Merry Christmas Everybody

Dominus dixit ad me, filius meus es tu; ego hodie genui te.



The LORD said to Me
Thou art my Son;
Today I have begotten Thee.

Last Minute Christmas Present Ideas

Here are some last-minute Christmas gift ideas. But please don't mistake these for good ideas, OK? Except maybe the second one, and you can get me two of them if you must. His and hers, you know.

First up is Ye Olde Plastic Potato Pellet Gun. It's my son's birthday today, and I got him one of these suckers. They really work, and the pellets don't hurt too bad. Just don't shoot you eye out, OK?

Also here's an idea if you want to buy me something. The 2016 Nissan Maxima has a sport setting to aid me in my midlife crisis. In case I have one.



Last but not least, here's something you can get from Five Below for that special someone who wants to appear smarter than they are. Or for nerd costumes.

I mean, $2 to look like the smartest guy you know? Can't beat that.

"They'll know we are Christians by our love ...."

Our deacon's homily this past weekend included his observation that the Christmas manger scene is an inclusive image, in that God became man not only for the believers, but for all humanity. No one is excluded from the gift of the Incarnation of Christ.

As reflected by the old campfire song, we Christians are similarly called by our faith to show love to all humanity, not only to other Christians. For Catholics, we serve others "not because they're Catholic, but because we're Catholic".  This is reflected by countless Catholic and other Christian ministries such as AIDS care and prevention efforts in Africa, Catholic schools and hospitals around the world, the ministry of The Little Sisters of the Poor, the example of St. Mother Teresa in Calcutta, and indeed the work of Catholic Charities for Syrian and Iraqi refugees.

This call to charity for "the other" has historically been reflected in American culture at large, so much so that the USA is often called the most generous nation on Earth.

Yesterday, I heard a radio report regarding Syed Farook, one of the infamous San Bernardino terrorists.  In that report, an imam at Farook's mosque told how Farook had been a good person to him, helping the imam with his car.

A nice story, but a question came to mind: are Muslims called to serve non-Muslims? Does Islam instruct the believer to charity for non-believers as we Christians are?  I honestly don't know the answer, but a quick few seconds on Google left me with the impression that they are not. It doesn't appear to be sinful to give charity to non-believers, but there does not appear to be a call to do so. Statements I found include:

Muslims should seek first and foremost to give their charity to Muslim brothers who are in need, and there are plenty of them.

Giving charity to poor Muslims is preferable and more befitting, because spending on them helps them to obey Allaah, and it helps them in both their worldly and spiritual affairs.

and, pertinent to the events of San Bernadino:

If the party or gathering is connected to some religious event of the non-Muslims, such as Christmas parties, then also it will be impermissible for one to participate. The reason behind this is that, by taking part in their religious functions and gatherings, one will be indirectly approving of their disbelief (kufr) and their religion... 

I hope that this is inaccurate, and that indeed Islam calls its adherents to charity for all. But I am ignorant in this regard, and perhaps someone can correct my impression. And I do not mean for this to be a "we're better than them" piece; that's not the intent.

If this is an accurate sense, however, I fear that the best we can hope for from faithful Muslims in our communities is grudging acceptance of the fact of our existence. Tolerance of our beliefs, much less of a right to exercise our beliefs, almost sounds like a stretch.  And this means that assimilation of more Muslims from other countries into our culture will not happen -- rather, we and our culture will have to change.

Jingle Bombs

"Don't laugh at me or I KEEL YOU!"

It's that time again...

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Dr. Taylor Marshall, probably one of the best Catholic Apologists out there, argues for December 25 as the actual day of Christ's birthday. All the arguments are great and well-reasoned, and his replies to arguments that the date was simply chosen are courteous. Here's the most common sense of them all:

 

Sacred Tradition also confirms December 25 as the birthday of the Son of God. The source of this ancient tradition is the Blessed Virgin Mary herself. Ask any mother about the birth of her children. She will not only give you the date of the birth, but she will be able to rattle off the time, the location, the weather, the weight of the baby, the length of the baby, and a number of other details. I’m the father of six blessed children, and while I sometimes forget these details—mea maxima culpa—my wife never does. You see, mothers never forget the details surrounding the births of their babies. 

 

Now ask yourself: Would the Blessed Virgin Mary ever forget the birth of her Son Jesus Christ who was conceived without human seed, proclaimed by angels, born in a miraculous way, and visited by Magi? She knew from the moment of His incarnation in her stainless womb that He was the Son of God and Messiah. Would she ever forget that day?

 

Next, ask yourself: Would the Apostles be interested in hearing Mary tell the story? Of course they would. Do you think the holy Apostle who wrote, “And the Word was made flesh,” was not interested in the minute details of His birth? Even when I walk around with our seven-month-old son, people always ask “How old is he?” or “When was he born?” Don’t you think people asked this question of Mary? 

 

So the exact birth date (December 25) and the time (midnight) would have been known in the first century. Moreover, the Apostles would have asked about it and would have, no doubt, commemorated the blessed event that both Saint Matthew and Saint Luke chronicle for us. In summary, it is completely reasonable to state that the early Christians both knew and commemorated the birth of Christ. Their source would have been His Immaculate Mother. 

Gideon Decorating the Tree

Gideon is almost four, and I thought this was a fairly good picture. It sure is better than the crap he was drawing 2 years ago.

Travis Prinzi Writes About Christmas and Harry Potter

Good article from a great thinker.

The White Peoples Is Finely Gettin' It

Check this sh*t out, dog....



Yo, ho, ho, bro... Bush gives Santa Dog the "fist bump".

Last Minute Gift Idea

I reduced the price on the my old band's MP3 CDs, so consider a last-minute download-able gift for a fan of early-nineties alternative.

[Cross-posted]

Santa Claus Twist

Great kazoo work.



Take a chance, do this dance and get this song stuck in your head for three hours.

Happy Slip: More Processed Meat

Here's Christine's Christmas present to all her loyal fans.



LOL. "Just send money" has always worked for me, too, at anytime of the year.

Kid Quote of the Week

From my 3-year-old, Joe. He's almost 4.

Papa, Santa Claus isn't real --
But he must be real!

Wise, Zen-like and almost poetic, I say, but I'm partial. I didn't comment, but I asked him what he would get for Santa Claus for Christmas and he described an intricate anti-theft device called an "X-Ray Getter" which would keep the robbers from stealing his stuff. Sounds practical, you know, for the "guy-who-has-everything" on your list.

Christmas Tree Humor

First of all, this is cute and innocent. Via my better five-eighths.

And in the not-so-innocent-but-very-funny category.

From the Land of Lake-effect Snow