Soon Advent will end and Christmas will come once more.
I want to share a bit of the Christmas Message from His Grace, the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury, Primate of all England, and primus inter pares of the Anglican Communion.
There is something about Christianity that always pulls us back from imagining that everything
will be all right if we can find the right things to say - because for God, the right thing to say at Christmas was the crying of a small Child, beginning a life of risk and suffering. God shows us how, by His grace and in His Spirit, we can respond to the tormenting riddles of the world. ... May God Who works in the weakness and smallness of the Christmas Child work in our weakness and smallness; may He bless and strengthen you all at this season.
+Rowan Cantuar:
Merry Christmas!
Posted by: Emily | December 24, 2005 at 12:49 PM
I love that picture. St. Joseph has grown in importance in my own spiritual life since I adopted my son this year. For that occasion, my wife bought me a lovely icon of the Holy Family that showed Joseph in a very natural way, shielding both the Blessed Mother and the Holy Child. You can see it here: http://www.holyfamilycatalog.com/aspx/itemdetail.aspx?Item=1200
Thank you for posting this. I wish you and yours a blessed Nativity and a happy and healthy New Year.
Posted by: Robb | December 24, 2005 at 09:39 AM
Brillian piece
and an awesome leader you have.
Posted by: Lorna | December 23, 2005 at 04:37 PM
Thanks for sharing this thought, so poignant in a year when the Archbishop has faced such challenges.
Also, thanks for the image. We had a print of that scene in the hermitage at the Wisconsin monastery, and I love its natural and touching portrayal of Joseph.
Posted by: Damien | December 23, 2005 at 10:29 AM
May he bless and strengthen you as well, MiT.
Posted by: HeyJules | December 23, 2005 at 08:07 AM