New Year, Happy - 1 : an expression of good wishes for the calendar year about to start

Art by Stefano Di Stasio

Song for this post here.

Cats

Esteemed Colleagues

Facade Orvieto Cathedral detail.

One Peter Five

I was interested in just who writes for 1P5 other than Steve Skojec.  It appears he's assembled a rather distinguished group of contributors - here.

[I checked it out because 1P5 is one of many sites with pop-ups requesting donations to finance the site whenever you click on the home page.  Does that mean contributors are paid?  I also came across something on another site linking to a Catholic Fundraising site, offering training for Catholic fundraising.  There must be a lot of money in pious gossip, speculation, detraction and dissimulation.  Of course there are good fundraising causes as well, such as replicating grand medieval abbeys in the countryside.]  

Keep trying ...

Battered Bishop ...

St. Thomas Becket was killed by loyal knights who misinterpreted their king's words ...  they felt obliged to kill the bishop.

I think I get it now ...

Don't make eye-contact, don't bring it up in public.

Just give interviews about it ...

The last interview in which Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke suggested a “formal correction” of an alleged error the Pope made in his Apostolic Exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” has sparked a heated discussion. By brandishing “formal correction”, an institute that cannot be found in canon law, Burke seemed to be presenting Francis with some form of an ultimatum in light of the five “dubia” over the interpretation of the “Amoris Laetitia”. 

In an interview with Vatican Insider, another of the three signatories of the “dubia”, German cardinal Walter Brandmüller, was keen to stress that a potential “fraternal correction” of a point made by the Pope must take place “in camera caritatis”, in other words not in public by means of published acts or written documents. - Source

The Circus at the Vatican ... "camera caritatis"

Making Cardinal Burke and the dubia disappear.

Works for me.

It's called, 'camera caritatis' ...

“I believe,” Brandmüller adds, “that Cardinal Burke is convinced that a fraternal correction must in the first instance be made in camera caritatis”. In other words not publicly. “I must say,” he explained, “that the cardinal has expressed his own opinion in complete independence and may of course be shared by the other cardinals too”. Brandmüller thus leads us to believe that in the interviews following the publication of the “dubia”, Burke was not speaking as a spokesman for the four cardinals who signed the document. - Source

"And you thought Carnival was over! LOL!"

My favorite little painting ...

Prophet St. Elijah

T. Nelson

2016

I was working on a series of little items for the Etsy shop, but didn't get many finished.  My Elijah turned out to be my favorite.  I had some blank panels - little 4"x6" wood panels from a craft store - which I gessoed years ago, I finally got around to painting them.  Sometime ago, in the early 1990's, I did small things like this for a design studio/antiques dealer - mostly using duck and ostrich eggs. I still had my tracings to work these out. They retailed from $125.

I like this one too:

S. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

(Faux-Ivory background.)

T. Nelson

2016

I updated the art blog accordingly, and I'll be updating Etsy soon.

Venerable Matt Talbot update ...

Matt is going to a church in California.

Thanks be to God!

My apologies, the photos are not very good.

He will be packed and shipped this week.

The Wonderful Coincidence of Hanukkah and Christmas ...

The eight days of Hanukkah is a great reminder to Christians that Christmas is twelve days.

Christmas is not just Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  So often people say, 'now that Christmas is over ...' - I heard it on the news yesterday.  It was a lead to discuss the eight days of Hanukkah - which is fine - but just like Hanukkah which began on December 24, so did the Christmas 'season'.

Liturgically, Catholics refer to it as the Octave of Christmas, which is eight days - in other words, Christmas is eight days too.  However, Christmastide is even longer, traditionally concluding on Epiphany - or Twelfth Night - yet very truly extending to February 2, Candlemas, the fortieth day of Christmas-Epiphany season.

Bonus:  Carnival begins on Epiphany, so if you still love to party - you can do so until Ash Wednesday.  Rock on!

Full of grace

 and truth.

One of my favorites for Christmas ...

Feast of Stephen

Merry Christmas and happy feast day to all deacons who serve the Church, especially those permanent deacons and their families.  

The Peace of Christmas

The triumph of Christmas.

Christmas Mass in Aleppo's

Old City, in the war ravaged Cathedral of St. Elias.

Before and after.

Peace to men and women in the war-torn land of Syria, where far too much blood has been spilled. Above all in the city of Aleppo, site of the most awful battles in recent weeks, it is most urgent that assistance and support be guaranteed to the exhausted civil populace, with respect for humanitarian law. It is time for weapons to be still forever, and the international community to actively seek a negotiated solution, so that civil coexistence can be restored in the country. - Pope Francis, Urbi et Orbi

It's freezing rain in Minneapolis ...

Winter in Siena

Of all the years I've stayed a stranger at Christmas, this year I intended to make surprise visits to family and friends.  Sadly, icy roads and freezing rain, made it too treacherous to drive in.  I should have at least sent Christmas cards!  Maybe next year.

Buon Natale! Ti amo!

What?

Merry Christmas