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January 2019

Is Christmas Pagan?

Around the end of last year, I was pointed to an article, “Do the Gospels borrow from Pagan myths?“. It reminded me of the regular contention around this time that Christmas is essentially a pagan celebration. It’s usually said by a Christmas Grinch, or a Jehovah’s Witness, or someone with a particular agenda. The truth,

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Ignatius Pamplona Sml

Praying The Bible (Part 3)

Praying The Bible (Part 1) Praying The Bible (Part 2) Ignatius Loyola popularised a method of praying the Bible using one’s imagination. Some of you may find this really helpful. Some of you may not. Pray as you can… There is a problem with language particularly highlighted with this “method” – some use the word

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Reconstructed First Century House Sml

Inn and Guest Room

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 Actually, there’s no mention of an inn. The word usually translated here as “inn” is κατάλυμα (kataluma). It is the same word

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Holy Family Sml

The Incarnation Changes Everything

Whether you regard the Christmas Season as concluding on Christmas Day, Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord, Candlemas, the Sunday following Candlemas, or are Orthodox, or Armenian, and celebrate the Incarnation on another day and see the season differently… this is a reposting of an important reflection. We tend to speak about “secular” as if

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World Youth Day Sml

World Youth Day 2019

Every 2-3 years, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates World Youth Day. It was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985 after two successful international gatherings with young people in Rome in 1984 and 1985. The concept is around youth as a time of journey and pilgrimage, and the value of young people. The age

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