An Interesting Discovery
CRISIS Magazine - e-Letter
December 23, 2004
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Dear Friend,
Christmas is just days away. But before the office closes for the
break, I wanted to get you caught up on a couple interesting
stories... and get your advice on a matter.
But first things first...
It was reported yesterday that archaeologists in Israel had possibly
identified the ancient city of Cana. You'll recall that Cana was the
site of Jesus' first public miracle -- the creation of wine at a
wedding feast (see John 2). In fact, the archaeologists found several
shards from large stone jars... the very kinds of vessels that held
the water Jesus transformed. (Of course, pottery was plentiful at the
time, so no one is claiming that these were the actual jars Jesus
used.)
There is, of course, a modern city called Cana, and many believe it
was built near the ancient site. Interestingly enough, there's also a
rival location to the north, where the remains of stone jars were
also found.
Either way, the new discoveries serve to remind us that our Faith is
rooted in history. Ours is not an abstract religion, but one founded
on actual events. Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose again. This
is an important thing to keep in mind as we celebrate Christmas on
Saturday.
You can read the full story here:
http://au.news.yahoo.com/041222/2/sabu.html
But there's another item I wanted to bring to your attention, and
this one might make you a little angry. So, if in preparation for
Christmas, you're trying hard to avoid negative thoughts about other
people -- no matter how foolish they might be -- you should probably
skip this next part.
Consider yourself warned.
According to Patrick Cronin of the Hampton Union (in Hampton, New
Hampshire), Bryan Lafond just wanted to go to his school dance. The
seventh grade student of Hampton Academy Junior High School thought
it might be fun to go dressed as Santa Claus. It was, after all, the
school's "holiday" dance.
Bad move.
When he arrived at the dance, Fred Muscara, the interim principal,
stopped him at the door. Dressing as Santa is, apparently,
politically incorrect. Why? Let's let Muscara explain that for
himself:
"It was a holiday party," the principal told Cronin. "It was not
a
Christmas party. There is a separation of church and state. We have a
lot of students that go to Hampton Academy Junior High that have
different religions. We have to be sensitive to that."
First of all, the notion of a separation of church and state merely
prevents the state from adopting an official religion. Dressing up as
Santa at a holiday party doesn't exactly qualify.
And furthermore, if Muscara is concerned that Santa is inextricably
connected to Christmas, then one might well ask exactly which
holidays are being celebrated at the "holiday dance"? Presumably
Christmas, Chanukkah, and, I suppose, Kwanzaa. So what's the
problem?
But even more to the point: Santa is part of the secular celebration
of Christmas -- not the Christian religious day. Recall that there
were no elves in Bethlehem.
What we have here is yet another example of a hysterical secularist
leaping at any hint of religion -- even when the offense isn't
remotely religious.
You can read the full story here:
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/hampton/12212004/news/55149.htm
Last but certainly not least, I need to ask for your advice...
After the last e-Letter, one reader wrote me with a question that
I'd like to get your help to answer.
Here's the situation: The reader is a non-Catholic who would like to
enter the Church. However, she knows the sad reality that not all
Catholic parishes are as faithful as they should be, and she doesn't
want to get involved with the wrong one. So, she asks, what kinds of
things should she look for in a parish that would indicate fidelity
to the Faith?
I had a few immediate thoughts, but wanted to get your ideas as
well. So if you have some advice to pass on, please send it to me in
an email. I'll try to compile the different points and send it out as
an e-Letter the first week of January.
(Incidentally, she's in the diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida, in
case you have direct knowledge of a good parish there.)
And with that, I wish you a very merry and blessed Christmas. I will
write you again in the New Year.
All the best,
Brian
P.S. This has been a hectic week, preparing for our Christmas break,
and I'm a bit zoned out. So let me apologize in advance for any typos
that might have slipped through.
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