The song in my head isn't on Spotify's top playlists, but a simple search provides dozens of versions. Enduringly relevant, the original text (Psalm 2) was written in Hebrew a thousand years before Christ. Its English translation came some 1600 years after him. George Frederick Handel composed the melody, an aria for bass, in 1747. … Continue reading Listening to Handel While the Nations Rage
"Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." The words of the angel in Joseph's dream tip off the family entrusted with God's son that they must flee Bethlehem. They must protect the child by running for their lives. It is fitting to consider the cost of opposition to the kings of … Continue reading The Flight into Egypt: Run, Mary, Run
Starry skies call those who long for silence: leave the party, the mall, the jingle bell rock, the trivial TV. Step outside. Look up. Robert Frost's 1943 poem “Choose Something Like a Star" speaks to our position beneath the glittering skyscape. Alone beneath the stars the poet addresses "the fairest one in sight." He admires … Continue reading Choose Something Like a Star: A Christmas Contemplation
