything, love is stronger than death, love fears nothing.  Help me, Lord, that my eyes may see all with mercy, so that I may never suspect or judge from appearances, but look deeper for what is good and beautiful in others' souls, and then come to their aid.  Let all my nothingness be drowned in the ocean of your mercy.”

Maria Faustyna Kowalska

"What does the modern world know of love, with its light touching of the surface of love.  It has never reached down into the depths, to the misery and pain and glory of love which endures to death and beyond it.  We have not yet begun to learn about love.  Now is the time to begin, to start afresh, to use this divine weapon."

Dorothy Day, The Catholic Worker, June 1946


"And there was no room for them in the inn."

Make room for them in your hearts.

"Fear not, little flock, for your Father delights to give you welcome into His Kingdom."

Luke 12:32

"And so, God bless us, every one!"

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - The People Who Walk in Darkness

 

"He became what we are, so that he might make us what he is."

Athanasius of Alexandria, Against Heresies

"We who are anxious about many things look forward to your coming among us.  We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom.  We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence.  

We are your people, walking in darkness, yet always seeking the light.”

Henri Nouwen, Advent Prayer

"Myth wants power; revelation reveals the true power of God in the most extreme powerlessness. Myth wants knowledge; the Word of God asks for constant faith and, within that faith, a growing, reverent understanding. The revelation of God’s Word is gentle patience amidst the inevitable tensions of life. Error never shows itself in its naked reality, so as to not be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses itself elegantly, so the easily led may believe that it is more truthful than truth itself.”

Irenaeus of Lyons, The Scandal of The Incarnation


Our faith is founded on the unity of the three great realities: the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection.

In the incarnation the Word is firmly rooted in our lives.  Through the crucifixion the world is redeemed and purified.   And by the resurrection we are raised with it to the eternity of divine love. 

Joy to the world.

"In the Incarnation the whole human race recovers the dignity of the image of God. Thereafter, any attack, even on the least of men, is an attack on Christ, who took on the form of man, and in his own Person restored the image of God in all."

Because that love is immense, losing it forever is tremendous. Hell is nothing but a love lost, rejected.

 In the dark times of madness, remember to be human. 

Merry Christmas, everyone.

 

Old Time Radio for the Day Before Christmas

 

Stocks and Precious Metals Charts - We Who Have Left the Bitter Dance of Death Rejoice

 

"Caesar was swimming in blood, Rome and the whole pagan world was mad.  But those who had had enough of transgression and madness, those who were trampled upon, those whose lives were misery and oppression, all the weighed down, all the sad, all the unfortunate, came to hear the wonderful tidings of God, who out of love for men had given Himself to be crucified and redeem their sins.  When they found a God whom they could love, they had found that which the society of the time could not give any one— happiness and love.

And Peter understood that neither Nero, nor all his legions, could overcome the living truth— that they could not overwhelm it with tears or blood, and that now its victory was beginning.   He understood with equal force why the Lord had turned him back on the road.   That city of pride, of crime, of wickedness, and of a lust for power, was beginning to be His city."

Henryk Sienkiewicz, Quo Vadis, 1905

“The greatest hazard of all, losing one’s self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all.  No other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss - an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc. - is sure to be noticed.”

Søren Kierkegaard, The Sickness Unto Death, 1849

"God’s light has come into the world, but people love the darkness more than the light when their actions are evil. For those who do evil hate the light and refuse to come into it for fear that their lawlessness will be revealed."

John 3:19-20

"What we would like to do is change the world— make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe and shelter themselves as God intended them to do.  And to a certain extent, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly for the rights of the workers, of the poor, of the destitute— the rights of the worthy and the unworthy poor in other words, we can to a certain extent change the world; we can work for the oasis, the little cell of joy and peace in a harried world.   We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world."

Dorothy Day, The Catholic Worker, June 1946

 

This is the holiday shortened Christmas trading week.

The Street is looking for a taste of Santa.

Stocks managed to put together a little rally.

The VIX took a further decline down to its 50 DMA.

The funds and banksters are going to be painting up the tape into the year end, so volatility is to be expected as they take some profits, and then try to mask their decliners.

Gold and silver managed to rally a bit, even as the Dollar took back the 108 handle.

Blinken and his merry pranksters seem determined to try and light the candle of their adventurism before they leave in January.   Watch where they end up going after they leave the government.

I have some very thin hope that Trumpolini might stumble into doing the right thing for us, but we'll have to see how the rest of the clown car follows along, and where his volatile, random-seeming decisions end up taking us.

But in all, we who have left behind the bitter dance of death rejoice.  

The Word has become flesh, and dwells among us.  

Do not let your love grow cold.  Harden not your hearts.

The field is won.

Have a pleasant evening.