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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...

Pope Francis has finally arrived in the Philippines! Large crowds are gathering just to see a passing glimpse of the Pope of the people. Much larger crowds will be expected over this weekend at Tacloban, University of Santo Tomas, and Quirino Grandstand. For those participating in these events, there will be lots of walking, and lots of waiting. Hopefully there will also be lots of cheering. (Hey, the Pope is finally here! So let us all have a toast: Totus toast!) Chanting has been one of the most electrifying experiences I've experienced in large gatherings with the Pope. It takes away boredom and gives a lot of energy and enthusiasm. Below are some of the popular chants that have been used in the past World Youth Day (WYD) events with the Pope. ¡Esta es, la juventud del Papa!  ¡ Benedicto! (ka-clap-ka-clap-clap)!  So what chants could we use for the g atherings with Pope Francis in the Philippines ?  Below are 5 suggestions. ...

Three kings will see a great star in the bright blue sky, Seven men will follow it and lead them far; Nine days it shall guide them to the greatest King, One whose kingdom shall have no end. In the land of Judah, He shall lie, One King to rule the world, one who'll redeem men; One King to save the world, and from their sins release them, In the land of Judah, He shall lie. F ollowing a great star, the Three Kings of the Orient are led to Rivendell. There, the Elf-Lord Elrond explained to them The Prophecy. Together with Anakin, Harry, Neo and Aragorn, they embark on a journey to bring the Crown of Prophecy to the Lord of the Kings. But the journey turns out to be perilous, for the evil KingWraights are coming after them. THE LORD OF THE KINGS THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE KING PART I This is a script written for a 2005 highschool Christmas Movie Project.  Note that this is not written according to standard scriptwriting rules. ...

How could we prepare for Christmas? Below are two short answers I gave to some high school students. 1. Christmas is all about the birth of Christ. As is usual in a birthday celebration you are attending, you prepare a gift. The best gift you could give to Christ is to go to confession. On the first Christmas, Christ was born in a manger. Each succeeding Christmas, you have to allow him to be born in your soul. You do that through confession. 2. When you attend a birthday celebration, you usually greet the celebrant. We have to do the same this Christmas. You have to greet- talk! with Jesus- in prayer. Then talk with the people close to Him- Mary and Joseph. Ask them how they prepared for the first Christmas. Resources How to go to Confession Contains video and downloadable guide Chesterton on Christmas Quotations from GK Chesterton from The Everlasting Man "The hands that had made the sun and stars were too small to reach the huge heads of the cattle. Upon th...

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...