asymptotes

Christmas is commonly abbreviated as X-mas, X being a symbol of Christ. This X actually comes from the  Greek letter  chi , the first letter of  Χριστός   —    Christós  or “Christ”.  This abbreviation makes a lot of sense. Nowadays, however, I have a growing feeling that for many people, this representation has been somewhat lost. The symbol X  now means "to cross out" or "leave out" or, in recent jargon, "to cancel".    Amidst the whirlwind of Christmas activities  there is a tendency to leave out Christ in Christmas . Crazy as it may sound, it is even crazier that some people do not even know that it is actually happening.   We concern ourselves so much with Christmas preparations  —    decorations, reunions, gifts, and the  noche buena    —     that we forget about the real reasons why we are doing them.  Obviously, the solution is not to do away w...

The seasons of Christmas and Holy Week are good occasions for availing of the sacrament of confession. This video is a step by step guide on how to go through the process. See also my related blog entry on Peace and Joy in a Box : Why you should no longer neglect, delay or fear confession . Notes on this video 1. I first saw the Spanish-subtitled version of this video on Patrick Madrid's blog . 2. I don't know what the video means by indicating ¨Conscience¨ as one of the things you'll need for confession. Perhaps it refers to ¨sorrow for sins¨ which is the most important part of confession, but then I think this was covered by the other items ¨Desire to seek forgiveness¨ and the ¨Will to be better.¨ 3.Below is the text of the Act of contrition. You don't have to memorize it. You may bring a copy when you go to confession. Act of Contrition O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss ...

From the film The Nativity Story This is a collection of quotations from G.K.Chesterton's The Everlasting Man . In the chapter "The God in the Cave," Chesterton wrote about the uniqueness of the event in Bethlehem. Chesterton is a British writer known for his simplicity, wit and humor and  for defending the Catholic faith against secular philosophies. I provided the explanatory titles below. The Paradox of Bethlehem A Creator unable to reach his creatures A mass of legend and literature, which increases and will never end, has repeated and rung the changes on that single paradox; that the hands that had made the sun and stars were too small to reach the huge heads of the cattle. Upon this paradox, we might almost say upon this jest, all the literature of our faith is founded. The Child and the Strength that sustains the stars Any agnostic or atheist whose childhood has known a real Christmas has ever afterwards, whether he likes it or not, an as...

Funny how we find it heroic and admirable when one disciplines his body in order to be a good athlete or a good soldier and yet we find it absurd when we’re told that we have to discipline our body in order to be a good Christian.   Funny how we find it right and just that a person pay for his offenses and yet we find it crazy when we’re told we have to atone for our offenses against God. Funny how we find it romantic and poetic when a human lover suffers with and for the sake of his Beloved and yet we find it stupid when we’re told that we have to suffer with Christ. [1] Suffering is present in all three cases mentioned above; but suffering is not what is sought, but dominion , atonement , union .   Dominion over our passions, atonement for our sins and union with Christ: these are some reasons why the Church prescribes sacrifice and self-denial, most especially during the seasons of Lent and Advent.  --- NOTES Death of Turin Turambar from aryundomiel....

Download a PDF copy of this article   I.Introduction All men desire peace and happiness, but many do not realize that true peace and happiness could come in a box- in a confessional box that is. Many Catholics neglect, delay or fear going to confession for various reasons. In this article, I will try to answer common objections on why one needs to go to confession and why one needs to go soon. I neither presume that I have covered all possible questions and objections about going to confession, nor that I have answered completely the questions I have posed. I am convinced that, more than rational arguments, what are needed for conversion are the grace of God and the person’s humility, faith and trust. Nevertheless, I still dare to tackle these questions in the slightest hope that even just one reader decide to avail of this great sacrament and enjoy the presence of God at the center of his soul. II.Objections to Confession Going to confession for the first time, o...