{"id":4319,"date":"2020-12-12T00:40:51","date_gmt":"2020-12-12T00:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/?p=4319"},"modified":"2025-08-15T23:27:48","modified_gmt":"2025-08-15T23:27:48","slug":"joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/","title":{"rendered":"Joy and Shadow, Free Will and Something Silly"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/Verizon\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20201109ff\/20201126-MacysParade-collage-corr-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Advent started November 29, a couple Sundays back. It&#8217;s my faith&#8217;s Christmas warmup. I&#8217;ll get back to that.<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"my\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/advent-our-long-watch\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20171117ff\/20171126-Edison-detail-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"'Deck the aisles with panicked shoppers....' 'The Brilliant Mind of Edison Lee.' (November 26, 2017)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>My culture&#8217;s Christmas begins after Macy&#8217;s Thanksgiving Day parade.<\/p>\n<p>Our traditionally-frenzied holiday shopping season does, at any rate.<\/p>\n<p>This year&#8217;s liturgical Christmas season runs from Christmas to January 10, 2021. I&#8217;ll get more than the traditional 12 days of Christmas, which doesn&#8217;t strike me as a problem.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ll probably get back to Macy&#8217;s holiday slogan \u2014 &#8220;Love. Give. Believe.&#8221; \u2014 on another day. Along with what C. S. Lewis called &#8220;the commercial racket.&#8221;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Three things go by the name of Christmas. One is a religious festival. &#8230; The second (it has complex historical connections with the first, but we needn&#8217;t go into them) is a popular holiday, an occasion for merry-making and hospitality. &#8230; But the third thing called Christmas is unfortunately everyone&#8217;s business.<br \/>\n&#8220;I mean of course the commercial racket&#8230;.&#8221;<br \/>\n(&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.pas.rochester.edu\/~tim\/study\/CSLewis.pdf\">What Christmas Means to Me<\/a>,&#8221; C. S. Lewis (1957) via The Trustees of the Estate of C.S. Lewis and Tim Collinses\/University of Rochester)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>My attitude toward the glitz and plastic pomp is somewhere between &#8220;&#8216;Bah!&#8217; &#8230; &#8216;Humbug!'&#8221; and &#8216;more julekaga, please!&#8217; Although minimizing julekaga is a good idea. It&#8217;s pronounced yulekaga, and that&#8217;s another topic.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#o\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20201109ff\/20201128-ca-times.brightspotcdn-com-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Today I&#8217;ll be talking about Advent&#8217;s serious side: a song that&#8217;s been sung at funerals, a Nativity painting&#8217;s crucifix, introspection and shortcomings.<\/p>\n<p>Also \u266a magi on Segways with Amazon cartons. \u266a (Try singing it to the tune of &#8220;My Favorite Things,&#8221; from &#8220;Sound of Music:&#8221; The bit that goes &#8220;Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens&#8230;.&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, these are today&#8217;s headings:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#oh\">&#8220;Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel&#8221; \u2014 Plainsong, Burial Chant and Advent Hymn<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#heavens\">Heaven&#8217;s Peace: a Work in Progress<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#advent\">Advent: Ordinary Folks, Unique Events <\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#something\">Something Odd<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#o\">O Hipster Night<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#illustrators\">Illustrators and Illustrations<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#joy\">Joy and Shadow<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#Josephs\">Joseph&#8217;s Options<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#news\">News: Not Entirely Bad; Unsettling; and Disbelieved<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#herod\">Herod, History and Reputation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#fa\">Fa-La-La and Free Will, Responsibility and Reconciliation<\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#very\">&#8220;Very Good&#8221; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#but\">&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; But Wounded<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#examination\">Examination of Conscience: Getting Ready for Reconciliation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#failing\">Failing to Love<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#good\">Good News<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<h3><a name=\"oh\"><\/a>&#8220;Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel&#8221; \u2014 Plainsong, Burial Chant and Advent Hymn<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hymnologyarchive.com\/bone-jesu-dulcis-cunctis\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20201109ff\/20201127-BNF-3-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"'Veni Emmanuel,' in 'Bone Jesu dulcis cunctis.'\"><\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">(From Biblioth\u00e8que Nationale de Franc, via hymnologyarchive.com, used w\/o permission.)<\/span><br \/>\n(Part of &#8220;Veni Emmanuel,&#8221; in &#8220;Bone Jesu dulcis cunctis.&#8221; (1500 or thereabouts))<\/p>\n<p>European monks added &#8220;Veni, veni, Emmanuel&#8221; to their pre-Christmas plainsongs a dozen centuries back. Give or take a bit. Probably.<\/p>\n<p>The first three words, &#8220;come, come Emmanuel,&#8221; sum up what Advent is about. We&#8217;re looking forward to our Lord&#8217;s coming.<\/p>\n<p>The earliest Latin text I know of popped up in 18th-century Germany. It&#8217;s been translated into German and English several times since then.<\/p>\n<p>A German hymnologist published a Latin version in 1844.<\/p>\n<p>An Anglican priest translated the German-Latin text into English, which got the lyrics started in my native language. They&#8217;ve been rewritten and expanded several times.<\/p>\n<p>A German Englishman named Thomas Helmore put English lyrics to a singable tune. Helmore said the tune was in a French missal he&#8217;d found in the Lisbon National Library. Maybe that&#8217;s so. But researchers didn&#8217;t discover <strong>which<\/strong> missal he&#8217;d read.<\/p>\n<p>That encouraged speculation that Helmore wrote the tune himself.<\/p>\n<p>Fast-forward to 1966. An Augustinian canoness found our &#8216;oh come Emmanuel&#8217; tune in the French National Library. It was in &#8220;Bone Jesu dulcis cunctis,&#8221; a 15th-century compilation of processional chants for burials.<\/p>\n<p>These days, we call the tune &#8220;Veni Emmanuel.&#8221; Those of us who are into music, music history and Latin, anyway.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#1\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"heavens\"><\/a>Heaven&#8217;s Peace: a Work in Progress<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/executed-daniel-lewis-lee\/#prisonerse\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20180320ff\/Timeline20130924-20150812-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>A fair number of us sing &#8220;Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel&#8221; with these extra lyrics:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;&#8230;Bid envy, strife and quarrels cease;<br \/>\nFill the whole world with heaven&#8217;s peace.<br \/>\nRejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel<br \/>\nShall come to thee, O Israel.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Envy, strife and quarrels obviously haven&#8217;t ceased. Heaven&#8217;s peace doesn&#8217;t fill the world. I&#8217;d like to say it fills me, but I can&#8217;t. Not without offending truth \u2014 and God \u2014 which is a kind of trouble I don&#8217;t need. Don&#8217;t need more of, that is.<\/p>\n<p>Happily, noticing when I offend truth and God is an option. So is seeking forgiveness. More about that later.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><a name=\"advent\"><\/a>Advent: Ordinary Folks, Unique Events<\/h3>\n<p><a><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20201109ff\/20201127-cv_advent2020-LottoTheNativity-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\"><\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">(From Lorenzo Lotto, via The National Gallery, used w\/o permission.)<\/span><br \/>\n(&#8220;The Magnificat<sub>\u00ae<\/sub> Advent Companion,&#8221; 2020, left; and Lotto&#8217;s 1523 &#8220;The Nativity.&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p>My parish&#8217;s Christian Mothers\/Catholic Women and Catholic United Financial make &#8220;The Magnificat<sub>\u00ae<\/sub> Advent Companion&#8221; available to people like me. Buying the booklets in bulk brings the unit price down considerably.<\/p>\n<p>The booklet&#8217;s cover has a cropped image of Lorenzo Lotto&#8217;s 1523 &#8220;The Nativity&#8221; on its cover. The whole picture is inside. I&#8217;ve seen it called &#8220;Adoration of the Christ Child&#8221; \u2014 the painting, not the booklet. I&#8217;ll use its shorter name.<\/p>\n<p>Most nativity pictures I&#8217;ve seen look more or less like the Advent Companion&#8217;s cover. Jesus is an infant in a wooden box. Mary and Joseph kneel or stand nearby.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"something\"><\/a>Something Odd<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nga.gov\/collection\/art-object-page.431.html\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20201109ff\/20201125-LorenzoLottoTheNativity1523-NGA-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>There&#8217;s something odd in the background of Lotto&#8217;s &#8220;The Nativity,&#8221; over Joseph&#8217;s shoulder: a crucifix.<\/p>\n<p>Artists have considerable leeway in what&#8217;s appropriate in a Nativity scene. My guess is that there&#8217;s an informal consensus that the picture&#8217;s tone should be dignified, with Jesus, Mary and Joseph front and center.<\/p>\n<p>Canon law says Christmas and Epiphany are feast days, but I haven&#8217;t found rules about what must and must not be in Nativity scenes.<\/p>\n<p>Which doesn&#8217;t mean the rules don&#8217;t exist.<\/p>\n<p>If they do, folks who relish rigidly regimented regulations regarding &#8216;Jesus, Mary and Joseph&#8217; Nativity scenes may get conniptions over the muddled mobocracy of manger art. That&#8217;s yet another topic, and arguably ample alliteration for now.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, what about that crucifix?<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s a reminder of our Lord&#8217;s messy and painful death. As such, it clashes with the conventionally cute winged trio singing and winging overhead.<\/p>\n<p>The tiny trio, by the way, are ancient artistic conventions rebooted in the Renaissance. Donatello&#8217;s generally given credit for European religious art&#8217;s tradition of depicting cherubim as putti: pudgy little boys with wings.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#2\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"o\"><\/a>O Hipster Night<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/opinion\/the-conversation\/sd-hipster-modern-nativity-scene-draws-controversy-trolls-christmas-20161130-htmlstory.html\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20201109ff\/20201128-ca-times.brightspotcdn-com-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"'Modern Nativity' by the Wright brothers of San Diego, Casey and Corey. (2016)\"><\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">(From Casey and Corey Wright, via San Diego Union Tribune, used w\/o permission.)<\/span><br \/>\n(A trendy Nativity scene, from San Diego&#8217;s Wright brothers.)<\/p>\n<p>Then there&#8217;s 2016&#8217;s weird &#8220;Modern Nativity&#8221; scene, complete with solar panels and Segway-mounted magi.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s the sort of thing I might have dreamed up, but didn&#8217;t, in my college days. Even if I had, maybe I lacked the needed entrepreneurial qualities. And that&#8217;s yet again another topic.<\/p>\n<p>Where was I? Plainsongs. Advent. Lotto&#8217;s &#8220;The Nativity.&#8221; Weirdness in 2016. Right.<\/p>\n<p>I wouldn&#8217;t pay $130 for the &#8220;Modern Nativity&#8221; set, even if we had the money. Disposable income. Whatever.<\/p>\n<p>But I probably wouldn&#8217;t call it &#8220;sacrilegious,&#8221; as some folks apparently have. That said, I see their point. I think Jesus, Mary and Joseph are holy persons. The &#8220;Modern Nativity&#8221; arguably falls short of displaying them with dignity.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, the San Diego Wright brothers&#8217; &#8220;Modern Nativity&#8221; decoration is well-crafted. I think it looks less tacky than some seasonal &#8216;Jesus junk&#8217; that&#8217;s not denounced.<\/p>\n<p>I also think The Catholic League&#8217;s Bill Donohue was right.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;&#8230;Those who want a new twist on the traditional cr\u00e8che can buy a 10-piece Hipster Nativity scene that features Joseph sporting a lumberjack beard taking a selfie; baby Jesus and a peace-flashing Mary, holding a Starbucks cup, are included. The three wise men show up on Segways holding Amazon boxes full of presents; there is also a cow draped in a sweater with a &#8216;100% Organic&#8217; seal on it.<br \/>\n&#8220;This depiction is more trendy than it is offensive&#8230;.&#8221;<br \/>\n(&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.catholicleague.org\/58078-2\/\">Hijacking Christmas Turns Ugly<\/a>,&#8221; Bill Donohue, The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights (2016))<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>His response surprised me a bit. The Catholic League has sometimes struck me as a trifle over-zealous. Sort of like a chihuahua watch dog: admirable intentions with a hair trigger.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"illustrators\"><\/a>Illustrators and Illustrations<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/sin-awareness-repentance\/#well\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20161202-506px-Guido_Reni_042-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Guido Reni's 'Saint Joseph.' (1640-1642)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Lotto&#8217;s two adults \u2014 I&#8217;m back to that painting now \u2014 have colorful outfits and all three look European.<\/p>\n<p>So do the folks in most religious art I see.<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t have a problem with that. Partly because my recentish ancestors came from Europe and most folks I where I live with look a little like me.<\/p>\n<p>Besides, I understand that nativity pictures and other religious illustrations are just that: illustrations. Their job is showing readers and viewers what the text is about.<\/p>\n<p>Late medieval and Renaissance artists almost certainly knew that folks living around the eastern Mediterranean didn&#8217;t look Germanic. Or even French.<\/p>\n<p>My guess is that they&#8217;d still have made the Holy Family look like their neighbors and patrons. Or enough like them to seem familiar. That&#8217;s because Advent and Christmas stories involve ordinary folks and anything-but-ordinary events.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.<br \/>\n&#8220;The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.&#8221;<br \/>\n(<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/2#50002008\">Luke 2:8<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/2#50002009\">9<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/distinctive-xinxiang-series-of-biblical-illustrations\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20201109ff\/20201128-AsianJesusIllustration-Detail-PO-1941-13-O-BuildingTheChurch-BLOG_HEADER-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"From Xinxiang Series of Biblical Illustrations, Catholic University of Peking; via RBSC at ND, University of Notre Dame.\" align=\"right\"><\/a>One way to illustrate that contrast is having the ordinary folks look, well, ordinary.<\/p>\n<p>For artists living in Europe, that means showing Jesus, Mary, Joseph and all with European features. And, sometimes, wearing contemporary clothes in familiar settings.<\/p>\n<p>At least some illustrators at the other end of Eurasia have our Lord looking like someone who&#8217;s not overly out of place in their neighborhood.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#3\">3<\/a><\/sup> Most likely for the same reason that Jesus looks European in European religious art.<\/p>\n<p>Again, I think Mary and Joseph are holy people. And Jesus is unique. But they&#8217;re also ordinary folks: on everyday economic, political and social scales.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><a name=\"joy\"><\/a>Joy and Shadow<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/back-from-the-hospital-the-masked-minnesotan-rides-again\/#crucifixes\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20170218-Lord-s_Prayer_and_a_crucifix-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"A crucifix on an open Bible (Matthew 6). From James Chan, via Wikimedia Commons, used w\/o permission\" align=\"right\"><\/a>And I still haven&#8217;t talked about that crucifix over Joseph&#8217;s shoulder.<\/p>\n<p>Many Nativity scenes get along without a reminder of our Lord&#8217;s exquisitely unpleasant death.<\/p>\n<p>Displaying a dead body clashes with my culture&#8217;s traditional &#8220;mistletoe and holly&#8221; holiday theme.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Oh, by gosh, by golly<br \/>\nIt&#8217;s time for mistletoe and holly<br \/>\nTasty pheasants, Christmas presents<br \/>\nCountrysides covered with snow&#8230;.&#8221;<br \/>\n(&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lyricsforchristmas.com\/christmas-songs\/mistletoe-and-holly-lyrics\/\">Mistletoe and Holly<\/a>,&#8221; Dok Stanford, Hank Sanicola, Frank Sinatra (1957))<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><a name=\"make\"><\/a>Make that clashes with contemporary culture&#8217;s holiday theme. Holly, at least, dovetails nicely with both Christmas and crucifixes. But I&#8217;ll leave symbolism and Druids for some other time.<\/p>\n<p>Getting back to &#8220;The Magnificat<sub>\u00ae<\/sub> Advent Companion,&#8221; its opening essay discusses Lotto&#8217;s &#8220;The Nativity&#8221; crucifix.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;&#8230;The shadow of the cross colors each chapter of the Christmas mystery. The joyful event of the Incarnation brings sorrow to Saint Joseph&#8230;.&#8221;<br \/>\n(Christmas and the Cross, James Monti in &#8220;The Magnificat<sub>\u00ae<\/sub> Advent Companion&#8221; (2020))<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Two millennia after our Lord&#8217;s birth, seeing the Incarnation and associated events as joyful is easy. Fairly easy. We know what happened after our Lord stopped being dead.<\/p>\n<p>But two millennia back, in Judea? Remember, this wasn&#8217;t early 21st-century America. Rules and expectations were different.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph <strong>knew<\/strong> that he wasn&#8217;t the father of Mary&#8217;s child.<\/p>\n<p>His options weren&#8217;t palatable, since he was a &#8220;righteous man.&#8221; Which I am pretty sure <strong>doesn&#8217;t<\/strong> mean he was the sort of self-righteous, hidebound, bluenosed prig who helped make the Sixties possible.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"Josephs\"><\/a>Joseph&#8217;s Options<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/advent-luke-and-good-advice\/#marys\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20161212-John_William_Waterhouse_-_The_Annunciation-329.JPG?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"John William Waterhouse, 'The Annunciation.' (1914)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Joseph could, legally, have denounced Mary as an adulteress. Then she would have been killed. Like I said, not palatable to someone who was righteous in a non-priggish sense.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, Joseph decided to quietly divorce her.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve read but not confirmed that his decision would have subjected him to a little ribbing.<\/p>\n<p>Folks would have reasonably assumed that Joseph and Mary had jumped the gun, after which Joseph got cold feet. But Mary would have lived.<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s not what happened.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph learned how Mary got pregnant, that the father is the Father, and that he&#8217;d been selected for a uniquely high-priority mission. (<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/1#48001018\">Matthew 1:18<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/1#48001025\">25<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>But, unlike several prophets, Joseph didn&#8217;t try to talk his way out of it. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/sin-awareness-repentance\/#well\">December 4, 2016<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>Neither did Mary, although she asked a reasonable question. Zachariah, maybe not so much. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/advent-luke-and-good-advice\/#marys\">December 7, 2018<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/gabriel-joseph-and-mary\/\">December 18, 2016<\/a>)<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"news\"><\/a>News: Not Entirely Bad; Unsettling; and Disbelieved<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/life-death-and-choices\/#rachel\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/201508ff\/20160102Adam_Elsheimer_-_Die_Flucht_nach_Agypten_Alte_Pinakothek_2-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Adam Elsheimer's 'The Flight into Egypt,' (ca. 1605)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Everything that could go wrong didn&#8217;t quite happen on that first Christmas.<\/p>\n<p>Mary and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem.<\/p>\n<p>They even found a place to stay in the overbooked town. Granted, they shared accommodations with livestock and our Lord&#8217;s first cradle was a feeding trough. But they apparently had a roof over their heads.<\/p>\n<p>Later, when they brought Jesus to the temple for consecration, they heard Simeon&#8217;s unsettling prophecy.<\/p>\n<p>Three magi showing up wasn&#8217;t bad news.<\/p>\n<p>But the foreign VIPs had unknowingly tipped Herod off that a king had been born, which led to unpleasantness. Herod the Great, following his usual threat-response protocol, sent enforcers to Bethlehem.<\/p>\n<p>The good news was that Joseph got a heads-up about the threat. Not waiting for sunrise, he took Jesus and Mary and headed for Egypt.<\/p>\n<p>The bad news? Herod&#8217;s enforcers killed Bethlehem&#8217;s boys. Those who were at or under age two. Which, I gather, is a non-event that never happened for many contemporary scholars.<\/p>\n<p>They&#8217;ve got a point.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"herod\"><\/a>Herod, History and Reputation<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Second_Temple#Herod's_Temple\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20201109ff\/20201209-800px-Second_Temple-658.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Israel Museum's model of the Second Temple, as renovated by Herod the Great.\"><\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">(From Ariely, via Wikimedia Commons, used w\/o permission.)<\/span><br \/>\n(Model of the Second Temple, after Herod the Great&#8217;s makeover.)<\/p>\n<p>Herod the Great saw to it that his administration&#8217;s glorious architectural achievements were well-documented.<\/p>\n<p>Judging from his official records and some 1st-century accounts, he was a Roman client king who got things done. He was a brilliant statesman and diplomat, forging a new aristocracy while maintaining beneficial ties with Rome.<\/p>\n<p>And he exercised the practical wisdom of killing anyone who might threaten him. Including a respectable fraction of his own family.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#4\">4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>How, today&#8217;s scholars apparently ask, could such an obviously capable and sagacious ruler possibly have done what Matthew&#8217;s second chapter says he did?<\/p>\n<p>Particularly when Herod the Great&#8217;s chroniclers didn&#8217;t mention the botched hit.<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s more to the &#8216;non-event that never happened&#8217; position than that. But I very strongly suspect that lack of self-incriminating documentation, plus Herod the Great&#8217;s building programs, make seeing him in a dubious light difficult.<\/p>\n<p>And I&#8217;m not surprised that killing maybe up to 20 no-account kids in a backwater podunk was omitted from official Herodian records. Particularly since the target escaped.<\/p>\n<p>And the era&#8217;s chroniclers focused on the rich and famous. Sort of like today&#8217;s headlines.<\/p>\n<p>Besides, 19th and 20th century scholarship includes proclamations that Homer wasn&#8217;t Homer, that Shakespeare didn&#8217;t write Shakespeare,<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/#5\">5<\/a><\/sup> and I&#8217;d better get back on-topic.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><a name=\"fa\"><\/a>Fa-La-La and Free Will, Responsibility and Reconciliation<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/enjoying-another-christmas\/#now\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20190916ff\/20191214-deck_us_all_boston_charlie_walt_kelly-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Walt Kelly's Pogo characters and 'Deck Us All With Boston Charlie.' (1961)\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Our Feast of the Holy Innocents, three days after Christmas, is hardly in the season&#8217;s festive &#8220;deck us all with boughs of holly&#8221; spirit. Much less &#8220;deck us all with Boston Charlie.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>But, fa-la-la-friendly or not, it&#8217;s there.<\/p>\n<p>So: how come Lotto&#8217;s &#8220;The Nativity&#8221; includes a crucifix and I celebrate an almost-forgotten butchery while many folks are prepping for New Year&#8217;s Eve?<\/p>\n<p>And, assuming that Shakespeare wrote Shakespeare and Homer is Homer, how could a smart man like Herod the Great kill a bunch of anonymous kids and some of his own family?<\/p>\n<p>That question and others like it has engaged some of this era&#8217;s greatest minds.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong>Kevin:<\/strong> &#8220;Yes, why does there have to be evil?&#8221;<br \/>\n<strong>Supreme Being:<\/strong> &#8220;I think it has something to do with free will.&#8221;<br \/>\n(&#8220;Time Bandits,&#8221; Monty Python (1981) via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0081633\/quotes?item=qt0279240\">imdb.com<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h4><a name=\"very\"><\/a>&#8220;Very Good&#8221; &#8211; &#8211; &#8211;<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/apollo-11-50-years-later\/#having\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20130220ff\/20150702-a59d76a97ff02272674b53ed27f4-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>God&#8217;s review of this universe is glowing.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed-the sixth day.&#8221;<br \/>\n(<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/1#01001031\">Genesis 1:31<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>So how come people behave badly?<\/p>\n<p>Maybe it&#8217;s because we have rules. We&#8217;re crazy because the trammeling conventions of society stifle our natural goodness.<\/p>\n<p>Or maybe it&#8217;s because we&#8217;re bad-to-the-bone. This view&#8217;s religious version seems to imply that the Almighty blundered by creating an utterly depraved human race. I&#8217;ve never heard someone come right out and say it that way.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m over-simplifying both views. And they&#8217;re not, by a long shot, the only explanations for the mess we&#8217;re in.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"but\"><\/a>&#8211; &#8211; &#8211; But Wounded<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/living-with-consequences\/#still\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20150430-rosetta20091113-browse-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>As a Catholic, I&#8217;m obliged to think that we&#8217;re basically good. All of us. Each of us. And that there&#8217;s something wrong with us.<\/p>\n<p>I might think this was so, even if I wasn&#8217;t Catholic. But having millennia of accumulated wisdom to draw on has advantages.<\/p>\n<p>As I see it, we were and are created in God&#8217;s image. We were and are very good.&nbsp;Basically. (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/1#01001027\">Genesis 1:27<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/1#01001031\">31<\/a>; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 405)<\/p>\n<p>But the first of us decided that their impulses outranked God&#8217;s rule. We&#8217;ve been dealing with consequences of that bad choice ever since. (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/3#01003001\">Genesis 3:1<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/3#01003013\">13<\/a>; Catechism, 396-409)<\/p>\n<p>Maybe that seems unfair. But I figure that free will wouldn&#8217;t be free if God scurried around, undoing every daft decision I made. Free, maybe, but pointless.<\/p>\n<p>As it is, We make choices, deciding to help or hurt ourselves or others. (Catechism, 365, 1730-1742)<\/p>\n<p>If I decide to do something, it gets done: within the limits of my nature. I can even decide not to decide, which is still a decision of sorts.<\/p>\n<p>Our nature hasn&#8217;t changed. We&#8217;re still basically good. But we&#8217;re wounded. We still know, at some level, how we should be have. We&#8217;ve even got our old job: taking care of this place. But doing what&#8217;s right is harder than it needed to be. (<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/2#01002015\">Genesis 2:15<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/2#01002017\">17<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/3#01003001\">Genesis 3:1<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/genesis\/3#01003013\">13<\/a>; Catechism, 397-409, 1776-1794, 1849-1869)<\/p>\n<p>Like I said: we&#8217;re still here and in charge, and we&#8217;re dealing with consequences.<\/p>\n<h4><a name=\"examination\"><\/a>Examination of Conscience: Getting Ready for Reconciliation<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/taking-god-seriously\/#dominion\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20170501ff\/20170525-WeatherControlAnalog-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>Since I&#8217;m human, I have within me an ember of the fire that forged the universe. We all do.<\/p>\n<p>That sounds like the Victorian &#8216;lords of the universe&#8217; attitude that made a mess we&#8217;ll be cleaning up for centuries. But it&#8217;s not.<\/p>\n<p>Being made in the image of God means I have dominion over, and responsibility for, my share of this world. And for how I treat folks around me. That&#8217;s scary. (<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/antarctic-hot-spots\/#big\">November 17, 2017<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/taking-god-seriously\/#dominion\">August 20, 2017<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jesus-and-expectations\/#these\">December 11, 2016<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s also why my parish&#8217;s Advent Companion booklet has an examination of conscience before a DYI Advent wreath blessing.<\/p>\n<p>The booklet&#8217;s &#8216;examination&#8217; is an eight-point list that starts with \u2014<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;For the times when I forget that I need a Savior, and arrogantly conceive of myself as sufficient to myself.&#8221;<br \/>\n(&#8220;The Magnificat<sub>\u00ae<\/sub> Advent Companion&#8221;)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Each item ends with &#8220;Come, Lord Jesus!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Examinations of conscience aren&#8217;t just an &#8216;Advent&#8217; thing.<\/p>\n<p>They are, or should be, how I get ready for the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation: what my culture calls Confession. (Catechism, 1422-1484)<\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t enjoy reviewing my thoughts and actions, looking for misdeeds. Sins. But it&#8217;s like flossing and brushing my teeth. I&#8217;m better off if I do it than if I don&#8217;t. Happily, there&#8217;s a mess of resources out there; including these.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usccb.org\/prayer-and-worship\/sacraments-and-sacramentals\/penance\/examinations-of-conscience\">Examinations of Conscience<\/a><br \/>\nUSCCB<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/content\/francesco\/en\/cotidie\/2019\/documents\/papa-francesco-cotidie_20190228_examination-of-conscience.html\">Five minutes for an examination of conscience<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nPope Francis (February 28, 2019)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ewtn.com\/catholicism\/library\/examination-of-conscience-12577\">Examination of Conscience<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nEssay; Fr. John Hardon, S.J. (1996)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><a name=\"failing\"><\/a>Failing to Love<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/rules-principles-and-a-defrocked-cardinal\/#rules\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/201508ff\/20160312-792px-Jesus_und_Ehebrecherin-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>&#8220;Sins?&#8221; I&#8217;d better clarify that.<\/p>\n<p>Some actions are wrong, regardless of circumstances. Like murder, deliberately killing an innocent person. (Catechism, 1447)<\/p>\n<p>Others, like sticking out my tongue, may be right during a dental exam, maybe-wrong when talking to someone, and quite often neutral.<\/p>\n<p>And, although no sin is a good idea, some sins are worse than others; which is why we talk about venial and mortal sin. We also sort them out by what we misuse, how we misuse things \u2014 it&#8217;s complicated. (Catechism, 1846-1869)<\/p>\n<p>But in another way, it&#8217;s simple.<\/p>\n<p>Sin is a failure to love. When I don&#8217;t love God and my neighbor, and see everyone as my neighbor, that&#8217;s when I sin. And &#8220;my neighbor&#8221; includes everyone. No exceptions. (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/5#48005043\">Matthew 5:43<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/5#48005044\">44<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/22#48022036\">22:36<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/matthew\/22#48022040\">40<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/12#49012028\">Mark 12:28<\/a>\u2013<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/mark\/12#49012031\">31<\/a>; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/10#50010025\">Luke 10:25<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/10#50010037\">37<\/a>; Catechism, 1706, 1776, 1825, 1849-1851, 1955)<\/p>\n<p>Sin is an offense against reason, truth and God. (Catechism, 1849-1850)<\/p>\n<p>And, as long as I am alive, seeking forgiveness is an option. (Catechism, 827, 976-983, 1021-1037, 1042-1050)<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><a name=\"good\"><\/a>Good News<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/peace-optional\/#then\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20161223-547px-The_Shepherds_and_the_Angel-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a>That&#8217;s good news. Very good news.<\/p>\n<p>And it&#8217;s possible because Mary said &#8220;let it be done.&#8221; And because Joseph did his job.<\/p>\n<p>And most of all because our Lord carried a cross to Golgotha, died and \u2014 I&#8217;m getting ahead of the story.<\/p>\n<p>A couple weeks from now, we&#8217;ll be celebrating our Lord&#8217;s arrival.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.<br \/>\n&#8220;The angel said to them, &#8216;Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.<br \/>\n&#8220;For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.&#8221;<br \/>\n(<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/2#50002009\">Luke 2:9<\/a>&#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/bible.usccb.org\/bible\/luke\/2#50002011\">11<\/a>)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>That, and what happened later, is the best news humanity&#8217;s ever had.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve talked about that before. So has my late father-in-law:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/jesus-didnt-stay-dead\/\">Jesus Didn\u2019t Stay Dead<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(April 21, 2019)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/advent-luke-and-good-advice\/\">Advent, Luke, and Good Advice<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(December 7, 2018)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/the-best-news-ever\/\">The Best News Ever<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(April 1, 2018)<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/do-not-be-afraid\/\">&#8216;Do Not be Afraid&#8217;<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nGuest post (January 7, 2018 )<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/advent-our-long-watch\/\">Advent: Our Long Watch<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\n(December 3, 2017)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<p><sup><a name=\"1\"><\/a>1<\/sup> Old song, new language:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/John_Mason_Neale\">John Mason Neale<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mary_Berry_(conductor)\">Mary Berry (conductor)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/O_Come,_O_Come,_Emmanuel\">O Come, O Come, Emmanuel<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Plainsong\">Plainsong<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hymnologyarchive.com\/bone-jesu-dulcis-cunctis\">Bone Jesu dulcis cunctis<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nHymnology Archive<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><sup><a name=\"2\"><\/a>2<\/sup> A little background and a few rules:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Crucifix\">Crucifix<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Crucifixion_in_the_arts\">Crucifixion in the arts<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Putto\">Putto<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.vatican.va\/archive\/ENG1104\/_P4N.HTM\">Feast Days<\/a>, Chapter I, Title II Sacred Times, Part III Sacred Places and Times, Part IV Function of the Church, Canon Law<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><sup><a name=\"3\"><\/a>3<\/sup> &#8220;Distinctive&#8221; illustrations:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/sites.nd.edu\/rbsc\/distinctive-xinxiang-series-of-biblical-illustrations\/\">Distinctive Xinxiang Series of Biblical Illustrations<\/a>&#8221;<br \/>\nHye-jin Juhn, East Asian Studies Librarian; Rare Books &amp; Special Collections (RBSC) at Notre Dame; Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, Indiana (March 25, 2019)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><sup><a name=\"4\"><\/a>4<\/sup> Herod the First and the importance of PR:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Herod_the_Great\">Herod the Great<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Herod%27s_Palace_(Jerusalem)\">Herod&#8217;s Palace (Jerusalem)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Herodian_architecture\">Herodian architecture<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Herodium\">Herodium<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Massacre_of_the_Innocents\">Massacre of the Innocents<\/a> (the version you&#8217;d probably learn for college tests)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Second_Temple\">Second Temple<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/homer-hegel-history-and-hope\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/brendans-island.com\/blogsource\/20160719ff\/20170129-TelephoneTelevisioncollage-329.jpg?w=640&#038;ssl=1\" align=\"right\"><\/a><sup><a name=\"5\"><\/a>5<\/sup> Shakespeare, Homer, Bacon and all that:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Wikipedia\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Delia_Bacon\">Delia Bacon<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Homeric_Question\">Homeric Question<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ignatius_L._Donnelly\">Ignatius L. Donnelly<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Shakespeare_authorship_question\">Shakespeare authorship question<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>My quick glance at Homer and Bacon, hold the Shakespeare\n<ul>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/homer-hegel-history-and-hope\/\">Homer, Hegel, History and Hope<\/a>&#8221; (May 12, 2018)\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/homer-hegel-history-and-hope\/#walls\">The Walls of Troy<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/seeing-the-big-picture\/\">Seeing the Big Picture<\/a>&#8221; (November 26, 2017)\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/seeing-the-big-picture\/#pilate\">Pilate and Bacon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Advent started November 29, a couple Sundays back. It&#8217;s my faith&#8217;s Christmas warmup. I&#8217;ll get back to that. My culture&#8217;s Christmas begins after Macy&#8217;s Thanksgiving Day parade. Our traditionally-frenzied holiday shopping season does, at any rate. This year&#8217;s liturgical Christmas &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/joy-and-shadow-free-will-and-something-silly\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"Jesus, Mary, Joseph, free will, being human, sin, love, and being human: in context. Also a little silliness: a 'Modern Nativity' from 2016.","jetpack_seo_html_title":"Joy and Shadow, Free Will and Something Silly: Advent Reflections","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[215,154],"tags":[103,23,109,68,93,27,90,69,108,92,71,14],"class_list":["post-4319","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-being-catholic","category-discursive-detours","tag-advent","tag-art","tag-christmas","tag-forgiveness","tag-free-will","tag-history","tag-holidays","tag-jesus","tag-joseph","tag-mary","tag-original-sin","tag-sin"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7Dwtw-17F","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4319"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9427,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4319\/revisions\/9427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brendans-island.com\/catholic-citizen\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}