Michele Kearney's Snuffysmith's Blog: 2018

Monday, December 31, 2018

Leader of seminary under investigation now to lead cathedral

Leader of seminary under investigation now to lead cathedral: The head of a Boston seminary that the Catholic Church is investigating following allegations of misconduct has been tapped to lead a cathedral in Worcester.

Vatican Panel Faces Criticism Over Leniency for Priests Guilty of Abuse - WSJ

Vatican Panel Faces Criticism Over Leniency for Priests Guilty of Abuse - WSJ: A little-known Vatican appeals panel established by Pope Francis has sharply reduced penalties meted out to priests convicted of sexual abuse under church law in more than a third of the cases that have come before it.

Vatican visit to Iraq symbolizes promise and peril for Christian presence

Vatican visit to Iraq symbolizes promise and peril for Christian presence: With Christianity in steep decline throughout the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, a recent visit to the country by the pope’s top diplomat highlights both the threat and the promise of Iraq’s leading role in Middle Eastern Christianity.

Our Most Popular Articles of 2018 | The Editors | First Things

Our Most Popular Articles of 2018 | The Editors | First Things: Our daily blog content exclusive to the web hits on hot topics in both religion and public life and will keep you informed and entertained all week.

A Bishop’s Guide to Social Media - YouTube

This Is An Immigrant Baby | Guest Contributor

This Is An Immigrant Baby | Guest Contributor: This is a baby. In the NICU. Who was in detention in November while 8 months in utero. His mother, who was denied use of the bathroom in detention, developed a kidney infection and baby had a seizure in utero. This is a baby. In the NICU in the northeast US. Seeing his dad for the first time. His Dad who is in

Presentation in the Temple | Mary Pezzulo

Presentation in the Temple | Mary Pezzulo: That isn't part of the ritual. That's something brand new. Simeon starts talking to the mother, who looks afraid.

How Israel's Conscription Law Assaults its Own Ultra-Orthodox Community

Smart Uniforms and Technologies in Schools – Chinascope

Was Francis Fukuyama the first man to see Trump coming? | Aeon Essays

Was Francis Fukuyama the first man to see Trump coming? | Aeon Essays: Since Francis Fukuyama proclaimed ‘The End of History’ 25 years ago, he has been much maligned. His work now seems prophetic

Trump's Strategy on China Trade Isn't Working - Bloomberg

How Washington dealt a blow to the years-old diplomatic push for a US-China alliance in Africa | South China Morning Post

How Washington dealt a blow to the years-old diplomatic push for a US-China alliance in Africa | South China Morning Post: Chinese and American diplomats and policy specialists had quietly strived for cooperation on development projects

Exclusive photos: The Feast of the Holy Innocents on the streets of NYC

Exclusive photos: The Feast of the Holy Innocents on the streets of NYC: As the darkness of night gave way to the dawning day on the streets of New York City, stormy skies opened and a gentle rain began to fall. The city streets, slick with rain, reflected the falling f…

US population growth hits 80-year low, capping off a year of demographic stagnation

US population growth hits 80-year low, capping off a year of demographic stagnation: The U.S. population growth is slowing down as baby boomers age and millennials delay starting families. Immigration is the key to continued growth.

California utility company PG&E could face charges for wildfires - INSIDER

California utility company PG&E could face charges for wildfires - INSIDER: California prosecutors are poised to charge the state's largest utility company, PG&E, with an array of crimes, including murder and manslaughter.

Rising Tides Will Sink Global Order – Foreign Policy

Rising Tides Will Sink Global Order – Foreign Policy: Global warming will produce national extinctions and international insurgencies—and change everything you think you know about foreign policy.

After Syria, Trump Should Clean Out His National Security Bureaucracy | The American Conservative

Government, union leaders fight closure of Catholic hospital serving D.C.'s poorest | National Catholic Reporter

Government, union leaders fight closure of Catholic hospital serving D.C.'s poorest | National Catholic Reporter: Ascension Health, the nation's largest health care company, which operates 141 hospitals and medical facilities across the country, has dramatically reduced services at Providence Hospital, which serv...

Learn from Prophets in Times of Crisis – Renewal Ministries

Learn from Prophets in Times of Crisis – Renewal Ministries: [caption id=attachment_2724 align=aligncenter width=477] Image Credit[/caption]

By Anthony Feola, Renewal Ministries' Country Coordinator In Training

On Dec. 20, 2017, I wrote the following: “Be like Samuel with Eli, like David with Saul, and like Nathan with David.” As these phrases came to me, I committed them to prayer, sensing a unique urgency that in the days to come, these words would prove indispensable. Months later, as scandal after scandal unfolded, these words became a litmus test for how to respond. During a leadership crisis such as we are currently facing in the Church, no one is exempt from disappointment, disillusionment, or worse—drifting off course toward shipwreck.

When iniquity and immorality emerges from within, our merciful Heavenly Father exposes the wound in order to cleanse and bring healing, lest the infection spread further. Only after the wound has been disclosed and disinfected can true healing begin. When God purifies His Church, the whole Body of Christ experiences the pain of this healing process. “If one member suffers, all suffer together” (1 Cor 12:26). God desires wholeness, but in order for this to happen, we must consistently apply what God

Not Welcome in Hebron: Its Original Residents and Breaking the Silence - WRMEA

Not Welcome in Hebron: Its Original Residents and Breaking the Silence - WRMEA: Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, January/February 2019, pp. 30-32 The Nakba Continues By Jonathan Cook IDO EVEN-PAZ SWITCHED ON his body camera as his tour group decamped from the bus in Hebron. The former Israeli soldier wanted to document ...

The World According to the “Adults in the Room” – LobeLog

The World According to the “Adults in the Room” – LobeLog: by Danny Sjursen Leave it to liberals to pin their hopes on the oddest things. In particular, they seemed to find post-Trump solace in the strange combination of the two-year-old Mueller investigat…

William Polk explores America's changing role in the world | The MacMillan Center

William Polk explores America's changing role in the world | The MacMillan Center: As part of the Henry L. Stimson Lectures on World Affairs, foreign policy consultant William R. Polk gave a series of three talks under the theme “America Confronts the Post-Imperial World.” Polk is a former Professor of Middle Eastern history and politics at Harvard and the University of Chicago, as well as a prolific author, with numerous books on Middle Eastern diplomacy.

Predicting the unpredictable - The Boston Globe

Predicting the unpredictable - The Boston Globe: It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future. That gem of homespun wisdom from the philosopher Yogi Berra weighs on anyone who looks into the crystal ball of geopolitics.

Bishop Barron's Gospel Reflection December 31, 2018

Monday, December 31, 2018

The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas

John 1:1-18

Friends, today we reprise the prologue of St. John’s Gospel, which we read on Christmas. The Word became flesh "and we saw his glory." All the ways that the Old Testament spoke of God’s involvement with the world come together in this description of Jesus Christ. He is the powerful Word that will not return without accomplishing his purpose.

Now what is his purpose? Look to the prophet Isaiah. "The Lord has bared his holy arm in the sight of all the nations. All the ends of the earth will behold the salvation of our God." Saying that Yahweh has bared his holy arm means that Yahweh is rolling up his sleeves to get on with the work.

Now take a look now at the manger at Bethlehem. Perhaps we see a tiny arm reaching out at random from the manger. "The Lord has made bare his holy arm." And this anticipates another baring of that holy arm, when it is stretched out on the wood of the cross, revealed to all nations, just as Isaiah said. God’s power would be revealed in the powerlessness of love unto death. This is what became flesh on Christmas day.

The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
Lectionary: 204

Reading 1 1 Jn 2:18-21

Children, it is the last hour;
and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,
so now many antichrists have appeared.
Thus we know this is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;
if they had been, they would have remained with us.
Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.
But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge.
I write to you not because you do not know the truth
but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth

Gospel Jn 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be through him was life,
and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world,
and the world came to be through him,
but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own,
but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him
he gave power to become children of God,
to those who believe in his name,
who were born not by natural generation
nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision
but of God.

And the Word became flesh
and made his dwelling among us,
and we saw his glory,
the glory as of the Father’s only-begotten Son,
full of grace and truth.

John testified to him and cried out, saying,
“This was he of whom I said,
‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
because he existed before me.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
grace in place of grace,
because while the law was given through Moses,
grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only-begotten Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,
has revealed him.

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Turkey's War on Christian Missionaries

Turkey's War on Christian Missionaries: American Pastor Andrew Brunson and American-Canadian evangelist David Byle are among many Christian clerics who have fallen victim to Turkey's aversion to Christianity. According to Claire Evans, regional manager of the organization International

For each wound suffered, there’s a gift: Ask Jesus to reveal yours this season

For each wound suffered, there’s a gift: Ask Jesus to reveal yours this season: I was first encouraged to “ask Jesus to reveal the gift in your suffering” by a mother I deeply admire. She was speaking from the experience of having lost her precious 5-year-old son after he was …

The origins, history and future of Boxing Day--Aleteia

What does the Holy Family teach us about ourselves? | America Magazine

Why you should keep reading the bleak news this Christmas | America Magazine

Why you should keep reading the bleak news this Christmas | America Magazine: If Jesus was born today, where might we find him? I would say Tijuana would be a good place to start looking.

Most people aren’t talking about God anymore—but they want to | America Magazine

Most people aren’t talking about God anymore—but they want to | America Magazine: We thought people might be interested in seeing some of their favorite celebrities talk about their faith. What we did not anticipate was that people who came across “Faith in Focus” would be excited about how normal, casual and nonjudgmental these spiritual conversations seemed.

How should we understand ‘wives, be subordinate to your husbands’? | America Magazine

Angelus Address: On the Feast of the Holy Family - ZENIT - English

Angelus Address: On the Feast of the Holy Family - ZENIT - English: 'The Family Is a Treasure: It Must Always Be Protected and Defended'

Pope Francis Speaks of the 'Astonishment' and 'Anxiety' of the Holy Family - ZENIT - English

Pope Francis Speaks of the 'Astonishment' and 'Anxiety' of the Holy Family - ZENIT - English: 'Let us pray for all the families of the world, especially those in which, for different reasons, peace and harmony are lacking.'

Learn from Prophets in Times of Crisis – Renewal Ministries

The Child Is Born - The Catholic Thing

The Child Is Born - The Catholic Thing: Hilaire Belloc, writing in 1936, faced the reality of declining Christendom. The response then (as now): Unto us a Child is born.

Bishop Barron's Gospel Reflecton December 30, 2018 Feast of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary & Joseph

Sunday, December 30, 2018

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph

Luke 2:41-52

Friends, today’s Gospel tells the familiar story of Mary and Joseph finding twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple. When they find him, they—with understandable exasperation—upbraid him: "Child, why have you treated us like this?" But Jesus responds, "Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?"

The story conveys a truth that runs sharply counter to our sensibilities: even the most powerful familial emotions must, in the end, give way to mission. Though she felt an enormous pull in the opposite direction, Mary let her son go, allowing him to find his vocation in the Temple. Legitimate sentiment devolves into sentimentality precisely when it comes to supersede the call of God.

On a biblical reading, the family is, above all, the forum in which both parents and children are able to discern their missions. It is perfectly good, of course, if deep bonds and rich emotions are cultivated within the family, but those relationships and passions must cede to something that is more fundamental, more enduring, more spiritually focused.

The paradox is this: precisely in the measure that everyone in the family focuses on God’s call for one another, the family becomes more loving and peaceful.

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Lectionary: 17

Reading 1 Sir 3:2-6, 12-14

God sets a father in honor over his children;
a mother’s authority he confirms over her sons.
Whoever honors his father atones for sins,
and preserves himself from them.
When he prays, he is heard;
he stores up riches who reveres his mother.
Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children,
and, when he prays, is heard.
Whoever reveres his father will live a long life;
he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.

My son, take care of your father when he is old;
grieve him not as long as he lives.
Even if his mind fail, be considerate of him;
revile him not all the days of his life;
kindness to a father will not be forgotten,
firmly planted against the debt of your sins
—a house raised in justice to you.

or 1Sm 1:20-22, 24-28

In those days Hannah conceived, and at the end of her term bore a son
whom she called Samuel, since she had asked the LORD for him.
The next time her husband Elkanah was going up
with the rest of his household
to offer the customary sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vows,
Hannah did not go, explaining to her husband,
“Once the child is weaned,
I will take him to appear before the LORD
and to remain there forever;
I will offer him as a perpetual nazirite.”

Once Samuel was weaned, Hannah brought him up with her,
along with a three-year-old bull,
an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine,
and presented him at the temple of the LORD in Shiloh.
After the boy’s father had sacrificed the young bull,
Hannah, his mother, approached Eli and said:
“Pardon, my lord!
As you live, my lord,
I am the woman who stood near you here, praying to the LORD.
I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request.
Now I, in turn, give him to the LORD;
as long as he lives, he shall be dedicated to the LORD.”
Hannah left Samuel there.

Reading 2 Col 3:12-21

Brothers and sisters:
Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,
heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another,
if one has a grievance against another;
as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.
And over all these put on love,
that is, the bond of perfection.
And let the peace of Christ control your hearts,
the peace into which you were also called in one body.
And be thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,
as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another,
singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God.
And whatever you do, in word or in deed,
do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Wives, be subordinate to your husbands,
as is proper in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives,
and avoid any bitterness toward them.
Children, obey your parents in everything,
for this is pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, do not provoke your children,
so they may not become discouraged.

or COL 3:12-17

or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24

Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
And so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.

Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us,
we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask,
because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.
And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them,
and the way we know that he remains in us
is from the Spirit he gave us.

Gospel Lk 2:41-52

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast
of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor
before God and man.

Chinese Firms Now Hold Stakes In Over A Dozen European Ports : NPR

Chinese Firms Now Hold Stakes In Over A Dozen European Ports : NPR: China's expansion into European ports is part of its new Maritime Silk Road, which aims to better connect the country to global commercial hubs. But this is about more than just moving cargo.

How Indian secret agents removed the God King of Sikkim and claimed a new state | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post

How Indian secret agents removed the God King of Sikkim and claimed a new state | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post: New book by a former foreign intelligence agency officer details a two-year classified operation in the 1970s that would reshape the border between India and China

Robert Lighthizer's Bid to Cut China's Trade Influence - The Atlantic

Robert Lighthizer's Bid to Cut China's Trade Influence - The Atlantic: U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer wants to limit China’s influence, even if he has to break the American-made economic order to do it.

What Caused the Retirement Crisis

What Caused the Retirement Crisis: Elizabeth White says the retirement crisis wasn't caused by overspending. And she urges the presidential candidates to lay out plans to deal with it.

Martin van Creveld reviews America’s mad wars - Fabius Maximus website

Martin van Creveld reviews America’s mad wars - Fabius Maximus website: As we look back over 2018, Martin van Creveld reviews the sad history of our mad wars since 9/11. With his insights we can do better in 2019, if we try.

Trump Blocks Federal Workers' Pay Hike While They're Out Of A Job | HuffPost

Trump Blocks Federal Workers' Pay Hike While They're Out Of A Job | HuffPost: In the middle of a government shutdown, Trump ordered that federal worker pay not be increased for 2019.

Trump's Politicized Visit To Iraq 'Embarrassing,' Retired 4-Star General Says | HuffPost

Saturday, December 29, 2018

China Will Still Go Massively Nuclear but Don’t Want Western Reactor Technology – NextBigFuture.com

Saudi Arabia’s path to nuclear power | Arab News

Russia's New Avangard Hypersonic Nuke Missile Prompts Panic in US – German Media - Sputnik International

Russia's New Avangard Hypersonic Nuke Missile Prompts Panic in US – German Media - Sputnik International: On 26 December, the Kremlin reported that the Russian Defence Ministry had test-launched the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, which flies 27 times faster than the speed of sound and which can carry megaton-class nuclear weapons. The US military has nothing to set against the new missile, the respected daily Die Welt stated.

Friday, December 28, 2018

‘Last adult’ James Mattis leaves the room: what next for Asia? | South China Morning Post

‘Last adult’ James Mattis leaves the room: what next for Asia? | South China Morning Post: Political analysts say the next US defence secretary is likely to echo Trump’s convention-busting ‘America first’ foreign policy

Maria Butina and the Criminalization of Citizen Diplomacy | The Nation

Woodrow Wilson Goes to Europe: One Hundred Years of Delusional American Madness

Woodrow Wilson Goes to Europe: One Hundred Years of Delusional American Madness: Martin SIEFF: Every US president really believes that the United States is unique in history and fated to remake the entire world in its own image.

A simple artificial heart could permanently replace a failing human one

The small, streamlined design could have benefits over other devices.

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/610462/a-simple-artificial-heart-could-permanently-replace-a-failing-human-one/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_content=2018-03-16&utm_campaign=Technology+Review&fbclid=IwAR1jN__MTipJ2HDieeLVhrWqOBRNhzXobk5oVts8GvB4x8DSmhy4IiB5KFE

What the Fall of the Roman Republic Can Teach Us About America - The New York Times

Trump Scores, Breaks Generals’ 50-Year War Record | The American Conservative

The Extremely High Stakes of the China-Vatican Deal | America Magazine

The Extremely High Stakes of the China-Vatican Deal | America Magazine: The history is complicated. The hopes are great. The risks might be even greater.

New Studies Show Pundits Are Wrong About Russian Social-Media Involvement in US Politics

https://www.thenation.com/article/russiagate-elections-interference/

What Will Happen When China Dominates the Web

What Will Happen When China Dominates the Web: China is set to remake cyberspace in its own image. That will make the Internet less open and allow Beijing to reap vast economic, diplomatic, and security benefits that once flowed to Washington.

OODA Loop - Latin America grapples with migrant exodus that looks set to worsen in 2019

OODA Loop - Latin America grapples with migrant exodus that looks set to worsen in 2019: "About 3.3 million people have fled Venezuela since 2015 and the United Nations estimates about two million more, from a population of 32 million, could follow in 2019. Every day, about 5,000 Venezuelans leave home,

Pope Francis to Approve Change to the Wording of the "Our Father" | uCatholic

Pope Francis to Approve Change to the Wording of the "Our Father" | uCatholic: The Italian Bishops' Conference has announced that Pope Francis will soon approve an alteration to the wording of the Lord's Prayer, swapping "lead us not into temptation" for "abandon us not into temptation."

The 10 most intriguing inventions of 2018 - MIT Technology Review

The 10 most intriguing inventions of 2018 - MIT Technology Review: From programmable pills to power-generating boots, here are some of the most unusual technological innovations we covered this year.

Facebook’s ex security boss: Asking Big Tech to police hate speech is “a dangerous path”

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/612332/facebooks-ex-security-boss-asking-big-tech-to-police-hate-speech-is-a-dangerous-path/?utm_campaign=site_visitor.unpaid.engagement&utm_medium=tr_social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2w-qTCM1q7aPnpTO_rX4nYSzl-1nu9s1GHe4J9A5W0Kvi5NpQEQIx7r2s

The immigration debate ignores that a dynamic society needs immigrants

The immigration debate ignores that a dynamic society needs immigrants: Statistics in the Immigration Debate offers claims of lower illegal immigration rates. But does that make illegal immigration ok?

Yale scientist says cancer research trend could be wrong - Business Insider

Yale scientist says cancer research trend could be wrong - Business Insider: A founding father of the field is warning that today's oncology drug development trends could lead to 'a lot of negative trials in cancer patients.'

New York skyline bathed in blue light after power plant explosion | Daily Mail Online

New York skyline bathed in blue light after power plant explosion | Daily Mail Online: A transformer explosion at an electric power substation in the New York City borough of Queens lit the night sky with a bright blue light on Thursday, mystifying some residents, but no one was injured.

The 25 Worst Headlines of 2018 | Current Affairs

This Sunday’s lesson: Families that look for Jesus find Him

This Sunday’s lesson: Families that look for Jesus find Him: We can easily put ourselves in Mary and Joseph’s place this Sunday, the Feast of the Holy Family (Year C), which retells the story of the Finding in the Temple. They lose Jesus and then regain him.…

The hidden secret about childhood in Dr. Seuss’s books

The hidden secret about childhood in Dr. Seuss’s books: Dr. Seuss's motive for creating misbehaving children in his stories is a reflection of adults pushing conformity instead of creativity and imagination.

It doesn’t take much to please God: The lesson of the Innocents

Trump threatens to close southern border if Congress doesn’t fund wall

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2018/12/28/trump-threatens-close-southern-border-congress-doesn-fund-wall/KRhl7kAluruZ1uBs3giZwL/story.html?et_rid=1925983868&s_campaign=globesmostpopular:newsletter&et_rid=1925983868&s_campaign=globesmostpopular:newsletter

Incoherent Thoughts from the Yankee Capital, by Fred Reed - The Unz Review

Incoherent Thoughts from the Yankee Capital, by Fred Reed - The Unz Review: Papua New Guinea Looks Better and Better II

Trump’s Syria decision was essentially correct. Here’s how he can make the most of it. - The Washington Post

Trump’s Syria decision was essentially correct. Here’s how he can make the most of it. - The Washington Post: There are steps the president can take to make the most of an essentially correct — but unpopular — decision to withdraw U.S. forces.

Christmas: Banned in Early America

Bishop Barron's Gospel Reflection December 28, 2018 Feast of the Holy Innocents

Friday, December 28, 2018

Feast of the Holy Innocents

Matthew 2:13-18

Friends, today’s Gospel describes Herod’s massacre of the boys of Bethlehem, his furious reaction to being deceived by the Magi. Matthew’s account of the visit of the Magi purposely juxtaposes King Herod and the mysterious Magi from the east. Herod was the consummate political survivor, a canny realist who had, through threats, murder, and corruption, found his way to the top of the political ladder.

While Herod was fussing around, desperately trying to maintain himself in power, figures from a distant country were blithely indifferent to politics and games of domination. They were intensely surveying the night sky, looking for signs from God. Now, as they cross the border into Herod’s country, the Magi come onto Herod’s radar-screen. Who are they? Spies? And whom are they seeking? A newborn king? That is a threat. That is treason.

Under the pretense of piety, he calls the Magi to himself and inquires after the star’s first appearance, getting the time coordinates; and then he asks them to go to Bethlehem and find the exact locale. With this GPS system, he can find the king—and stamp him out.

Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs
Lectionary: 698

Reading 1 1 Jn 1:5—2:2

Beloved:
This is the message that we have heard from Jesus Christ
and proclaim to you:
God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.
If we say, “We have fellowship with him,”
while we continue to walk in darkness,
we lie and do not act in truth.
But if we walk in the light as he is in the light,
then we have fellowship with one another,
and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.
If we say, “We are without sin,”
we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just
and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.
If we say, “We have not sinned,” we make him a liar,
and his word is not in us.

Gospel Mt 2:13-18

When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi,
he became furious.
He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity
two years old and under,
in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loud lamentation;
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she would not be consoled,
since they were no more.

In a Pessimistic Mood - The Catholic Thing

Furious Iraqi lawmakers demand US troop withdrawal

Furious Iraqi lawmakers demand US troop withdrawal: BAGHDAD (AP) — President Donald Trump's surprise trip to Iraq may have quieted criticism at home that he had yet to visit troops in a combat zone, but it has infuriated Iraqi politicians who on Thursday demanded the withdrawal of U.S. forces. "Arrogant" and "a violation of national sovereignty" were but a few examples of the disapproval emanating from Baghdad following Trump's meeting Wednesday with U.S. servicemen and women at the al-Asad Airbase. Trips by U.S. presidents to conflict zones are typically shrouded in secrecy and subject to strict security measures, and Trump's was no exception. Few in Iraq or elsewhere knew the U.S. president was in the country until minutes before he left.

How Iran sees 'post-America' Syria

Aaron David Miller, Richard Sokolsky: Syria pullout acknowledges strategic reality

https://www.omaha.com/opinion/aaron-david-miller-richard-sokolsky-syria-pullout-acknowledges-strategic-reality/article_382d0aa1-e355-5b8c-9656-10e7c0aab7b7.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=furious_iraqi_lawmakers_demand_us_troop_withdrawal&utm_term=2018-12-28

Syria Withdrawal Enrages the Chickenhawks, by Philip Giraldi - The Unz Review

Thursday, December 27, 2018

Christmas Hallow | Guest Contributor

Christmas Hallow | Guest Contributor: It’s like this for every holiday, every milestone, every birthday. Christmas is a casualty in a long line of wrecked days that cannot be recovered. They say it gets better. But in the chill of the December air, as I walk through the frosty grass that crunches under my shoes, I carry a burning ache for a love I had.

To Everyone Having a Miserable Christmas | Mary Pezzulo

To Everyone Having a Miserable Christmas | Mary Pezzulo: And if you feel guilty for not feeling festive, stop.

Catholic groups denounce death of child detained at U.S. border | America Magazine

Catholic groups denounce death of child detained at U.S. border | America Magazine: Felipe Alonzo Gomez of Guatemala is the second child identified as dying while under detention by U.S. border authorities in December.

Could Pope Francis’ record on sexual abuse threaten his legacy? | America Magazine

Could Pope Francis’ record on sexual abuse threaten his legacy? | America Magazine: It has been a very difficult year for Pope Francis.

How Israel became one of the most expensive tourist destinations in the world - Israel News - Haaretz.com

Executives In Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Deserve 5-Year Prison Terms, Prosecutors Say : NPR

Executives In Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Deserve 5-Year Prison Terms, Prosecutors Say : NPR: Japanese prosecutors say three top TEPCO executives didn't do enough to protect the nuclear plant, despite being told in 2002 that the Fukushima facility was vulnerable to a tsunami.

Iraqi lawmakers demand U.S. troops to withdraw after Trump visit | PBS NewsHour

Iraqi lawmakers demand U.S. troops to withdraw after Trump visit | PBS NewsHour: Iraqi lawmakers were smarting after the U.S. president left three hours after he arrived without meeting any officials, drawing unfavorable comparisons to the occupation of Iraq after the 2003 invasion.

Khashoggi Case- Analysis of an Information Operation - Security Studies Group

Khashoggi Case- Analysis of an Information Operation - Security Studies Group: The killing of Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey caught the attention of the entire world for an extended period of time, much longer than the news of one murder would normally do. Security Studies Group decided to examine why. [...]Read More...

Bombshell: New Info Khashoggi Was A Foreign Influence Agent

Bombshell: New Info Khashoggi Was A Foreign Influence Agent: Jamal Khashoggi’s op-eds published in the very influential Washington Post certainly qualify as attempts to change U.S. policy against Saudi Arabia.

EXPLOSIVE: Report Says WaPo Reporter Killed In Saudi Consulate May Have Been Foreign Agent | Daily Wire

EXPLOSIVE: Report Says WaPo Reporter Killed In Saudi Consulate May Have Been Foreign Agent | Daily Wire: A new report asserts that Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, may have been a foreign agent working for the government of Qatar in order to change U.S. policy against Saudi Arabia and in favor of the Muslim Brotherhood.

California moves up primary, wants bigger impact 2020 vote | PBS NewsHour

How Trump has rewritten the rules of the presidency | PBS NewsHour

How Trump has rewritten the rules of the presidency | PBS NewsHour: Taking a wrecking ball to decorum and institutions, Trump has changed, in ways both subtle and profound, how Washington works and how it is viewed by the rest of the nation and world.

A Christmas Hug | The Vortex

A Christmas Hug | The Vortex: From the Son of God.

The biggest threat facing middle-age men isn’t smoking or obesity. It’s loneliness. - The Boston Globe

The biggest threat facing middle-age men isn’t smoking or obesity. It’s loneliness. - The Boston Globe: As men grow older, they tend to let their friendships lapse. But there’s still time to do something about it.

The Party of Ideas

The Party of Ideas: I recently attended a conference at the Niskanen Center. It was a think tank gabfest at which the participants were disillusioned conservatives hoping to chart a course toward a saner political center-right. Jonathan Chait did a near-ecstatic write-up of the meeting and its promise of a conservative movement with fewer XYY chromosomes. | By Mike Lofgren

U.S. forces will stay in Iraq and could reenter Syria from there, Trump says

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-forces-will-stay-in-iraq-and-could-reenter-syria-from-there-trump-says/2018/12/26/39c32b82-0948-11e9-892d-3373d7422f60_story.html?utm_campaign=ebb%201-27&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_term=.c1290e295445

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